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Our training clients include:
For More Intimate and Interactive Discussions of
the Science of Strategy
by
Gary Gagliardi
To have a truly interactive group discussion about your strategic situation requires time and a smaller group. I design my seminars for smaller groups of people who are more experienced in making strategic decisions. These seminars provide a framework for having a more in-depth, interactive discussion of the organization's strategic position.
The fun of these longer sessions is that they allow people to get up close and personal. These training seminars run from 3 to 4 hours and usually have two or more breaks. They are designed for small groups of between 20 and 40 people.
In these sessions, I discuss the basic rules of strategy with the participants and provide them an overview of how to use Sun Tzu's tools. We start discussing strategic analysis, and, through interaction with the group, do a quick analysis of the organization and competing organizations in the marketplace.
After going through the elements defining a strategic position, we go on to discuss the the four steps that Sun Tzu teaches for advancing a position. We cover how the participants are using the Progress Cycle now in their organization and how they can learn to use it more effectively.
I usually offer these seminars to an organization's key salespeople, key managers, key marketing people, or key members. The group usually represents the most experienced people in the organization.
These seminars have two goals:
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The first goal is to help these key individuals see their particular business situation from a new, more powerful perspective.
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The second goal is help them prioritize the key steps they must take to to improve the competitive position of the organization.
The slide shows
I use in these training sessions illustrate strategic concepts and their
interrelationships. They also provide a template for strategic analysis by
session members. During the session, the group uses slides to interactively
develop a "Strategic Analysis Matrix" picture of what they see as their
competitive position.
During these sessions, all seminar member are expected to participate. I poll them as a group and then ask specific questions of every individual to highlight and flesh out a complete picture of the strategic situation.
Before giving a seminar, I typically discuss the audience's strategic challenges with a number of people involved in the event, but, since these events are interactive, they typically require less preparation from me but more preparation from attendees. I give attendees a worksheet to prepare before the seminar with a series of questions regarding:
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The company's or association's core philosophy
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The changing conditions in the business environment
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The nature of the marketplace
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The decisions that attendees must make
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The different methods used by attendees to do their jobs
In the end, an extended session should:
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Excite the participants about thinking more strategically
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Show them how they can use the five key factors to continually analyze their changing position
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Identify how well they are using the four steps of the Progress Cycle to improve their strategic position
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Instill in all attendees the desire to improve their understanding of strategy and the quality of their strategic decisions
For these personal seminars, I ask for $395 per attendee (with a minimum of $7,500). The event planner is expected to cover the cost of lodging and food for the travel day before, the day of, and the travel day after the session. For overseas presentations, those arranging the presentation must pay for business-class travel for two and for food and lodging during the presentations and for the days immediately before and after.