If you’ve ever had a strategic initiative fail at your organization and thought to yourself, “What am I doing wrong as a leader?” this episode is for you.

The truth is, most leaders end up with several failed strategies under their belt. The trick is to stop making the same mistakes and lean into some best practices for strategic planning that *actually* work.

There’s no one better to teach leaders how to build that foundation and grow through strategy than our latest guest. Jim Gitney, the Founder and CEO of Group50® Consulting has 45 years of corporate and consulting experience working with over 200 companies in guiding them toward double-digit top line and bottom line growth.

Listen to the full conversation for more on the top mistakes business owners make when it comes to successful strategic initiatives, what the “business hierarchy of needs” is (and what CEOs can learn from it), the downsides of having too many goals, how to align compensation structures in a way that encourages forward motion on your strategic initiatives, and much more.

Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Learn:

Jim’s background in strategic consulting, and more about his approach
Why it’s important to narrow focus when it comes to strategic objectives, instead of casting a wide net
More about the “five whys” exercise that Jim takes his clients through in order to establish what their most important goal is
How to break strategy down into fundamental elements that everyone within a business can understand and implement
What the business hierarchy of needs is, and why having a strong foundation is so important to creating strategies that succeed
Statistics about why strategies fail
Why mid-level managers typically hold strategic initiatives back
How to correlate compensation structures with successful strategies, and why those systems can’t be just about money
How to know when a strategic initiative is going to make an actual impact and really move the dial
The biggest things that businesses struggle with when it comes to moving major initiatives forward
Why every business leader should be able to answer three questions about their strategies: “From what,” “to what” and “by when”
Why business is done horizontally, not vertically
How Jim and his team measure success internally

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Strategy Realized website
Group50 Consulting
Jim Gitney on LinkedIn
“Strategy Realized - The Business Hierarchy of Needs: Turning Strategy Into Results” by Jim Gitney
Jim Gitney on YouTube
“The Premonition: A Pandemic Story” by Michael Lewis
40 Strategy
Contact 40 Strategy
Carl J. Cox on LinkedIn

How to avoid common mistakes with your business strategy, with author Jim Gitney 44:14 Share

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How to avoid common mistakes with your business strategy, with author Jim Gitney