Strategic Planning

You are here: Home / Archives for Innovation & Growth

Innovation & Growth

Building the Ground Before Chasing the Sky: An AI Strategy for Nonprofits

Execution & Implementation, Innovation & Growth, Leadership & Culture, Vision & Goal Setting

The excitement around artificial intelligence has been nothing short of electric.

It has captured headlines, imaginations, and boardroom agendas everywhere. Yet, as with every wave of innovation, the early rush of enthusiasm eventually collides with reality. For many organizations, the promise of instant transformation has quickly turned into a sober recognition: the technology is dazzling, but the results often fall short of the expectation.

[Read more…] about Building the Ground Before Chasing the Sky: An AI Strategy for Nonprofits

Ten Questions to Ask When Hiring a Strategy Consultant

Adaptability & Resilience, Execution & Implementation, Industry Trends & Market Insights, Innovation & Growth, Project Management & Success, Vision & Goal Setting

Open any RFP for consulting services and you’ll almost always find one requirement near the top of the list: “proven experience in our industry.”

It’s understandable – organizations want assurance that a consultant can speak their language, understand their unique challenges, and navigate their context.

But here’s the danger: when industry familiarity becomes the main filter, you may end up with a consultant who knows the jargon but struggles to challenge assumptions, see beyond the obvious, or design solutions that break new ground. Peter Drucker said, “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic.” Industry familiarity can sometimes lock both client and consultant into yesterday’s logic.

[Read more…] about Ten Questions to Ask When Hiring a Strategy Consultant

Strategy Doesn’t Fail for Lack of Models. It Fails Because People Do

Execution & Implementation, Frameworks & Workbooks, Innovation & Growth

We are drowning in strategy frameworks.

Over the past sixty years, the business world has become obsessed with the architecture of strategy – from Ansoff’s growth matrix in the 1950s to Porter’s Five Forces, the Balanced Scorecard, Blue Ocean, and Transient Advantage. Each new decade brings new models, new diagrams, new acronyms. It’s a crowded marketplace of elegant thinking and crisp visuals, all trying to tame the chaos of competitive advantage into something linear and predictable.

[Read more…] about Strategy Doesn’t Fail for Lack of Models. It Fails Because People Do

When Growth Outruns Operations: Lessons from the Middle of the Work

Adaptability & Resilience, Evaluation & Continuous Improvement, Frameworks & Workbooks, Innovation & Growth, Vision & Goal Setting

After twenty-five years of building, leading, and refining operational engines, I’ve come to see a pattern that many miss.

It’s not something I’ve learned from textbooks or management theory. It’s something I’ve learned from being in the room, having hard, thoughtful conversations with people who are right in the thick of it – leaders, partners, funders, vendors, and community builders who are sometimes, quite desperately, trying to keep up with their own growth. And I’ve seen this not just from a distance, but in the day-to-day of my own work – most recently as the Vice President of Operations at the Ottawa Community Foundation.

[Read more…] about When Growth Outruns Operations: Lessons from the Middle of the Work

The Illusion of AI Readiness: Why AI Initiatives Are Failing Without a People Strategy

Evaluation & Continuous Improvement, Execution & Implementation, Innovation & Growth, Leadership & Culture

Everywhere I look, I see organizations embracing AI with enthusiasm, pouring resources into technology, hiring Chief AI Officers, and drafting bold AI strategies. Yet, despite the excitement, so many of these efforts seem to be missing a crucial piece – people. In my own professional experience, particularly within the charitable sector, I see firsthand how AI adoption is often approached as a technical upgrade rather than a fundamental shift in how work gets done. Without a thoughtful people strategy, even the most advanced AI tools will fall flat.

[Read more…] about The Illusion of AI Readiness: Why AI Initiatives Are Failing Without a People Strategy

The Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight: The Digital Transformation Gap

Evaluation & Continuous Improvement, Execution & Implementation, Industry Trends & Market Insights, Innovation & Growth, Vision & Goal Setting

Only 36% of businesses are embracing new technologies to drive digital transformation.

The statistic from McKinsey – that only 36% of businesses are embracing new technologies – reveals two realities. First, it’s a warning that many companies are lagging behind in the digital era. But second, it’s an extraordinary opportunity for those ready to embrace change and innovation.

The question is: will you lead or be left behind?

[Read more…] about The Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight: The Digital Transformation Gap

More Content