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Strategic Thinking & Planning

""Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Sun Tzu

Success in business can be summarised as figuring out where you want to go (strategy), and getting there (execution). Great strategy drives growth; great execution drives profit. Great businesses learn how to balance growth and profitability over the long term.

Developing a strategy involves stepping back from day-to-day operations to answer some big picture questions . Strategy is about determining a destination and how best to get to there. It’s also about being able to switch course because of changing economic, competitive or other circumstances. Strategy is about the long term, how you may or may not effect changes, and your appetite for risk. It’s not about day-to-day operational tasks, although both your business plan and operational plans and actions will be guided by your strategy. If we compare strategic thinking and planning with operational planning we see that:

• Strategic Thinking – is the “What” and the “Why”…that is what should we be doing and why. It requires you to take a holistic view of the business. It is future orientated but grounded in your current position. It focuses on your vision for the business and how this can be achieved in broad terms. It is an extremely effective and a valuable tool, and requires developing skills in creativity, problem solving, teamwork, and critical thinking
• Strategic Planning – is the “How” and “When” …at a very high level, usually over a long term timeline. It is a is a continual planning process that relies on strong strategic thinking. When done correctly, strategic planning is not a one-time or annual event. It's an on-going process, reviewed frequently, that affects the organisation's initiatives, plans, and activities. 
• Operational Planning – is the specific details of the strategic plan, including implementation an action plans, usually over a 1-5 year period

Businesses need to commit and invest time to undertake strategic thinking and planning to feel the full benefits.

AOD Consultants work with business owners and leaders to support their strategic thinking and planning process through the use of tools and frameworks developed over years of experience. Contact us for more information on how we can support you.

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