PRODUCTS
SERVICES
CLIENTS
PROJECTS
ARTICLES
EVENTS
CONTACT
ABOUT US
E-LEARNING

Strategic thinking means doing the right things – not just doing things right

“We’re all good cops. Even the bad ones are good cops.”

This is a line taken off an episode of Law and Order (Season 1) and it summarizes what I’d like to discuss in this article – doing the right things versus doing things right. The bad cops were good at what they were doing, they just did the wrong things.

I know a lot has been discussed about this topic yet it still seems quite prevalent.

Case in point: some time back, I was working with a small local company that had two business units: website design and photography. One can certainly see how both services fitted with each other. The heads of each business unit were school mates, and they came together on an initial project, each having their own specialised skill. Seeing how well they worked together on that first project, they formed a company. The problem was, they were both positioned in the market rather distinctly. Instead of identifying a market segment that would benefit from having an integrated solution that the two of them could provide together, they both went their separate ways looking for clients on their own and delivering the service individually.

While they were relatively successful in their own right, the company never really made it big. Customers were not shared; services were not bundled; costs were not minimised. It really was two separate companies working under one roof. Today, the company is no more.

What happened? Both of the partners were doing things right. They set up shop; they got their camera and computer systems; they got their photo studio; they got their clients and they got their staff. What they didn't have was a strategy of maximising their individual strengths for a collective good, to conquer that market segment and to grow from there.

Hence, they failed because they were not doing the right thing.

This is a sad story that seems to repeat itself in all corners of the economy. It affects everyone regardless of education level, work experience or gender. It especially hits when we are dealing with issues that are emotionally charged. These will cloud our judgement and lead us down a path of poor decisions, unless we apply critical, strategic thinking.

So, whenever you are faced with a major decision to make, ensure that you are doing the right things by identifying your strategic intent – and you do that by asking the 5 Whys.

Written by Ian Dyason

Tags:

  • intent
  • coaching
  • critical
  • right decision
  • planning

Get our articles direct to your inbox! - SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Recent Posts
Dealing with uncertainty with the hypothesis-driven process

Dealing with uncertainty with the hypothesis-driven process

You may be the agent of your own self-destruction

You may be the agent of your own self-destruction

Thinking in systems – because we live in them

Thinking in systems – because we live in them

Start with Why, a la Simon Sinek

Start with Why, a la Simon Sinek

When should strategic thinking be applied, in what conditions and context?

When should strategic thinking be applied, in what conditions and context?

Innovations work for small and medium enterprises too!

Innovations work for small and medium enterprises too!

Time to rethink your manpower policies

Time to rethink your manpower policies

Why everyone needs to think MVP

Why everyone needs to think MVP

What you say is as important as why you say it

What you say is as important as why you say it

You need to fail in order to succeed

You need to fail in order to succeed

{"items":["602691ff588c640017a2624b","602691ff588c640017a26249","602691ff588c640017a26250","602691ff588c640017a26252","602691ff588c640017a2624d","602691ff588c640017a26251","602691ff588c640017a2624c","602691ff588c640017a2624f","602691ff588c640017a2624e","602691ff588c640017a2624a"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Columns","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"max","cubeRatio":1.7777777777777777,"isVertical":true,"gallerySize":30,"collageAmount":0,"collageDensity":0,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":false,"imageMargin":22,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"rotatingScatter":"","chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":true,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":false,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":0,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":50,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":3,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":0,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":true,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":false,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":4,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":["SHOW_ON_THE_RIGHT","SHOW_BELOW"],"galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":false,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":0,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":23,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":200,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":60,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":75,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":0,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"jsonStyleParams":"","gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":1000,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"itemBorderColor":{"themeName":"color_12","value":"rgba(242,242,242,0)"},"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":2,"calculateTextBoxHeightMode":"MANUAL","targetItemSize":1000,"selectedLayout":"2|bottom|1|max|true|0|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":2,"isSlideshowFont":true,"externalInfoHeight":60,"externalInfoWidth":0.75},"container":{"width":220,"galleryWidth":242,"galleryHeight":0,"scrollBase":0,"height":null}}
Search By Tags
  • 10-10-10
  • 4 tests
  • adversaries
  • alice in wonderland
  • align
  • alternatives
  • Amazon
  • archetypes
  • assumption
  • attitude
  • awareness
  • balanced thinking
  • batna
  • BHAG
  • bias
  • bill gross
  • bitcoin
  • blind-sided
  • bloomberg innovation index
  • bracketing
  • brainstorm
  • brand
  • bright spots
  • budget
  • bullying
  • business model
  • can-do
  • causation
  • challenges
  • change
  • cheshire cat
  • clarity state
  • co-creation
  • coaching
  • collide
  • compliance
  • constraints
  • construction
  • contingency
  • convention
  • core
  • correlation
  • cost
  • create demand
  • creativity
  • critical
  • critical moves
  • crowdsourcing
  • culture
  • customer
  • cycles
  • decision
  • design
  • disruption
  • ecosystem
  • emotions
  • ethnography
  • everything
  • exceptional
  • expected value
  • experience
  • failure
  • fear
  • Fire
  • future
  • future-safe
  • FutureScape
  • game theory
  • genius of the and
  • go-to-market
  • governance
  • government
  • groves
  • grow model
  • growth
Follow Us
  • Facebook Classic
  • Twitter Classic
  • Google Classic

Get our articles direct to your inbox! - SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Registered Address

 

3791 Jalan Bukit Merah,

E-Centre@Redhill, #05-07, Singapore 159471

 

 

Call

 

Singapore: 

9385-8831

 

 

Email

enquiries@aitrainingconsulting.com

© 2014 by

A I Training & Consulting.

All rights reserved