BrainZooming

APRIL 20, 2016

I asked them to engage in some strategic thinking about innovation opportunities for the company. They used that as a justification for opting out of strategic thinking. I disabused them of the idea, however, that their narrow job descriptions were synonymous with narrow strategic thinking roles.

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Strategic Thinking Innovation Engagement Creative Thinking 40

BrainZooming

JULY 17, 2018

Do your organization’s strategic planning meetings turn into annual snoozefests ? That happens when strategic planning becomes too complex, gets detached from real business issues, or the whole process focuses on trying to complete cumbersome strategy templates. 16 Strategic Thinking Exercises Ready to Go for You Right Now!

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Strategy Strategy eBook Exercises 60

BrainZooming

JANUARY 11, 2016

Here’s an idea for a new strategic thinking exercise that can be a big help. 4 Ways to Examine Brand Performance as a Strategic Thinking Exercise. This is definitely a strategic thinking exercise idea from the Brainzooming R&D lab. FREE Download: “Results!!!

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Strategic Thinking Exercises Creativity Engagement 40

BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 22, 2016

During in-person and online strategic planning workshops , we regularly use a strategic thinking exercise that helps leadership groups quickly identify a shared future vision statement. The descriptions are purposely neither good nor bad; they simply represent ways an organization could pursue the strategy.

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Strategic Thinking Exercises Underperforming Technical Team Groups 40

BrainZooming

DECEMBER 9, 2015

We facilitated a two-day innovation strategy workshop for an industrial company. The company wants to make significant changes to a major production process. During the innovation strategy discussions, we addressed the production process changes from five different perspectives. FREE Download: “Results!!!

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Strategic Thinking Exercises Groups Strategy 40

BrainZooming

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

We have been working with a client that had done a lot of strategic thinking about a new initiative. Those are six starting places to use when you are doing strategic thinking about big lists. The thing is, they had done the hard strategic thinking and already had all the raw material they needed.

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Strategic Thinking Groups Engagement Tools 40

BrainZooming

MAY 6, 2016

At the 2016 Brand Strategy Conference, Antonia Dean, Director – Marketing, Brand Development, & Strategy at The Estée Lauder Companies covered the strategic thinking ideas behind creating an entrepreneurial environment in a large company. 10 Keys to Engaging Employees to Improve Strategic Results.

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Strategic Thinking Underperforming Technical Team Company Entrepreneurship 40

BrainZooming

DECEMBER 1, 2015

Success factors in strategic planning and creating collaborative strategy were the central topics we tackled on an edition of Smart Companies Radio, hosted by Kelly Scanlon, the owner of Thinking Bigger Business Media, Inc., Creating Strategic Impact mini-book. 10 Keys to Collaborative Strategy and Strategic Planning.

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BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 10, 2017

We routinely ask those of you downloading Brainzooming strategy and innovation eBooks to share – if you are willing – the opportunities and challenges you are facing at the time. “Buy in from staff on the new vision and the required change” 5 Keys to Engaging Employees in Innovation Strategy – Our Buy-In Manifesto.

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Strategy Strategy eBook Strategic Thinking 40

BrainZooming

JUNE 29, 2017

Someone downloaded a free Brainzooming strategy eBook, noting his biggest strategy challenge is “how to do a strategic planning process when you are new.” Secure copies of previous plans and strategy documents, and don’t settle for the first things people offer you. Getting to What Is Strategic.

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Resources Strategic Thinking Comparison Strategy 86

BrainZooming

JULY 25, 2016

The thing is, unsuccessful employee engagement strategies are not an employee problem. It is a LEADERSHIP problem when purported employee engagement strategies are not working. We see great leaders among our clients successfully taking steps that meaningfully involve employees in shaping strategy and implementation.

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Engagement Strategy Strategy Strategic Thinking 40

BrainZooming

JULY 12, 2016

Reviewing the innovation strategy challenges business executives identified when downloading Brainzooming eBooks , they frequently mention gaining “buy-in” for significant change initiatives. Here are five keys we’ve found for successfully engaging employees in innovation strategy. That’s no surprise. Ask me to participate.

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Engagement Strategy Strategy eBook 40

BrainZooming

AUGUST 11, 2016

What leadership skills are necessary to successfully champion a collaborative strategy ? A client fully immersed in developing and implementing a collaborative strategy asked that question. When we leave after the plan is completed, however, we’re finding many leaders aren’t prepared to implement a collaborative strategy plan.

