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Greg Githens is the author of How to Think Strategically (2019). He is a recognized thought leader in designing and delivering strategic initiatives.-
Read these recent articles
- Unlocking Strategic Thinking for Business Success – A Summit for Leaders and High Performers (Free)
- The Skills Stack for Resilience
- Five tips for speaking truth to power
- Better Conversations Generate Better Strategy
- Insights Are the Secret Sauce of Strategy
- How a Strategic Decision Differs From a Tactical Decision
- Unlearning, learning, and a culture of strategic thinking
- How Mapping Can Improve Your Strategic Thinking
- How to Measure Business Acumen
- Strategy Execution as a Learning Process
- Why I favor a mental stance of disorder
- Critical Asking
- Transcending the Status Quo
- Connecting Strategy to Execution
- Complexity: Four Principles for Program Managers
- Use the PAVER Framework to Assure Strategic Commitments
- Strategic Experiments & Agile Responses
- Avoiding Four Pitfalls of Rapid Growth
- Operational Excellence or Strategic Excellence?
- Design Thinking: Five Landmarks for Strategic Initiatives
- Seven Must-Do’s for Better Strategy Execution
- Strategy as Problem Solving: An Example from a Large Technology Organization.
- Five Mental Anchors that Impede Your Strategic Initiative
- Five Must-Know Patterns of Disruption
- Beginners Guide: Competent Strategic Initiatives
- Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, & Ambiguity (VUCA)
- Four Recommendations for Effective Program Governance
- Six Strategic Thinking Skills: Developing the Proactiveness Habit
- What’s the #Strategy? Let Me Tell You a #Story
- Benefits of Being a Visible Expert
- Strategy is Not Long-Range Planning, Vision, Mission, or Values
- Five Ways to Involve Smart New Voices in the Strategy & Agile Innovation Conversation
- Is it Possible to Have a Perfect Strategy?
- Facilitating the Business Model Canvas: A Few Lessons Learned (Part 1)
- Designing Strategic Initiatives for Results: The Two Kinds of Coherence
- Perspective is More Powerful than Vision
- The Real Reason Strategy Implementation is Difficult (and the Solution to It)
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
- Ambiguity and Strong-Minded Thinking
- 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
- Strategy Coaching and Facilitation
- Strategy, Ambiguity, and Strong-Minded Thinking
- Success Principles for Strategic Initiatives
- Transforming the Organization
- Uncategorized
- Useful Practices & Management Tools
Tag Archives: Strategic initiative
How to Be Strong Minded (3 Capabilities and 5 Tips for Strategic Thinking)
Strong minds produce strong ideas. Strong minds do not fail. Strong minded thinkers have three competencies: 1) they are good a probing and sensing, 2) they imagine the logical future consequences of decisions and actions, and 3) they look for opportunities to apply ingenuity. The article provides practical questions that will help the reader develop these competencies. The article also provides five tips for robustness: avoid mistakes, develop emotional resiliency, reflect, and generate alternative solutions. Continue reading
Why Your Organization Will Perform Better With Fewer Strategic Initiatives: Six Bits Evidence
Companies that have fewer strategic initiatives more likely to be at the top of their industry. Why? The discipline and focus of strategic choice! Too many projects and initiatives tend to cause fire fighting, distraction, frustration, etc. This article will provide you with examples and good talking points for maintaining focus on the “vital few” strategies rather than the trivial many. Continue reading
Posted in Program & Portfolio Management, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, Success Principles for Strategic Initiatives
Tagged case study, evidence, prioritizing initiatives, Strategic initiative, strategic initiatives, Strategic planning, strategy execution, Texas Instruments
6 Comments
Strategy as the Backstory: Another Leadership Tip
In explaining the strategic initiative, the leader needs to skillfully weave in the backstory of strategy; that is, identify the relevant parts of the larger narrative and include in the communications to stakeholders. Modern audiences are impatient, so keep the amount of backstory limited. The exception is when the strategic initiative involves a heritage story (example heritage stories from Starbucks and Domino’s Pizza). The strategy-as-backstory can include SWOT, mission, vision, values, etc. This tip is part of the “How to Improve Your Story Telling Chops” series. Continue reading
Director Business Transformation: Position Description & Relationship to Strategic Initiatives
Provides three examples of Director Business Transformation roles at Hertz, Sears, and SuperValu and suggests that there are similarities and distinctions with roles for VP, Director, or Manager of Strategic Initiatives. Continue reading
Posted in Examples of Strategic Initiatives, Transforming the Organization
Tagged Best practice, Business, Business transformation, change management, Chief financial officer, director, Greg Githens, growth, Hertz, Information Technology, job, Management, Organizational Development, position, program management, Project management, Sears, Strategic initiative, strategic initiatives, Strategic management, Supervalu, transformation, transformation initiatives
6 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
9 Comments
Fast and Effective Decisions Drive the Strategic Initiative
Fast and effective decisions drive the strategic initiative program. Greg Githens provides useful ideas for making faster and better decisions. Continue reading
Posted in Strategy Coaching and Facilitation, Success Principles for Strategic Initiatives, Useful Practices & Management Tools
Tagged agenda, Decision making, Decision tree, fast decisions, management tools, meetings, Problem Solving, program management, Strategic initiative, strategic mindset, strategic thinking, strategy execution, teams
5 Comments
Balanced Score Cards and Strategic Initiatives
The leader of a strategic initiative needs to have a good understanding of the purpose and application of the balanced score card. This article overviews the four perspectives and provides four valuable questions that inform the strategic intent. Continue reading
Pillars of Strategic Initiative Success
Greg Githens explains that good strategy, strong commitment, and strategic planning and thinking are the strategic pillars for success with strategic initiatives. Continue reading
Posted in Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, Success Principles for Strategic Initiatives
Tagged anticipating obstacles, Business, commitment, Consulting, correct strategy, Decision making, Forbes, good strategy, Management, program management, Strategic initiative, Strategic management, strategic pillars, strategic planks, Strategic planning, strategic thinking, Strategy, strategy execution
3 Comments
Eight Distinctions between Portfolio Management & Program Management
This article clarifies the differences between program management, portfolio management, and program management along 8 dimensions: purpose, temporal nature, aggregation, strategic alignment, success criteria, risk, decisions, & competencies. Greg Githens explains four implications for leaders of strategic initiatives: meaning of strategic alignment, number of strategic initiatives in the portfolio, strategic initiatives as programs, and immature standards. The leader applies strategic thinking to do that. Continue reading
Posted in Program & Portfolio Management, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives
Tagged ambiguity, Business, differences project program portfolio, governance, Greg Githens, Leadership, Management, portfolio management, program management, Project, Project management, Project portfolio management, risk diversification, strategic alignment, Strategic initiative, Strategic management, strategic thinking, strategy execution, strategy formulation
12 Comments
Use the Columbo Question to Get Strategic Information
In the inquiry mode of leadership, questions help to set strategic direction and discover requirements and intentions. Greg Githens explains that the last question in an interview is, “Is there any question that I should have asked that I haven’t asked.” Continue reading
Posted in Competencies of Strategic Initiative Leaders, Useful Practices & Management Tools
Tagged Columbo, Competencies of Strategic Initiative Leaders, Greg Githens, Interview, management tools, Peter Falk, questions, skillful questioning, strategic information, Strategic initiative, strategic thinking, The Last Question
2 Comments
Leading Strategic Initiatives 