r ground and where to compete wisely...

Chose the ground where your strength matches your competitors’ weakness.

Thus creating a competitive advantage that you will certainly need in order to win.

New grounds are being created every day.

The Internet and the World Wide Web didn’t exist 10 years ago.

Now Google in mere 7 years of operation is getting bigger and more profitable than HSBC Bank or Bank of America.

With a $160 billion capitalization of this giant of a company, we could all learn one or two things about planning and strategy.

Find new and easy ground to compete.

Find the ground where customers cannot afford a particular expensive service of one kind or another and offer them perhaps lower quality of the same service but affordable one.

Always remember that when the PC started to a

Using this powerful Strategic System you will in five easy steps create your strategic plan in one day.

It is so simple that people may prefer to spend so much money hiring consultants to give them the same strategic planning result, all be it, in more days and with elaborate language.

But such is life... Our overall strategic system consists of two major parts:-

1- What is your strategic position (strategic planning)

2- How to advance that position (strategy)

One word of caution: Strategy is not Strategic Planning. Strategic planning is done in a controlled static environment. Strategy deals only with changes in the field of operation and how you strategize to reach your mission and goals.

In this article we will only deal with first major part of strategic planning or positioning. Five elements or steps must be considered, analysed and formulated in the creation of any strategic plan for whatever purpose you have in business or in life.

• The Mission
• The Climate
• The Ground
• The Leadership
• The Methods

Getting these five elements or steps right before any execution or venturing into business, is a sure way of success in any endeavour in business or in life.

First Step - Your Mission

The mission is what unify or create unity between the leader of the business, the people working in business and the customers.

It is not good enough to create a mission stating that you will be the best company in this sector or another. A mission is much more serious and practical than that.

President Kennedy during his visit to NASA bumped into a “cleaner” in one of the corridors... he asked him “What do you do here?” The man replied “Mr President... I am putting a man on the moon”. Well now this is an organization with a mission.

the leadership of the organization its workers and the country at large are simply united in one mission. If their mission was to create the fastest and biggest Shuttle for example or to be the slickest organization on the face of the earth, then it would not have had a mission. There are probably thousands of organizations that we never heard or will hear about that have such a mission.

We really only hear about organization whose mission is to put a “man on the Moon”.

Second Step - The Climate

The climate is about “What is changing” that is creating an opportunity for your business and the timing for suitability to all involved, employees and customers.

Climate is what generally gives a strategy an edge and where all opportunities flows from, created and sustained.

In an age of fast communication and the global village, climate has changed for example in the travel industry.

Cheaper and cheaper means of traveling needed to be created. Easy Jet and others rushed into exploiting the opportunity and created empires.

Google, Yahoo, Amazon, eBay and the rest saw a similar climate change and jumped at the opportunity to create their own empires.

What is changing?; is your source of creating a business to succeed and flourish.

Are you watching closely?

Third Step - The Ground

The Ground is where you chose to compete.

There is difficult ground and an easy one; there is intersected ground and a dangerous one.

Chose your ground and where to compete wisely...

Chose the ground where your strength matches your competitors’ weakness.

Thus creating a competitive advantage that you will certainly need in order to win.

New grounds are being created every day.

The Internet and the World Wide Web didn’t exist 10 years ago.

Now Google in mere 7 years of operation is getting bigger and more profitable than HSBC Bank or Bank of America.

With a $160 billion capitalization of this giant of a company, we could all learn one or two things about planning and strategy.

Find new and easy ground to compete.

Find the ground where customers cannot afford a particular expensive service of one kind or another and offer them perhaps lower quality of the same service but affordable one.

Always remember that when the PC started to ap

g. Five elements or steps must be considered, analysed and formulated in the creation of any strategic plan for whatever purpose you have in business or in life.

• The Mission
• The Climate
• The Ground
• The Leadership
• The Methods

Getting these five elements or steps right before any execution or venturing into business, is a sure way of success in any endeavour in business or in life.

First Step - Your Mission

The mission is what unify or create unity between the leader of the business, the people working in business and the customers.

It is not good enough to create a mission stating that you will be the best company in this sector or another. A mission is much more serious and practical than that.

President Kennedy during his visit to NASA bumped into a “cleaner” in one of the corridors... he asked him “What do you do here?” The man replied “Mr President... I am putting a man on the moon”. Well now this is an organization with a mission.

the leadership of the organization its workers and the country at large are simply united in one mission. If their mission was to create the fastest and biggest Shuttle for example or to be the slickest organization on the face of the earth, then it would not have had a mission. There are probably thousands of organizations that we never heard or will hear about that have such a mission.

We really only hear about organization whose mission is to put a “man on the Moon”.

Second Step - The Climate

The climate is about “What is changing” that is creating an opportunity for your business and the timing for suitability to all involved, employees and customers.

Climate is what generally gives a strategy an edge and where all opportunities flows from, created and sustained.

In an age of fast communication and the global village, climate has changed for example in the travel industry.

Cheaper and cheaper means of traveling needed to be created. Easy Jet and others rushed into exploiting the opportunity and created empires.

Google, Yahoo, Amazon, eBay and the rest saw a similar climate change and jumped at the opportunity to create their own empires.

What is changing?; is your source of creating a business to succeed and flourish.

Are you watching closely?

Third Step - The Ground

The Ground is where you chose to compete.

There is difficult ground and an easy one; there is intersected ground and a dangerous one.

Chose your ground and where to compete wisely...

Chose the ground where your strength matches your competitors’ weakness.

Thus creating a competitive advantage that you will certainly need in order to win.

New grounds are being created every day.

The Internet and the World Wide Web didn’t exist 10 years ago.