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Collaboration Strategy Strategy Strategic Thinking 40

BrainZooming

APRIL 21, 2017

The folks at Armada Corporate Intelligence offered an internal branding strategy take on the United Airlines woes, offering strategic thinking questions you can ask and answer to improve your brand’s resiliency and avoid brand crises. 3 Ways Your Internal Branding Strategy Can Be Smarter than United Airlines.

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Strategy Strategy Underperforming Technical Team Technical Review 72

BrainZooming

MARCH 9, 2016

The challenge in a client meeting was developing the strategy for a later meeting intended to build support for a biennial community event. The team leader asked, “How is it possible to listen to us talk and turn it into a strategy so quickly?”. 9 Creative Thinking Skills to Turn Talk into Strategy. – Mike Brown.

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Creative Thinking Creativity Strategy Strategy 40

BrainZooming

APRIL 5, 2017

Talking to executives, you hear the expectation that an organization should implement a solid strategic plan strategy-by-strategy. To the extent a strategic plan is not implemented in that way, it falls short in some fashion. 7 Collaborative Strategic Planning Process Impacts (Even if the Plan Sits on the Shelf).

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Collaboration Strategic Thinking Strategy Strategy 73

BrainZooming

MARCH 16, 2016

Whenever possible, we try to help clients select a mix of people to participate in group strategy exercises. We are also proponents for reaching beyond familiar people that are always involved strategic planning meetings and drive the outcomes of group strategy exercises. FREE Download: “Results!!!

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Exercises Groups Strategy Strategy 40

BrainZooming

MARCH 21, 2016

I’ll be presenting a Brainzooming workshop on internal branding strategy at the Brand Strategy Conference in New York, April 6-8. The workshop, while drawing on material from my Fortune 500 work, springs from multiple conversations at the 2015 Brand Strategy Conference. Download Your Free Internal Branding Strategy eBook!

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Engagement Strategy Strategy eBook 40

BrainZooming

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

It is time for strategic planning across organizations. To make it a little easier to track down ideas for how you can approach developing strategy this year, here are nineteen Brainzooming articles filled with 113 techniques and ideas for improving your organization’s strategic planning process. Mike Brown.

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Strategic Thinking Exercises Guidelines Strategy 40

BrainZooming

MAY 9, 2017

In the new Brainzooming strategy eBook 321 GO! , we share common situations standing in the way of successfully implementing your most important strategies. Today is the day to download your copy of 321 GO! Creative Thinking: What Is the Right Size for a Brainstorming Group?

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Collaboration Meeting Strategic Thinking Creative Thinking 77

BrainZooming

APRIL 22, 2016

I debuted a presentation on “Results – Creating Strategic Impact,” our mini-book on employee engagement ideas to boost an organization’s strategic thinking. 10 Employee Engagement Ideas to Improve Strategic Results. FREE Download: “Results!!! And who knows. – Mike Brown.

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Engagement Strategic Thinking Underperforming Technical Team Exercises 40

BrainZooming

NOVEMBER 13, 2015

Great branding strategy examples abound. If your organization specializes in one particular area, your branding strategy discussions should include the question: “If our customers can think it, can we make it?” FREE Download: “Results!!! We were in St. Joseph, MO for a client session. Flexibility?

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Strategy Strategy Guidelines Engagement 40

BrainZooming

MARCH 8, 2016

When individuals download our free Results!!! mini-Book, we ask a question about the biggest strategy implementation opportunity or challenge the individual is facing in his or her organization. Someone downloaded Results!!! and listed “unfreezing (a) team, moving forward, and preparing for growth” as the strategic task at hand.

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Change Strategic Thinking Strategy Strategy 40

BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 12, 2016

There are a couple of different ways to apply structure to strategic planning exercises : You can enforce using templates and forms participants have to complete so their answers are uniformed and structured. After this strategic collaboration, a full-time strategic planner (i.e., FREE Download: “Results!!!

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Exercises Strategic Thinking Collaboration Strategy 40

BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 3, 2016

Here are four different approaches The Brainzooming Group employs with clients: Instead of using complex strategic exercises that aren’t beneficial outside planning, we use strategic thinking questions that fit how people think and work on a daily basis. FREE Download: “Results!!! – Mike Brown.

