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...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 25, 2020 | Strategy
Last week I shared the outline of my 6-Day Strategy and yesterday set out my approach to manage Day 1, which focuses on understanding the current position of your business. The objective of Day 2 is to identify growth opportunities beyond the next three years. It’s...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 23, 2020 | Business Rocks, Strategy
Last week, I shared the outline of my 6-Day Strategy process, which gives a fast, focused but robust approach to setting a compelling strategy for your business. The first question that any strategy review needs to answer is, “What is happening here?” and so the first...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 18, 2020 | Covid, Strategy
As the coronavirus lockdown becomes tighter, ‘business-as-usual’ has been thrown out of the window. While some companies are dealing with spikes in demand (healthcare, grocery), most are seeing sales fall sharply. The priorities for the leaders of these businesses are...
by Stuart Cross | Feb 18, 2020 | Strategy
I am delighted to offer the Small Business Strategy Powerhouse as it answers two questions that I’ve been considering. First, how can I create something of genuine value to small business owners and leaders? And, second, how can I get more companies involved in the...
by Stuart Cross | Feb 11, 2020 | Strategy
Strategic success happens when you’re the first to profitably exploit a change in your external environment. Innocent Drinks, for example, succeeded because they were the first to find a customer-focused, commercial solution to our increasing desire for natural,...
by Stuart Cross | Oct 3, 2019 | Strategy
There is a lot of mystique surrounding coaching, but it is a relatively simple, common sense process. In recent years, I have added coaching services to my business, helping successful executives become even more effective. Here are 7 steps below for you to...
by Stuart Cross | Sep 25, 2019 | Strategy
As I’ve consulted with different organisations – from small enterprises to some of the largest corporations on the planet – I’ve learned that a high degree of mystery and confusion surrounds the term “strategy”. However, strategy is, at its heart, a simple concept. It...
by Stuart Cross | Sep 11, 2019 | Strategy
Twice a year I host a Chief Officers’ Forum, where senior executive directors from some of the UK’s leading companies have a roundtable discussion on wide-ranging topics. At one of our meetings we agreed some golden rules for strategy development. Which of them could...
by Stuart Cross | Jun 26, 2019 | Strategy
The annual off-site leadership meeting, when the top team spend time in a nice hotel to review performance and some longer-term objectives, is a ritual pursued by most companies. But, all too often, these strategy retreats are lost opportunities that produce, at best,...
by Stuart Cross | May 30, 2019 | Strategy
I have been involved in several major cost reduction initiatives, adopting a variety of roles. My experience is that very few managers look positively on these projects and will do almost everything they can to avoid them. The result is that relatively few cost...
by Stuart Cross | May 21, 2019 | Strategy
The best strategy conversations start with two words: What if…… What if we became a truly digital business? What if we halved our product offering? What if we could double our speed to market? What if we were able to create completely bespoke solutions for all...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 18, 2019 | Growth, Strategy
If a tree falls in a forest and no-one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Equally, if a new business strategy is developed and there is no-one willing to deliver it, did it ever really exist? One of the biggest mistakes executives with their strategy is that...
by Stuart Cross | Aug 20, 2018 | Strategy
We’ve just returned from an enjoyable family holiday on the Algarve. Staying at the Penina Hotel near Alvor, I had a week of golf with my wife and three sons. I’ve played less than a dozen rounds over the past 10-15 years, so I was a little apprehensive about how I...