Now Google in mere 7 years of operation is getting bigger and more profitable than HSBC Bank or Bank of America.

With a $160 billion capitalization of this giant of a company, we could all learn one or two things about planning and strategy.

Find new and easy ground to compete.

Find the ground where customers cannot afford a particular expensive service of one kind or another and offer them perhaps lower quality of the same service but affordable one.

Always remember that when the PC started to a

sident Kennedy during his visit to NASA bumped into a “cleaner” in one of the corridors... he asked him “What do you do here?” The man replied “Mr President... I am putting a man on the moon”. Well now this is an organization with a mission.

the leadership of the organization its workers and the country at large are simply united in one mission. If their mission was to create the fastest and biggest Shuttle for example or to be the slickest organization on the face of the earth, then it would not have had a mission. There are probably thousands of organizations that we never heard or will hear about that have such a mission.

We really only hear about organization whose mission is to put a “man on the Moon”.

Second Step - The Climate

The climate is about “What is changing” that is creating an opportunity for your business and the timing for suitability to all involved, employees and customers.

Climate is what generally gives a strategy an edge and where all opportunities flows from, created and sustained.

In an age of fast communication and the global village, climate has changed for example in the travel industry.

Cheaper and cheaper means of traveling needed to be created. Easy Jet and others rushed into exploiting the opportunity and created empires.

Google, Yahoo, Amazon, eBay and the rest saw a similar climate change and jumped at the opportunity to create their own empires.

What is changing?; is your source of creating a business to succeed and flourish.

Are you watching closely?

Third Step - The Ground

The Ground is where you chose to compete.

There is difficult ground and an easy one; there is intersected ground and a dangerous one.

Chose your ground and where to compete wisely...

Chose the ground where your strength matches your competitors’ weakness.

Thus creating a competitive advantage that you will certainly need in order to win.

New grounds are being created every day.

The Internet and the World Wide Web didn’t exist 10 years ago.

Now Google in mere 7 years of operation is getting bigger and more profitable than HSBC Bank or Bank of America.

With a $160 billion capitalization of this giant of a company, we could all learn one or two things about planning and strategy.

Find new and easy ground to compete.

Find the ground where customers cannot afford a particular expensive service of one kind or another and offer them perhaps lower quality of the same service but affordable one.

Always remember that when the PC started to a

bility to all involved, employees and customers.

Climate is what generally gives a strategy an edge and where all opportunities flows from, created and sustained.

In an age of fast communication and the global village, climate has changed for example in the travel industry.

Cheaper and cheaper means of traveling needed to be created. Easy Jet and others rushed into exploiting the opportunity and created empires.

Google, Yahoo, Amazon, eBay and the rest saw a similar climate change and jumped at the opportunity to create their own empires.

What is changing?; is your source of creating a business to succeed and flourish.

Are you watching closely?

Third Step - The Ground

The Ground is where you chose to compete.

There is difficult ground and an easy one; there is intersected ground and a dangerous one.

Chose your ground and where to compete wisely...

Chose the ground where your strength matches your competitors’ weakness.

Thus creating a competitive advantage that you will certainly need in order to win.

New grounds are being created every day.

The Internet and the World Wide Web didn’t exist 10 years ago.

Now Google in mere 7 years of operation is getting bigger and more profitable than HSBC Bank or Bank of America.

With a $160 billion capitalization of this giant of a company, we could all learn one or two things about planning and strategy.

Find new and easy ground to compete.

Find the ground where customers cannot afford a particular expensive service of one kind or another and offer them perhaps lower quality of the same service but affordable one.

Always remember that when the PC started to a

r ground and where to compete wisely...

Chose the ground where your strength matches your competitors’ weakness.

Thus creating a competitive advantage that you will certainly need in order to win.

New grounds are being created every day.

The Internet and the World Wide Web didn’t exist 10 years ago.

Now Google in mere 7 years of operation is getting bigger and more profitable than HSBC Bank or Bank of America.

With a $160 billion capitalization of this giant of a company, we could all learn one or two things about planning and strategy.

Find new and easy ground to compete.

Find the ground where customers cannot afford a particular expensive service of one kind or another and offer them perhaps lower quality of the same service but affordable one.

Always remember that when the PC started to appear, any secretary at the time could type faster on the Typewriter than on the 8080 PC Chip.

Desktop photocopier, where no match to the large copiers when they were first introduced, but people liked the convenience of the desktop copier and a revolution was in the making.

This is called “disruptive innovation” that you need to study and understand well.

Just “Google” the term “disruptive innovation" and you will be on your way.

Fourth Step - The Leadership

Get your leadership principles right in order for your people and the customers to follow you:

• Caring For concern for the people and the customers
• Intelligence So that you see the opportunity and the changing climate
• Courage that you take actions to capitalize on opportunities
• Discipline Tough but fair to manage the business
• Trustworthiness So that your people and customers can trust you and follow you

Fifth Step - The Methods

The Methods are your art that you apply to your business?

Strategy, IT Systems, Processes, Sales and Marketing tactics, Are all in the realm of Methods that your business needs to get right from the outset.

Having defined your mission, everything else will fall into place and no longer will you find creating a sales strategy or marketing one such a difficult arena.

Conclusion

Finally this is how it works. during each step and after you analysed every element, you will score yourself in terms of strengths and weaknesses against that of your competitors.

If your score equals or exceeds that of your competitors in all the five elements, then you are on a sure road to winning big time in your business.

If not, work on strengthening these elements before you start your challenge.

All be it, now after you created your strategic plan, it is time for you to learn strategy in order to maneuver your way to success and advance your current business position to new heights.

But this is another story all together . Let’s get your strategic planning right first.