Greg Githens is Vice President Strategic Initiatives and Innovation. He helps executives turn vision into results and is available for short- and long-term leadership.-
Read these recent articles
- Accountability is the Willingness to Have Your Performance Measured
- Three Tips for Leading Strategic Alliances
- Don’t Ask About Deadlines and Due Dates
- Launching a Strategic Initiative? Here are Three Good Practices
- B.A.R.E.D. – Five Domains for Program Management Performance
- Strategy Execution Priority #1: Effectively Communicate Strategic Decision(s)
- Strategic Initiatives Case Study: Best Buy’s “Renew Blue” Turnaround
- The Business Value Proposition
- Strategic Thinking: Seven Questions for Your New Year’s Resolution
- Use Small Wins to Attract Allies To Your Strategic Initiative (and Overcome Shabby Thinking)
- Strategic Initiatives | What Are the Metrics That Matter?
- S.T.I.C.C. – A Useful Communication Tool for Critical Situations
- The “20%-of-Your-Time” Rule-of-Thumb
- That’s the Fact, Jack: Data Drive Strategic Initiatives
- A Simple Idea that Every Good Strategist Knows
- Apple versus Samsung: Three Lessons for Strategic Initiative Leaders
- Four Things Strategic Initiative Leaders Need to Know About Requirements
- The “Call to Action:” A Useful Leadership Tool
- Strategic Initiative Steering Teams: A Sharp or Dull Blade?
- Identify Performance Gaps and Get Out of the Rut of Solutioneering
- The Job of the Program Manager is to…..
- Use the Prospective Hindsight Technique to Improve Your Vision Statements and Story Telling
- The Purpose of a Strategic Initiative is Closing a Performance Gap
- How to Develop Completion Criteria and Success Metrics
- Ask Informed Questions
- How to Identify Strategic Assumptions
- Strategic Initiative Case Study: Intel’s Product Development Turnaround
- Strategic Initiatives | Are You Ready to Implement?
- Incremental Benefits Delivery: The Key to Sustaining Commitment to Strategy
- The Strategic Initiative Leader: The #1 Success Factor!
- Strategic Initiatives | Executive Sponsor Roles, Power, & Politics
- Know The “Follow-The-Money” Story. How was Your Strategic Initiative Funded?
- Path Finding and Way Finding
- A Powerful Idea for Your Strategic Initiative: Program = Brand = Trust
- Case Study: Strategic Initiative Kickoff in a Global Joint Venture
- Five Rules for Managing Complex Strategic Initiatives
- Advice for Strategic Initiative Charters
Talk to the Expert
Need a strategic planning facilitator, implementation coach, neutral mediator, workshop, seminar, or hands-on program manager? Greg Githens provides coaching, workshops, hands-on, and more. Contact him at GregoryDGithens@cs.com or 419.424.1164Categories
- Competencies of Strategic Initiative Leaders
- Examples of Strategic Initiatives
- How to Improve Your Story Telling Chops
- Incremental Benefits Delivery
- Interpreting Strategy Documents
- Program & Portfolio Management
- Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives
- Strategy Coaching and Facilitation
- Strategy, Ambiguity, and Strong-Minded Thinking
- Success Principles for Strategic Initiatives
- Transforming the Organization
- Useful Practices & Management Tools
Tag Archives: Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives
A Master List of Questions for Strategic Initiatives
More than 80 good questions for leaders of strategic initiatives, provided by Greg Githens, who notes that “leaders lead by asking questions.” These questions are categorized: strategic path finding; betterment of risk, issues, and decisions; and elaborating requirements, solution design, and value propositions. Continue reading
Posted in Competencies of Strategic Initiative Leaders, Useful Practices & Management Tools
Tagged ambiguity, Competencies of Strategic Initiative Leaders, Decision making, leading strategic initiatives, questions, strategic initiatives, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, strategic thinking
3 Comments
Resolving Ambiguity and Uncertainty (Strategic Thinking – Part 4)
Strategic initiatives leaders must understand the difference between ambiguity and uncertainty. Uncertainty deals with explicit questions, whereas ambiguity raises the point, “Are we asking the right questions?” Both are useful concepts, and strategic thinkers have tools (most importantly, questions) for dealing with both. This article continues a series on strategic thinking. Continue reading
Posted in Competencies of Strategic Initiative Leaders, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, Success Principles for Strategic Initiatives
Tagged ambiguity, analysis paralysis, cone of uncertainty, Decision making, explicit model, fast decisions, Motorola, risk management, Strategic initiative, strategic initiatives, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, strategic thinking, uncertainty
6 Comments
A Guide to the Three Types of Strategy and Business Model Scope
Strategic initiatives arise to support three types of strategies. Corporate strategies have to do with market selection. Business strategies have to do with competing within a business model. Functional strategies have to do with effective specialization. Each interact with the business model’s value proposition. Continue reading
Posted in Examples of Strategic Initiatives, Interpreting Strategy Documents, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, Success Principles for Strategic Initiatives
Tagged Business, Business model, Business Model Canvas, business value, case study, Domino's Pizza, Greg Githens, Initiative, Management, Microsoft, Nokia, program management, resource availability, strategic alignment, Strategic initiative, Strategic management, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, Strategy, strategy execution, strategy formulation, Swiss Life, transformation
