Synergy Management System Executive Director Alexander Raginya talks about why it is important to avoid routine in business, how to deal with strategic planning and why entrepreneurs are ready to break away from daily affairs and leave for four days in Morocco.
For insights in Casablanca
Modern approaches need to be implemented not only in business processes, but also in business communication. Now it is not at all relevant to convene strategic sessions every quarter, invite 500 people there and pay a lot of money for all this. This format is like stewing in your own juice, and in order for the business to develop, it simply needs new ideas. Off-site business sessions just allow you to get away from the routine and look at your business with a fresh perspective.
When people have sufficient resources and can afford to spend four days in Casablanca, by the sea, in luxurious conditions in order not only to relax, but also to immerse themselves in business education, why not.
One client of mine, who participates in almost all outdoor events, says that this format of business training gives him a lot of ideas. After each camp, he returns to Russia and gathers planning meetings for two weeks. They sit down in a narrow circle of people who are responsible for the implementation of their goals at the highest level and launch development projects. And so every six months. That is, almost all of his business is based on the insights that he brings from these sessions.
He who plans, he succeeds
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My experience shows that nine out of ten companies have no strategy at all. Only the owner has an approximate idea of where everything is moving - and even then not in full. And the team, as a rule, does not understand at all where everything is going - accordingly, it does not consciously invest in the development of the company.
Planning must be done constantly, because if today a company does not have a clear strategic vector, then tomorrow it risks being left without a business.
This happened with paging companies, which simply do not exist now, because they did not react in time to the emergence of mobile communications. The same thing happened with taxi companies - after the appearance of Uber, they simply disappeared. Now the market is in a period of active development and implementation of modern technologies. And if you do not take this into account when developing a strategy, then your business will very quickly become an outsider. A positive example in this regard is the Liters project of the Eksmo publishing house. They just managed to understand in time in which direction the book market would develop and created the largest database of e-books in Russia. Thanks to the ability to build a business strategy and respond to the situation in time, the company now occupies a leading position in the market and has billions of dollars in turnover.
Strategic planning checklist
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There are five key points to consider when strategically planning.
Analyze your industry;
Predict the development of the industry in three main areas: a) analysis of the situation in related industries; b) study of international experience; c) search for breakthrough innovations in your field;
Determine your place in the future;
Formulate, based on the data obtained, strategic goals for 3-5 years;
Create a financial model for them.
Energy and drive of your business
But even having an idea of the key vectors of strategic planning, the owner cannot always make this analysis on his own. Because behind these five points there is a very serious work that requires a detailed study of business processes and colossal experience.
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The leading players of the consulting market will gather in Morocco, on the ocean shore, and sincerely, without any snobbery, will advise on development issues. For owners, this is a unique opportunity to quickly and efficiently solve the tasks that they set for themselves. Also, the environment itself plays a big role here - communication and the opportunity to exchange experience with passionaries who move our world forward, allow us to draw energy and recharge with new ideas.
Moreover, a strategy is not all that is needed for successful business development! If a leader doesn't have enough energy to inspire and motivate employees, nothing will work.
The owner's drive is more important than any strategic planning.
When his eyes are burning and he is able to charge his team, the business will develop. If there is no drive in the eyes, this is a very big problem that often leads to the death of a company.
Expert:
Alexander Raginya
Alexander Raginya
Photo: Press Services Archives, Getty Images
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