Energy Strategy before Energy Policy

April 30, 2008

By John A. Warden III, CEO, Venturist, Inc. Oil and gasoline prices up, riots over food shortages, food costs up, and energy company profits strong.   Politicians, activists and pundits alike are posing all sorts of new short-term and long-term energy policy solutions-federal gasoline tax holiday, drilling in ANWAR, windfall profit taxes on energy producers, [...]

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A Useful Application of Centers of Gravity

April 30, 2008

Frank Capek, in his blog: Customer Innovations–Driving Profitable Growth makes an interesting application of the Five Ring Center of Gravity model: Centers of Gravity: Levers for Shifting the Customer Experience.  Thanks Frank.

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Operation Chaos – Centers of Gravity

April 28, 2008

By Mike Cline, VP Operations, Venturist, Inc. Paul Quilland in his The Next Reformation Blog did a very nice job of using the The Essence of Strategy Framework to analyze the strategy of Operation Chaos.  Thanks Paul for a very thoughtful application.  One of the questions that John posed was this: What are the key [...]

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Boss, Strategy Is My Day Job

April 23, 2008

By Mike Cline, VP Operations, Venturist, Inc. Would the following conversation between Joe and his boss in a $100 million small company with 500 employees seem unusual to you? Boss, I think executing the company strategy is my day job.  I want my team and I to be more involved in the formulation and execution [...]

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Operation Chaos—Practice Your Strategic Thinking

April 22, 2008

By John A. Warden III, CEO, Venturist, Inc. It is definitely hard to miss the heated rhetoric on both sides of the aisle this primary election season-on television, on the radio and in the blogosphere.  And sometimes it is really difficult to glean anything strategic out of the electioneering tactics and babble.  However it did [...]

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Strategies For Fishing The Woolly Bugger

April 20, 2008

By Mike Cline, VP Operations, Venturist Inc. You’ll note that the title of this topic is Strategies For Fishing The Woolly Bugger, not Tactics for Fishing The Woolly Bugger.  Strategy and Tactics are two distinct, often confused, but related ideas.  At some point in the future I will layout my tactical approach to fishing Woolly [...]

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A Framework For Strategic Thinking or The Essence of Strategy

April 17, 2008

By John A. Warden III, CEO, Venturist Inc. I entitled this blog “Strategic Thinking….” when we inaugurated this blog several weeks ago, but I never really clarified what I meant by Strategic Thinking.  It is also clear that many think Strategic Thinking is an overused buzzword as this particular blog post discusses: Strategic Thinking: Don’t [...]

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Strategic Planning Strategy – Do You Have One?

April 15, 2008

By Mike Cline, VP Operations, Venturist Inc. On Sunday, Andrew Taylor of the Miller Park Neighborhood Association (Seattle) published a blog post entitled: Parks-Strategic Plan- Somebody Goofed I was intrigued.  What might that goof have been?  It seems the Seattle Parks Department was holding public meetings on their draft Strategic Plan but forget to tell [...]

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Minimize Enemies, Maximize Friends, and Choose Wars Carefully

April 14, 2008

By John A. Warden III, CEO, Venturist, Inc. Understanding and applying the fundamental rules or Cardinal Rules of strategy as I like to call them is essential for success as a Strategic Thinker, Strategic Planner or Strategic Organization.  One of my Cardinal Rules of strategy is: Minimize Enemies, Maximize Friends, and Choose Wars Carefully One [...]

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Trust Me! Strategy Isn't This Hard

April 10, 2008

By Mike Cline, VP Operations, Venturist Inc. An interesting but mind-boggling discussion of Strategy and Tactics By: Eli Goldratt, Rami Goldratt, Eli Abramov, Faculty, Washington State University, Vancouver, Wa. http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/holt/em534/Goldratt/Strategic-Tactic.html

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