I just came back from the National Speakers Association (NSA) annual convention – Influence 2024. I’ve been a member for 25 years and I have always appreciated the learnings and the relationships. As an introvert, the annual convention was always a bit of a frenzy rushing to sessions, meeting new people and having short and/or deep conversations in the hallways.
For the last few years though, I have used this “NSA” time to pause and think about my business strategy (I usually create/revisit/update my strategic plan between Christmas and New Year’s). Since the programming and conversations expose me to future trends and valued perspectives, it’s a valuable time to test my stated strategy, reflect on how the world is changing, and consider how my business needs to evolve.
For example, if you haven’t considered how AI is going to affect your business, you are living underneath a rock. And that’s just an obvious trend!
I just read this timely and relevant bit from Alan Weiss, a NSA colleague and author of Million Dollar Consulting (along with a bazillion other books on consulting):
“Do you know why all organizations—private and public, large and small, domestic and international, for profit and nonprofit—need to engage in an examination of their strategy annually? It’s not usually because they’ve changed, it’s because conditions have changed. Our average population is aging (morbidity outstripping fertility); supply chains are increasingly unreliable; technology is replacing white collar workers more than blue collar workers; remote buying is making traditional sales methods obsolete; acquiring and retaining talent will be harder than ever. If you’re not innovating, you’re not growing, and if you’re not growing you’re dying. Stability is vastly overrated these days.”
Alan Weiss
Are YOU examining your strategy at least every year?
Related Articles:
Engaging Disengaged Participants in Strategic Planning
Strategic Thinking Tip: Examine Events and Trends
Team Goals are the Glue that Hold a Team Together
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Kristin Arnold
KRISTIN ARNOLD, MBA, CSP, CPAE-Speaker Hall of Fame, CPF | Master has been facilitating meaningful conversations between executives and managers to make better decisions and achieve extraordinary results for 30+ years. She's a leading authority on moderating panel discussions and passionate about finding the perfect olive to complement a vodka martini.
