Strategy Is The Art of Sacrifice

In preparing to do work for the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, I interviewed a dozen retailers and manufacturers. During one of those interviews I heard a quote on strategy that really has stayed with me: "Effective strategic planning is really about the art of sacrifice." I love that because it means that a truly great strategy helps you clarify what you are going to stop doing as much as it tells you about what you are going to continue doing. A really effective strategy is like the sculptor's tool in that it helps you slice off all that which is not necessary. By adhering to a clear strategy, you quickly find that your efforts synergistically work together to drive better results and gain momentum over time. While far too many organizations have members working with their chin so close to the grindstone they don't realize their working on completely disconnected activities, the members of great groups step back from the grindstone and make sure their efforts are supporting one another and all fit under the umbrella of a clear and effective strategy.

Here are four steps to establishing and implementing an effective strategy:

1. Develop a "Working Statement of Success." This is not a lofty vision statement, but rather a simple clear realistic statement of what you want your organization to look like if it were ultimately successful.

2. A strategy is simply a guideline that defines an organization and the direction in which it is moving. Develop several strategies that your organization could use to accelerate the realization of the working statement of success.

3. Determine which of these strategies best fits the values, passions, talents and resources in your organization.

4. Once you select your strategy, be sure that every activity and decision falls under the umbrella of this strategy.

If you do that, you will begin to steadily build an ever-growing snowball of momentum toward your desired results.

CAREER ACCELERATION
THE INTRINSIC VALUE OF MENTORING OTHERS

I was a high school teacher for ten years. Never really understood geometry until I taught it. Never really understood soccer as a complete game until I coached it. If you truly want to learn how to accelerate your career, make a commitment to at least one other person to help them accelerate their career. Take the time to listen to their desires, opportunities and challenges. Carefully consider what advice you will offer to them and why you select this advice. Stay in touch with them regularly for at least six months and focus on sincerely helping them become more effective in their work. Challenge them with thought-provoking questions and give them feedback with complete candor. Help them become more effective as a leader, manager, communicator and team player. And then watch while the magic starts to happen within you. Steadily you will become a more effective leader, manager, communicator and team player. The old saying still holds true. You cannot help another person without simultaneously helping yourself.

Take care and have a great month!

Dan Coughlin

Accelerate Update This section is always current to the current month

I suppose every book changes an author's life to a certain degree. My first book, which was self-published in 1995, was called Inside Out: A Catalyst for Conscious Living. It's out of print now for a number of good reasons. The layout, which yours truly did, looks like something a first grader could do today. And the ideas are very theoretical, which doesn't fit my approach anymore. However, I read the book a few months ago, and I was pleased by how clearly I had explained my early thoughts on improving performance.

My second book, Corporate Catalysts: How to Make Your Company More Successful, Whatever Your Title, Income, or Authority was published in 2005 by Career Press. That book was a step forward in clarifying my ideas on improving performance and understanding how to write a whole book. It's one thing to dream about getting a book contract and another thing to write a 70,000 word manuscript.

My third book, ACCELERATE: 20 Practical Lessons to Boost Momentum, which was published in May 2007 by Kaplan Publishing, has changed my business dramatically. Up until that book was published, I mostly did projects for four companies: McDonald's, Marriott, GSD&M, and Toyota. In the past 12 months, I've worked with business owners, executives, and managers within dozens of small, medium, and massive organizations in more than 20 industries ranging from boats to banks to software to financial services to trucking to lighting to home healthcare to hospitals to optometrists. It's been an exciting adventure.

If you want to see my speaking calendar for 2008, which we'll try to update every two weeks, please click here.

Currently, I have 66 speeches scheduled for 2008. If you would like for me to speak at one of your events in 2008 or 2009, feel free to contact me at dan@thecoughlincompany.com and I will be glad to see if we can make it work.

If you want to see my speaking topics and a video of footage from some of my keynote speeches, please click here.

Back to Newsletter Page

P.O. Box 1245 Fenton, Missouri 63026
Phone 636.825.6611 Fax 636.825.9831
E-mail info@thecoughlincompany.com