Albu On Strategy

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Recommended Reading: Seven Strategy Questions

Saturday, March 26th, 2011

At Albu Consulting we believe that strategy is a continuous process and therefore needs to be managed liked other key elements of your business to be successful. Harvard Business School professor Robert Simons the author of “Seven Strategy Questions” is of the same opinion. He has put together a guide for you and your team […]


The CEO’s Promise

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

The most important responsibilities of any CEO are to develop the strategy, clarify the organizational strategic initiatives, communicate them to employees and make sure the initiatives are achieved.  It is in essence the CEO’s promise to the company’s stakeholders.  However, in our experience working with mid-market companies, all too often CEOs focus primarily or exclusively […]


Five Building Blocks to Successful Strategy Execution

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

Five Building Blocks to Successful Strategy Execution The legendary Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant retired with 323 wins over 38 seasons. He was one of the most successful college football coaches, taking 29 teams to bowl games. He would often say that players on winning teams ask for five things: Tell me what you expect of […]


4 “Rules of Engagement” that Drive Strategic Success

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

I believe there is always something new we can learn by meeting and speaking with people of varied backgrounds and experiences. In a recent conversation with a friend, I was very impressed with the way in which he had made strategy management the centerpiece of decision- making for everyone in his company. Essentially, strategy is a […]


Reload, Refresh, Renew: Make Strategy Work Harder

Friday, December 11th, 2009

The reality of today is that we are in one of the most turbulent economic times with a great deal of uncertainty in 2009. Not knowing what the short term future holds has caused many CEOs to delay investments, some of which are needed to achieve long term strategic goals. As a result, companies focusing […]


Three Critical Steps to Recalibrate Your Business

Saturday, July 11th, 2009

I received an economic report from a friend and Chair of Vistage, a leading CEO membership organization. The report was written by Roger Martin-Fagg, an economist from the UK, and he said, “It is now clear to me that we are not experiencing a typical business cycle. Instead we are in a discontinuity, where there […]


One Game at a Time Gets You the PRIZE

Monday, May 11th, 2009

There is something very special about great athletes and coaches at any level. They never lose sight of their long term goal. It’s a driving passion to achieve the prize at the end of the season that keeps them going. That passion provides each player the energy to work hard to win the next game, […]


Five Steps to Weather the Downturn

Sunday, October 12th, 2008

We face some challenging times right now, and the uncertainty of 2009 and beyond will make or break many companies. But in times like these, there are opportunities for the strong to get stronger – so successful CEOs and owners should be launching initiatives that simultaneously address the short and long term. Consider these tactics as you prepare to ride out the storm, […]


Upturn Thinking in a Downturn Market

Monday, August 11th, 2008

Nearly all companies are feeling the pressure of higher energy and raw material costs. In the midst of these difficult economic times, leaders naturally turn to cost cutting measures and restructuring efforts to control expenses. These actions should be applauded and have been responsible for the relatively shallow downturn of the past year. However, recovery […]


It’s About People First

Monday, May 12th, 2008

In describing the value of strategic planning to our clients, we emphasize the importance of gaining alignment of the 3Ps of success: Plan, Process and People (see AlbuOnStrategy newsletter Spring 2007). Simply put, if the 3Ps are in harmony, it dramatically increases the odds of implementing strategy successfully. In my opinion, the most important “ P […]


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