BrainZooming

OCTOBER 10, 2016

Even if you are going into the meeting with the same old people , the same old topics, and the same old expectations to just get a strategy done and put into a notebook on a shelf so you can go back to doing what you’ve always been doing, there is hope! Use a New SWOT Strategic Thinking Exercise Nobody Expects. Outrageous.

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Strategic Thinking Exercises Underperforming Technical Team Analysis 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.

Strategic Thinking 40

Strategic Thinking Exercises Underperforming Technical Team Groups 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

DECEMBER 9, 2015

The overall group sizes for each innovation strategy workshop varied from fourteen to more than twenty-five people, depending on the topic. From a facilitation standpoint, it was the most arduous couple of days of going through strategic thinking exercises I recall. 10 Keys to Engaging Stakeholders to Create Improved Results.

Strategic Thinking 40

Strategic Thinking Exercises Groups Strategy 40

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. The question was whether it makes sense to try and engage employees in the ways I discussed when they aren’t likely to be around for very long.

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Engagement Strategic Thinking Underperforming Technical Team Exercises 40

BrainZooming

JUNE 26, 2018

Talking with one city’s representatives about strategies to sell-in a broadband recommendation with voters, they asked whether it is okay to engage its citizens after city leadership develops a recommendation. Engage your audience in collaborative strategic planning earlier than later. It involves more constraints.

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Collaboration Engagement Strategic Thinking Leadership 59

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.

Strategic Thinking 40

Strategic Thinking Underperforming Technical Team Company Culture 40

BrainZooming

JULY 25, 2016

It may be an old and tired story, but it still illustrates an important point about engagement and the willingness (or unwillingness) of employees to go all in with a new business initiative. The thing is, unsuccessful employee engagement strategies are not an employee problem. – Mike Brown. – Mike Brown.

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Engagement Strategy Strategy Strategic Thinking 40

BrainZooming

JULY 12, 2016

There are so many ways to botch involving employees (and community members, if that’s your audience) in developing and successfully implementing an innovation strategy. Here are five keys we’ve found for successfully engaging employees in innovation strategy. Ask me to participate. That’s the Brainzooming Buy-In Manifesto.

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Engagement Strategy Strategy eBook 40

BrainZooming

MARCH 21, 2016

I was horrified by this viewpoint coming from senior executives because it is so strategically misguided. 3 Keys to Engaging Your Internal Brand Team. One alternative to letting your employees know about a new direction in branding strategy after your customers is to view employees as an internal brand team.

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Engagement Strategy Strategy eBook 40

BrainZooming

JULY 17, 2018

You can use this eBook to enliven strategy meetings through a focus on important business issues, productive strategy exercises, and enough fun to keep EVERYONE engaged in creating a plan that creates success and all those other things that more $$$$$$$$$$s create. More Posts - Website Follow Me:

Strategy 60

Strategy Strategy eBook Strategic Thinking 60

BrainZooming

JUNE 29, 2017

While leading strategy development in a new company poses challenges (including needing to learn a tremendous amount as you go), it has a comparable number of advantages (Including not laboring under preconceived ideas about how the organization does things). Getting to What Is Strategic. What Is Strategic and What Isn’t?

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Resources Strategic Thinking Comparison Strategy 86

BrainZooming

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

If you are responsible for leading the strategic planning process at your organization, dive in and tweak your process to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. 113 Ideas for Strategic Planning Process Improvement. 12 Questions to Jump Start Your Strategic Planning Process. 5 Ideas for Simplified Strategic Planning.

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Strategic Thinking Exercises Guidelines Strategy 40

BrainZooming

APRIL 5, 2017

When you develop a plan from a collaborative, conversationally-driven strategy planning process , you see other tangible impacts. This type of strategic planning process: Guides the organization to greater success. More effectively creates alignment in strategic thinking. Want to take me up on that guarantee?

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Collaboration Strategic Thinking Strategy Strategy 73

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. 10 Keys to Engaging Stakeholders to Create Improved Results.

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Strategic Thinking Exercises Engagement Strategy 40

BrainZooming

DECEMBER 1, 2015

Looking for the Elusive Big Idea during Strategic Planning. Strategic Planning – All the Strategy Roles You Need. Strategic Thinking Perspectives – Three Strategic Voices to Include on Your Team. Creative Thinking Skills – Using Questions and Structure Successfully. Just Start! Mike Brown.

Collaboration 40

Collaboration Strategy Strategy Strategic Thinking 40

BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 10, 2017

Here are their comments on opportunities and challenges, along with links to Brainzooming posts addressing the strategy and innovation situations they face: People and Organizational Issues. “Buy in from staff on the new vision and the required change” 5 Keys to Engaging Employees in Innovation Strategy – Our Buy-In Manifesto.

