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Burn Your Strategic Plan Public Lands Alliance March 2020
Burn Your Strategic Plan
Public Lands AllianceMarch 2020
Agenda
1. Assumptions and Foundations
2. What is Strategy?
3. Feel The Heat: From Strategy to Implementation
4. Be Constantly Changing
5. Takeaways and Learning
The Strategy Paradox
Porter’s Strategic
Positioning
Activity Mapping
Change Management
101
Agenda
1. Assumptions and Foundations
2. What is Strategy?
3. Feel The Heat: From Strategy to Implementation
4. Be Constantly Changing
5. Takeaways and Learning
The Strategy Paradox
Porter’s Strategic
PositioningActivity Mapping
Change Management
101
Potrero Group
Potrero Group
What is ”strategy?”
Concept Roadmap
The Strategy Paradox
Porter’s Strategic
Positioning
Activity Mapping
Change Managemen
t 101
The Strategy Paradox
You should always have a plan. The plan may change. But you should always have a plan.
Assumptions and Foundations
Burn Your Strategic Plan
Be willing to recognize and adapt to reality
Challenge assumptions and expose disagreements
Embrace dynamic tension between steadfastness of purpose and responsiveness to changing environment
Assumptions and Foundations
1
2
3
4
5
6
Strategy should focus first on outcomes, not outputs
Strategy must be based in reality
Strategy requires both conviction and flexibility
Strategy cannot be developed in a vacuum – data is essential, not handy
Strategy formation must be values-centered and support the mission
Organizations are “open systems”
Concept Roadmap
The Strategy Paradox
Porter’s Strategic
Positioning
Activity Mapping
Change Management
101
What is Strategy?
According to Michael Porter…
• “Strategy is the creation of a unique and valuable position, involving a different set of activities.”
• “Strategy is making trade-offs in competing. The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.”
• “Strategy is creating fit among a company’s activities.”
• “Strategic positioning means performing different activities from rivals’ or performing similar activities in different ways.”
What is Strategy?
Key Elements
• Strategic Positioning
• Comparative Advantage
• Key Trade-Offs
• The Role of Leadership
What is Strategy?
Low Cost Uniqueness
Competitive Scope
Narrow
BroadVery broad audienceFocus on access, equity
Examples: Target, Public school districts, Red Cross
More specific audienceFocus on access, equity
Examples: First 5, HIV/AIDS clinic, Community Theater
Broad audienceMore customized approach
Examples: Neiman Marcus, Harvard, Private schools
Narrow audienceVery customized/expensive
Examples: Special needs private school, Mayo clinic
Competitive Advantage
Do You Have A Strategy?
What is Strategy?
What is going on here?
What is Strategy?
The Gold Standard?
A Recent Example
A Recent Example
When you change your brand is says a lot about your strategy
When you change your brand is says a lot about your strategy
Concept Roadmap
The Strategy Paradox
Porter’s Strategic
Positioning
Activity Mapping
Change Management
101
Vision, Mission, Strategy
Programs, Activities
Culture
Operations, Systems
People
From Strategy To Implementation
Developing Alignment
What is Strategy?
Trade-Offs• Strategic position is not sustainable – nor is true
impact maximized – unless there are trade-offs
• What trade-offs does Target make? How about a hospice? Private school? Performing arts center?
• Why is it difficult to embrace the idea of trade-offs?
“Some managers mistake “customer focus” to mean they must serve all customer needs or respond to every request …”
- Michael Porter
From Strategy To Implementation
Map Your Organization’s ActivitiesM
issi
on
Impa
ct
Organizational Capacity
High impact
Low impact
Low capacity High capacity
1
2
4
3
From Strategy To Implementation
Activity Mapping
Ideally, all activities are here
– high impact, high capacity
Drop all initiatives here – or alter to
move into quadrant four
1
2
4
3
Feels good –but who cares?
Someone else can probably
do it betterMission Impact
High impact
Low impact
Organizational Capacity
Low capacity High capacity
Mis
sion
Impa
ct
Organizational Capacity
High impact
Low impact
Low capacity High capacity
1
2
4
3
Artist Grants
Mentorship
Matchmaking
Major Gifts
Fiscal Sponsorship
Online Presence
Co-Presenting
Development Events
Networking
Member Renewal
Annual Appeal
Member Events
Exhibitions
Advocacy
Corporate Sponsorship
Production Rentals
Member Script/Video Archives
Editing Suites
Library Youth
Discounts/Corporate Relations
Archives for Education
One on One Consultations
Member Acquisition
Space Rentals
Foundation/Govt Grants
Education Collaborations
Editing Labs for Education
From Strategy To Implementation
Example
Concept Roadmap
The Strategy Paradox
Porter’s Strategic
Positioning
Activity Mapping
Change Managemen
t 101
Be Constantly Changing
Monitor & Adjust Your Organization’s ActivitiesAccording to Porter, organizations must commit to a strategy approach for 10+ years.
However, the activities that support your strategy must be reviewed and updated regularly.
Monitoring progress• Dashboards, status reports, web-enabled update
systems, etc.• Transparency, communication, accountability,
honesty are critical.
Ongoing data collection and analysis• What are our clients saying?• How is the environment changing?• How are our assumptions being challenged?• We hypothesized that these activities would result in
these outcomes – were we right?
Make time for reflection and adjustment• Make a commitment to prioritize staff and board time
for review and adjustments at least every six months.• Develop a culture where it is safe (and expected) that
people will share “failures” as well as successes. Learn and change – don’t get stuck!
Data is Critical, But…….
What Data Would You Want to Collect if:
You are trying to help “at risk” youth?
You are trying to slow the AIDS crisis?
You are trying to end global warming?
Be Constantly Changing
The complicated version…Based on Strategy& and PWC
Takeaways
Commitments to Strategic Implementation
1. Draft a note to yourself
• What do you want to have moved forward in three months?
• What do you want to hold yourself accountable to?
2. Address an envelope to yourself
3. Potrero Group will mail the note to you in early June
Articles/Case Studies
Brian O’Neill’s 21 Partnership Success FactorsThe National Park Service
Engaging Your Community: A Toolkit for Partnership, Collaboration and ActionJohn Snow, Inc.
Generating, Scaling Up, and Sustaining Partnership Impact: One Tam’s First Four YearsBy Amy Pickel, Ph.D., and Leigh Goldberg
Why The Lean Start-Up Changes EverythingHarvard Business Review
The Strategic Plan is Dead. Long Live Strategy.Stanford Social Innovation Review
Books
Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers and ChallengersBy Alexander Osterwalder
Connecting to Change the World: Harnessing the Power of Networks for Social ImpactBy Peter Plastrik, Madeleine Taylor, and John Cleveland
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It MattersBy Priya Parker
The Non-Profit Business Plan: The Leader’s Guide to Creating a Successful Business ModelBy David La Piana, Heather Gowdy, Lester Olmstead-Rose, and Brent Copen
Creating Business Plans (HBR 20 Minute Manager)Harvard Business Review
SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONSMAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD PotreroGroup.com
Change is uncomfortable.But not unnavigable.Cleveland Justis: [email protected]
https://www.linkedin.com/company/potrero-group/
