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Image by Elia Pellegrini

Our Approach to Business Strategy

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When you work with a strategy advisor or business coach, you are looking for someone who fits your company - in what they do, and how they do it. You can learn what I do from the topics I cover on this site. As for how I do it, you can learn my approach and my values below.
My approach to consulting

When working with clients, I grade myself on the following criteria:

Being a good expert (strategist and business leader)

  • Providing advice that results in good outcomes

  • Shepherding discussions and decisions in the right way

  • Talking about the right things

  • Identifying strategic opportunities and needs early

Being a good consultant

  • Responsive

  • Prepared

  • Knowledgeable about your business

Being a good partner

  • Doing what’s needed, whether it’s in the scope or not

  • Acting in your interest

  • Acting in alignment with your values

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My values in business
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Hunger

I like to be in the action, and when I am, I hustle.  I work hard, and I'm humble about how much I still have to learn and how dependent I am on others.

Balance

Structure and creativity.  Preparation and being present.  Complexity and simplicity.  Leading and supporting.  Discipline and flexibility.  Focus and experimentation.

 

The other side of balance is conflict.  We step into conflict so that we can make it productive and positive, and hold it up for what it is – a way to get clear about what balance really takes, and what the right mix is.

Depth

There’s a saying about strategy:  it's about finding simplicity on the other side of complexity.  And in today’s complex world, the ability to think deeply about situations, decisions, trade-offs, priorities, and plans makes a huge difference in their effectiveness.

 

Simplicity without complexity is vapid.  Complexity without simplicity is quagmire.

 

Where does depth come from?  Curiosity, empathy, thoughtfulness, relationships, intention - and many other things.  (It is, after all, complex.)

Authentic

I’ve learned that authenticity comes from self-awareness, integrity, and transparency.  And for me, it comes from a desire to connect with people.

Collaborative

I like being a part of a team.  Building something with others.  Having a common goal and working together toward it.

 

When I play hockey, which turns out to be a good metaphor for my life and my work, I’m more likely to look for the assist than score myself, but I’m willing to do both.

Some other things I groove on

  • 80/20 - getting to an approximate answer quickly and then moving to action

  • Empathy - I may have the brain of an engineer, but I have the heart of a therapist, and I'm very good at listening and seeing different perspectives

  • Harnessing Risk - I like risk, but I also know how important it is to properly assess it

  • Experimenting & Learning - I am constantly learning, and experiments are a great way to try new things while managing risk

  • Intention - I like there to be a bigger point to what we're doing...even if that bigger point is just to float for awhile to see what bigger purpose emerges

  • Smallness - I prefer to work on a small scale, where business - and life - is still personal

  • Curiosity & Openness - I'm a bit of a vulnerability junky, and a natural result of that is that I'm very curious and open

  • Organic - my clients and I generally focus on organic growth - getting the most out of the current situation - though I have my share of experience with the synthetic kind

  • Ownership - I feel a deep commitment and connection to my clients that means that feel a lot of responsibility for generating the outcomes we want

  • Great Questions - questions are a way to uncover new options to solve a problem - and can point someone toward a problem or solution without taking control

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