Strategy 40

Strategy Strategy eBook Strategic Thinking 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 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. – Mike Brown.

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Strategic Thinking Exercises Collaboration Groups 40

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. Mike Brown. FREE Download: “Results!!!

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Creative Thinking Creativity Brainstorming Strategic Thinking 40

BrainZooming

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Last week was diverse in the Brainzooming world, as we were engaged in serving clients across many different aspects of what we do. Thursday included working with a local non-profit to develop the strategic foundation for an important initiative, along with developing initial themes from the Carbondale community collaboration workshops.

Collaboration 40

Collaboration Strategic Thinking Groups Engagement 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. – Mike Brown.

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Exercises Strategic Thinking Groups Engagement 40

BrainZooming

MARCH 9, 2016

The net of it is this: a lot seemingly wasted business conversations can contribute to progress if you have the wherewithal to listen and restructure them into clear strategies. 10 Keys to Engaging Stakeholders to Improve Strategic Results. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use.

Creative Thinking 40

Creative Thinking Creativity Strategy Strategy 40

BrainZooming

MARCH 8, 2016

Strategic Thinking and 10 Fundamentals of Creating Strategic Impact. 9 Strategic Thinking Questions – Helping Teams Execute Strategy. 10 Keys to Engaging Stakeholders to Improve Strategic Results. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use.

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Change Strategic Thinking 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. 10 Lessons for Engaging Your Employees to Create Stronger Results.

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Exercises Collaboration Strategic Thinking Strategy 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.

Strategy 72

Strategy Strategy Underperforming Technical Team Technical Review 72

BrainZooming

AUGUST 11, 2016

This is a starting point, however, to look around and see which current and emerging leaders are ready to step into new roles championing collaborative strategy. 10 Keys to Engaging Employees to Improve Strategic Results. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use.

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Collaboration Strategy Strategy Strategic Thinking 40

BrainZooming

JANUARY 20, 2016

10 Lessons for Engaging Your Employees to Create Stronger Results. Creating Strategic Impact” Senior executives are looking for employees who are strong collaborators and communicators while being creative and flexible. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use.

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Project Strategic Thinking Strategy Strategy 40

BrainZooming

MARCH 16, 2016

Not all of those will work in every situation, obviously, but this is a checklist we’d use to actively and successfully involve a team in group strategy exercises. 10 Keys to Engaging Stakeholders to Improve Strategic Results. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use.

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Exercises Groups Strategy Strategy 40

BrainZooming

OCTOBER 1, 2015

We definitely have the experience and proven processes to bring your community together productively and successfully! – Mike Brown. 10 Lessons for Engaging Your Community to Create Stronger Results. Creating Strategic Impact” Leaders are looking for ways to create robust and productive collaboration within their communities.

Collaboration 40

Collaboration Exercises Strategic Thinking Brainstorming 40

BrainZooming

AUGUST 30, 2016

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. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use.

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Collaboration Strategy Strategy Creative Thinking 92

BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

When discussing a strategic planning or innovation strategy engagement with a client, we use the graphic below to design our recommended approach. Do you see something here that could help develop or shape your strategy and project planning implementation? 10 Keys to Engaging Stakeholders to Improve Strategic Results.

Collaboration 40

Collaboration Creative Thinking Groups Exercises 40

BrainZooming

AUGUST 1, 2016

While the individual steps may seem to go in varied and unexpected directions, they’re all pointing toward the end result of a highly-actionable strategic plan. Individual participants take on different roles within collaborative strategy planning. Want to learn more about collaborative strategic planning benefits?

Collaboration 40

Collaboration eBook Strategy Strategy 40

BrainZooming

JANUARY 24, 2017

10 Keys to Engaging Employees to Improve Strategic 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. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use.

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Conference Collaboration Product Strategy Strategy 40

BrainZooming

JANUARY 25, 2016

10 Lessons for Engaging Your Employees to Create Stronger Results. Creating Strategic Impact” Senior executives are looking for employees who are strong collaborators and communicators while being creative and flexible. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use.

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Meeting Collaboration Creative Thinking Tips 40

BrainZooming

NOVEMBER 13, 2015

I think we just stumbled over our newest brand experience exercise! – Mike Brown. 10 Keys to Engaging Stakeholders to Create Improved Results. Creating Strategic Impact” Leaders are looking for powerful ways to engage strong collaborators to shape shared visions. FREE Download: “Results!!!

Strategy 40

Strategy Strategy Guidelines Engagement 40

BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 17, 2016

Once that’s done, you’ve cycled back to where it is the right time for brainstorming in strategic planning. 10 Keys to Engaging Stakeholders to Create Improved Results. Creating Strategic Impact” Leaders need high-impact ways to develop employees that can provide input into strategy and then turn it into results.

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Brainstorming Collaboration Strategy Strategy 40