By Kevin L. Baker, MBA
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Why We Go Beyond Strategy Consulting
I think strategy consultants such as Bain and McKinsey who tell organisations what they should do are in over supply. That is why when I launched my consulting business in 2012, I focused on strategy execution instead of strategic planning,
To be sure, my many years of experience as a CEO and CFO developed in me a love for strategy. I love the chess game that is strategy, and I do often work with companies on strategy at multiple levels (boards, executives, senior management, etc.). Despite how much I love the game of strategy, I have chosen to focus our firm on the execution gap between strategic plans and teams being able to successfully execute the plan.
Closing the Execution Gap
While my capabilities to see the big picture about how a company can win are often rated as exceptional by clients, we are most well-known as the leading firm in Australia focused on strategic execution. That is, we specialise in getting results–showing you how to do it hands-on, and not just telling you what to do. I love the trenches and the battlefield. Most consultants don’t.
When I discuss how we think about results, besides my constant use of teams, coaching, and winning the game, I often talk about strategy execution using the analogy of a computer. The hardware of a computer is mostly useless without software running on it. According to Ram Charan, your company org chart structure and strategy plan are the “hardware” of your business. The “software” are the beliefs and behaviors of real people whose work to execute a strategic plan produce the bottom-line results of your business.
Culture is Where Results Are Based
I have devoted my life to the study of how human beings relate and collaborate with each other interdependently to achieve results (or not) in groups and teams of people. When I begin working with a company to build a winning team that gets things done, I don’t just spend time in the war room with the generals, I go to the front lines of the battle to understand the shared values, principles, standards, beliefs, and norms of behaviour which are the drivers of company performance.
If your organisation is not getting the results you want, we begin by looking at your results and how you are communicating them. Then, we focus on changing the thinking and behavior of the collective mind of the culture of your team–the beliefs and behaviours that drive getting things done. Your company is built with people whose experiences and and training inform them about what they believe is the right way to do business.
People only change when new evidence causes them to understand that what they previously have known is proven to be lacking. That is what I do for a living. We are a game changing company. We help you see why what you thought about how the game of business is played, and the rules of the game, may need to be adjusted. I help people who work together improve their behaviour and beliefs about work in order to win.