THINKING STRATEGICALLY- DAN V. FORBES

A Coaching Client is asking for my help, “Help me think strategically through this opportunity.”
This client is responsible for opening a new sales office and directing it’s operations.  Her question is a good starting point for co-creating a Coaching Pathway.  The term “Pathway” is what I use to describe a Coaching Framework to solve a particular problem or seize an opportunity.

Thinking Strategically

Here’s the gist of the Pathway we’re creating.

1. Start With Vision

Write down your description of what you want the future to look like 1 year from now; in 2 years; in 3 years. What does success look like to you?

• What should you be doing to achieve this Vision?
• What 3 things must you focus upon to achieve your goal?
• Is your focus today aligned with your goal? What needs to change?
• Are you focused on the right things? Are you focused on too many things at the same time?
• What one task, project, issue, given 100% focus would make the biggest difference?

Next we will use a S.W.O.T. analysis to explore Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

2. Clarity

I’ll ask this client to create 3-5 goals using the SMART method. Each goal must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
We will discuss how to make sure these goals are clear to everyone on the team. Each person must know their role and responsibilities.

3. Values

Having shared values is important for any team. And, I don’t mean a simple list of values you hang on the wall. Each value must be defined. Then come up with specific behaviors that will express each value.
For example, if one of your Values is Cheerfulness you might decide that everyone will answer the phone by saying, “We’re having a great day at XYZ, how may I help you?”
The behavior demonstrates the value.

4. Competitors

Next, we’ll think about the Competitors in the market. Who are they? What are their strengths and weaknesses? What is their main threat to us? How can we create opportunity to win over our competitors?
We will want to be clear about who is our ideal client and how we plan to attract them.

5. Advantage

Here we will ask, What is the ONE prime ADVANTAGE you have over everyone else? (What do you do best?)
Each business must have it’s differentiator. What is the one thing you’ll do best going forward?
This is a good place to use the Keep, Start, Stop approach.

• What are we doing well that we should keep doing?
• What are we not doing yet that we should start doing?
• What’s not working that we should stop doing?

More

This “Thinking Strategically” Coaching Pathway goes on to explore Action Plans, Accountability, and Simplicity.
One of the things I love about my work is co-creating solutions with my clients. This is just one example. This client wants to develop a plan for thinking strategically about the task ahead. I’m looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
If you have any suggestions, feel welcome to share your ideas in the comments.