by Stuart Cross | Oct 6, 2022 | Strategy
I once read a survey that suggested that over half of all Chief Finance Officers would cut a project with a positive net present value in order to hit short-term profit targets. In other words, these CFOs would forsake future profits to meet immediate aims. There is,...
by Stuart Cross | Sep 27, 2022 | Strategy
If I asked you to summarise your organisation’s strategy, could you? And, if you could, would your answer be the same as your colleagues? In my experience, very few business leaders can do this, and there are even fewer organisations where the whole executive team,...
by Stuart Cross | Sep 15, 2022 | Strategy
Strategy and planning are different. However, they often get confused, or, even worse, fused together in the term ‘strategic planning’. Both are critical to organisational success, but here is a summary of the different roles they play....
by Stuart Cross | Sep 14, 2022 | Strategy
One of the reasons why many successful executives prefer not to get involved in developing strategies for their business is that they believe it involves unnecessary navel-gazing. These managers would much prefer to be getting on with their ‘real jobs’ than carrying...
by Stuart Cross | Jul 25, 2022 | Strategy
I was in a meeting recently with a strategy director, when he shared his concern that his strategy team may be missing a trick. He wanted to make sure that the processes and approaches he was using to develop his company’s strategy were going to take the business...
by Stuart Cross | Jul 18, 2022 | Strategy
Can you articulate your company’s key strategic objectives? If so, do they provide clear and unequivocal guidance to you and your team about what is required to achieve success over the next few years? Too often companies’ strategic statements are a mix of platitudes...
by Stuart Cross | Jul 13, 2022 | Strategy
Setting ambitious organisational goals has become a recognised part of the modern leader’s role. As a result, “BHAGs” (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals), “WIGs” (Wildly Important Goals) and “Moonshots” have all become part of the management-speak lexicon. And yet, whenever...
by Stuart Cross | Jun 28, 2022 | Strategy
Many leadership teams spend significant amounts of time together determining strategies and plans for their organisation. Yet, for many, the resulting strategy lacks both clarity and coherence. As a result, nothing much really changes and managers end up simply...
by Stuart Cross | Jun 23, 2022 | Strategy
When I first worked with the leadership team of Topps Tiles on the company’s strategy, Matt Williams, the CEO, was looking to create a clear focus for growth. Rightly, the team wanted to focus on the company’s performance in wall and floor tiles, but the business...
by Stuart Cross | Jun 15, 2022 | Strategy
I’m fortunate that, as part of my work, I get to spend time with some of the UK’s leading business executives. A while back, for instance, I hosted a forum of Chief Strategy Officers from a range of FTSE 100 companies. During the session, we discussed and agreed on 8...
by Stuart Cross | Nov 24, 2021 | Strategy
Innovation is more important to business success than ever. Shortening product lifecycles, the pace of technological breakthroughs and global competition have served to place a premium on companies that can innovate. Yet, while 80% of business leaders say that...
by Stuart Cross | Nov 17, 2021 | Strategy
Ten years ago, I published my first book, The CEO’s Strategy Handbook. I wanted to write a practical guide on strategy for business leaders, enabling them to lead their teams and organisations to a better, more successful future. As part of the research for the book,...
by Stuart Cross | Oct 20, 2021 | Strategy
A prospect recently asked me to summarise the factors that make the difference between successful and unsuccessful strategies. In my experience, many business leaders can become frustrated that their organisation struggles to deliver a strategy that, in their own...
by Stuart Cross | Feb 2, 2021 | Strategy
Success rates in strategy execution are depressingly low. Research suggests that approximately 50% of strategies fail to meet their goals, though other studies have found that less than 10% of strategies are ‘fully’ delivered. So, how do you set up your most important...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 16, 2020 | Covid, Strategy
In a recent blog post, I set out the reasons for you to move from simply managing the immediate people, operational and financial challenges of the COVID-19 crisis, and to start to think about how your business can succeed in the longer-term...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 14, 2020 | Covid, Strategy
Over the past few weeks, management teams across the country have worked tirelessly to manage the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their business. Looking after the safety and security of your people, managing cashflow and operational emergencies and simply staying...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 8, 2020 | Strategy
I’ve recently been sharing how you can carry out a 6-Day Strategy for your business. I’ve already covered Day 1 on your Current Position, Day 2 on Future Possibilities, Day 3 on Setting the Direction, Day 4 on Defining the Organisation and Day 5 on Shaping the Agenda....
by Stuart Cross | Apr 7, 2020 | Strategy
I’ve recently been sharing how you can carry out a 6-Day Strategy for your business. I’ve already covered Day 1 on your Current Position, Day 2 on Future Possibilities, Day 3 on Setting the Direction and Day 4 on Defining the Organisation. The objective of the Day 5...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 3, 2020 | Strategy
I’ve recently been sharing how you can carry out a 6-Day Strategy for your business. I’ve already covered Day 1 on your Current Position, Day 2 on Future Possibilities and Day 3 on Setting the Direction. The focus on Day 4 is to determine the organisation that will be...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 1, 2020 | Strategy
I recently shared the outline of my 6-Day Strategy and have already set out my approach for Day 1’s session on assessing your current position and Day 2’s focus on future possibilities. The focus of Day 3 is to take the outputs of the first two days’ work and create a...