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Friday, January 16, 2009

Brainzooming – Do You Have a Strategic Pain in the Ass?

Want to stay well-grounded in your strategic thinking?

Here’s an uncomfortable suggestion – have someone who can be your strategic pain in the ass. I have one, a self-described “devil’s advocate,” who never fails to shoot holes in our strategic thinking. As painful as the discussions can be (I HATE to have not thought of every angle), I never fail to walk away with an honest, passionate challenge that improves our thinking.

So go ahead, seek out your strategic pain in the ass. Just have some Strategic Preparation H nearby!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is great advice. Too many times I see strategic plans completed right in time for a due date with little vetting of the approach. The best plans I've seen became great only after being challenged and discussed from several points of view, and I think the key to this happening is to have enough time in advance of the due date.

I'm now leading planning in my organization and I plan to build steps into the process for the business owner to go back and walk through the plan with other people other than their immediate director.

Mike Brown said...

Thanks for the comment Vince and the email exchange.

Making sure people get reactions from those that don't agree with them is a great idea.

The particular strategic PITA in this post is a mutual friend from your old stomping grounds!

Mike