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Strategic Thinking Exercises Engagement Strategy 40

BrainZooming

OCTOBER 27, 2015

With a strong brand and a robust branding strategy , there are many ways to deliver valuable brand benefits to customers. If, however, usage is declining for one of the best ways your brand delivers customer benefits, should your turnaround branding strategy focus on cutting back in providing it? FREE Download: “Results!!!

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Strategy Strategy Engagement Collaboration 40

BrainZooming

AUGUST 30, 2016

There is a mutual contribution from both parties toward the strategy and ideas. There may be more, but thinking back on business collaborations from the past few years, those items characterize the decision making and expected impacts of our varied collaborations. 10 Keys to Engaging Employees to Improve Strategic Results.

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Collaboration Creative Thinking Strategy Strategy 92

BrainZooming

JANUARY 15, 2016

Individuals Posing Creative Thinking Challenges. How Creative Thinking Gets Killed by Team Members – 8 Fatal Blows. 5 Ideas When an Uber-Positive Boss Crushes Creative Thinking. Strategic Thinking Skills – 29 Clues You’re Not Dealing with a Strategic Thinker. FREE Download: “Results!!!

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Creative Thinking Creativity Brainstorming Strategic Thinking 40

BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 23, 2016

Letting everyone know upfront that WE will handle turning the input into a strategic plan (so they don’t have to). Designing strategic thinking questions leading to engaging conversation among familiar and new participants. 10 Keys to Engaging Stakeholders to Improve Strategic Results. FREE Download: “Results!!!

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Strategic Thinking Exercises Collaboration Groups 40

BrainZooming

JUNE 28, 2016

In an edited excerpt, here is what they shared in their Inside the Executive Suite column about streamlining strategic planning. 5 Keys to Streamlining Strategic Planning. Most executives can’t write a strategy plan, so don’t make them. Executives that SHOULD know how to develop and write a strategic plan struggled.

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Exercises Strategy Strategy Collaboration 65

BrainZooming

JANUARY 20, 2016

What is the business strategy behind launching this new program? If you have questions about the best ways to broaden participation in the earliest stages, be sure to download our Results, mini-book. FREE Download: “Results!!! In short they need strategic thinkers who can develop strategy and turn it into results.

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Project Strategic Thinking Strategy Strategy 40

BrainZooming

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

On Wednesday, I delivered the closing keynote at the Real Time Marketing Lab with a mini-workshop on using strategic thinking super models to help C-suite executives understand social networking and content marketing strategy. FREE Download: “Results!!!

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Collaboration Strategic Thinking Groups Engagement 40

BrainZooming

AUGUST 1, 2016

Collaborative planning implies a process that goes beyond the board room to include individuals throughout the organization in meaningful ways to provide insights and input to shape organizational strategy. A large group really makes collaborative strategy planning work. Download our Results!!! FREE Download: “Results!!!

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Collaboration eBook Strategy Strategy 40

BrainZooming

JANUARY 22, 2016

These fourteen articles recap our thinking and recommendations across these three areas. Strategic Planning – All the Strategy Roles You Need. Strategic Thinking Perspectives – Three Strategic Voices to Include on Your Team. Strategic Visioning Exercises – Group Collaboration the Right Way.

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Exercises Collaboration Strategic Thinking Strategy 40

BrainZooming

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

Because of this, the list was worthless for doing what I suspect everyone hoped it would do: provide a starting point for the strategic thinking needed to back into a definition of and explanation for what the new initiative would turn out to be. 6 Ways to Organize Ideas from Strategic Planning Exercises.

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Exercises Strategic Thinking Groups Engagement 40

BrainZooming

JANUARY 24, 2017

10 Keys to Engaging Employees to Improve Strategic Results. FREE Download: “Results!!! Creating Strategic Impact” Leaders need high-impact ways to develop employees that can provide input into strategic planning and then turn it into results. Actively engage stakeholders in strategy AND implementation success.

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Conference Collaboration Product Strategy Strategy 40

BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Often, however, executives jump too quickly to flying everyone into one place for a big strategic planning meeting. When discussing a strategic planning or innovation strategy engagement with a client, we use the graphic below to design our recommended approach. 10 Keys to Engaging Stakeholders to Improve Strategic Results.

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