Strategy is about choosing different ways of competing that are not necessarily good for everybody, but that are uniquely good for you, in your company, given the particular market outcome that you aspire to achieve.

The essence of strategy is tradeoffs - making choices about what you won't do, in order to do other things uniquely well. The weakness of many companies is that they lack the discipline to limit themselves to competing in some business segments while avoiding others. They react to pressure to quickly grow revenue without first considering the strategic impact. Many businesses inadvertently destroy their competitive advantage by attempting to be everything to everybody.

Everyday, you and your employees are making choices - about how to spend your time, about what to say to individual customers, about whom to call on - and those choices are either going to be consistent or inconsistent with your strategy. To ensure sustainable results, you must be diligent in communicating and enforcing the strategic limits of your company.

Sustainable competitive advantage comes from being different. What one must ask is: "How can we, by limiting what we do, by not seeking to serve all customers, by not seeking to offer every product in every geography, how can we, by limiting ourselves, be unique?" That's the essential strategic question you must answer.

The strategic mind set understands tradeoff. The strategic mind set is willing to sacrifice customers and is willing to forgo making customers happy if they're not profitable customers.

The strategic mind set is willing to turn down current opportunities for growth if those opportunities are not wholly consistent with the long-term strategy. This means that as the Leader, you have to learn to say "NO" a lot!

In any business, there are countless opportunities to invest money, to incorporate new technologies, to add new features, to chase a new market segment, to respond to a competitor. There's constant pressure from all directions to blur, homogenize, and imitate in the name of "opportunity." So, while you are developing and reinforcing your strategy - communicating how you are different and what you are willing to give up in the name of strategy- you must also have the self-discipline and courage to be the enforcer of those limits. Only by setting limits can you truly be unique. And without being unique, you will have no competitive advantage.

The hallmark of strategic thinking is making those crucial tradeoffs.

You must have the willpower to turn away some customers, pass on some opportunities and abandon some markets in order to focus on what you do best. Most business owners don't want to hear this, because in the short term, sticking to a core strategy may constrict growth.

But those who have the guts and determination to focus on the areas where they have a unique competitive advantage will build a much stronger, and ultimately, more successful company.

LEAP is our acronym for an Action Management Technique

Lead the charge with an overall Strategic Objective for 2008 and the beginnings of a Strategic Plan in place.

Energize the triad of Productivity/Labor/Capital to leap the gap over current performance and future objectives.

Allocate resources to the plan preparation, launch and sustained drive.

Proceed with the tools, support and resources that an enterprise leader applies to creating a prosperous future.

Workshop Led by Management Consultants and Business Coaches Dale Bruder & Catherine Vigil

L.E.A.P. Ahead of the Competition

Choose one of three levels of participation

$79 workshop, materials and lunch

$299 plus 60 day partnership support

$899 includes additional 90 day Action Management technologies. ReceiveFive months of attention.

CALL 520-795-2409 TO SCHEDULE AN ENTERPRISE RAMP UP TO DYNAMIC STRATEGY

Managing your enterprise Dynamic Strategy os supported through continuous coaching and quarterly on-site Power Lunches with your key employees.