13 Comments
Strategic Thinking (Part 2): Framing Decisions with the Four Types of Ambiguity
Good strategic thinkers are strong minded; they cope effectively with ambiguous information. This article explains how to recognize the four types of goal ambiguity (methods, metrics, priorities, and outcomes). The strategic initiative leader needs to frame decisions to cope with this ambiguity. Continue reading
Posted in Competencies of Strategic Initiative Leaders, Strategy, Ambiguity, and Strong-Minded Thinking
Tagged agile, ambiguity, Business, buy in, Competencies of Strategic Initiative Leaders, Consulting, Decision making, Greg Githens, Initiativeto strong mind, Management, questions, Strategic initiative, Strategic management, Strategic planning, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, strategic thinking, strong minded
8 Comments
Validation: How to Get Strategy Right
Strategy validation is a process of assuring that there is a “correct strategy.” First, review to find a distinct statement of problem or opportunity that is coupled to a proposed solution. The program manager – just like the CEO – validates strategy with the important stakeholders. Avoid over and under commitment to the strategic initiative. The #1 reason that Boards fire CEOs is because they don’t adequately communicate the reasons for the strategic initiatives. Continue reading
Posted in Interpreting Strategy Documents, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, Useful Practices & Management Tools
Tagged CEO fired, change management, Discovery Channel, Greg Githens, Hasbro, IBM Infosphere, Problem Solving, program management, Strategic initiative, Strategic management, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, strategy execution, strategy formulation, The Hub, transformation, Translation, United Bank Limited, validation, vision
3 Comments
Strategy is a Boundary-Spanning Activity
Greg Githens explains how leaders develop the strategic initiative execution plan by integrating concepts. Vertical connections are done through metrics and horizontal connections are a search for strategic synergy. He explains a pitfall of many strategies, which is to focus on the solution rather than the problem or opportunity. An example is provided for Human Resources strategy. This post describes Step 3 of 4 for interpreting strategy documents. Continue reading
Posted in Interpreting Strategy Documents, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, Strategy Coaching and Facilitation, Useful Practices & Management Tools
Tagged ambiguity, balanced score card, Balanced scorecard, horizontal integration, Initiative, open innovation, program management, Strategic initiative, Strategic management, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, Strategy, strategy execution, strategy formulation, vertical integration, vision
6 Comments
What are the Strategic Pillars that Support the Vision?
Strategic pillars and planks hold up the strategic vision. Describes examples of strategic initiatives at Google, Boy Scouts of America, Schibsted, GE, pet supplies retailer, and an approach for content marketing strategies. Continue reading
Posted in Examples of Strategic Initiatives, Interpreting Strategy Documents, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, Success Principles for Strategic Initiatives, Useful Practices & Management Tools
Tagged content marketing, document analysis, Goal, Greg Githens, program management, Strategic initiative, Strategic management, strategic planks, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, strategy execution, strategy formulation, vision
5 Comments
Can You See Your Vision Statement?
An important task for the leader of a strategic initiative is to bring clarity to the vision statement. Provides criteria for a vision and 5 methods for improving a vision statement. Step 2 of a 4-part approach on interpreting strategy documents. Continue reading
Posted in Interpreting Strategy Documents, Strategy Coaching and Facilitation, Useful Practices & Management Tools
Tagged alignment, commitment, program management, Strategic initiative, Strategic management, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, strategy document, strategy execution, vision
11 Comments
Interpreting Strategy Documents: More Insights and a Valuable Tip!
The article provides techniques and questions for clarifying the internal and the external strategic context during a strategy implementation readiness session. This helps you align formulation with implementation. Continue reading
Posted in Useful Practices & Management Tools
Tagged ambiguity, Business, collaboration, Consulting, Document, Management, Peter Drucker, program management, Silicon Valley, Strategic management, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, strategy execution, strategy formulation, teams
4 Comments
Interpreting Strategy Documents: A Key Skill for Implementation
Strategy fails in part because strategy formulation documents must be interpreted as they are implemented. The article provides practical ideas for clarifying strategic concepts and assure that strategy implementation is successful. Continue reading
Posted in Examples of Strategic Initiatives, Interpreting Strategy Documents, Program & Portfolio Management, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, Useful Practices & Management Tools
Tagged ambiguity, change the business, Concept map, HSBC, management tools, portfolio, run the business, Strategic initiative, Strategic management, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, strategy execution, strategy formulation, strategy implementation readiness assessment
9 Comments
