Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com January 25, 2016 • Hartford Business Journal 21 BIZ BOOKS Tips for creating a successful strategic plan "B eing Strategic: Plan for Suc- cess, Out-Think Your Competi- tors, Stay Ahead of Change" by Erika Andersen (St. Martin's Press, $16.99). Andersen defines strategy as "consis- tently making those core directional choices that will best move you toward your hoped- for future." The keywords: hoped-for future. Vision begets ideas, which spawn plans. "Define your chal- lenge" — macro and micro. Llewellyn, a Welsh prince used as an everyman meta- phor throughout the book, wants to build a castle to defend his turf and protect his people. He poses big-pic- ture, "How can we … " ques- tions to his nobles and advi- sors. The answers lead to more questions that take the project from 10,000 feet to ground level. Answers at the micro do three things: 1. Help gauge timeline. 2. Provide budget insight. 3. Mini- mize unintended consequences. What's next? "Clarify what is." And what isn't. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis helps identify where you are and some apparent obstacles. One of the key questions: Do you have the right people? In Llewellyn's case, farmers and soldiers aren't architects, stonecutters and builders. If you don't have the right people, it will take more time and money — and the end product may not be quite what was envisioned. "Envision what's the hope." Combine your what's-next challenge with what-is reality. Get supporters onboard so the vision becomes collective — and so does the effort required to make it real. "Face what's in the way." Watch your self-talk. Your inte- rior commentator is always on. You have to measure what it says against reality, lest enthusiasm and emotion dictate action. Also, even though you anticipated find- ing trolls under bridges and prepared contingency plans, things never go quite as planned on a new venture. Learn to adapt. "Determine what's the path." Select your core directional choice(s). Develop tactics that support it. Execute; pay attention to tactical results; tweak and follow through; move forward. As Llewellyn builds his castle on the hill, you can build yours, too. • • • "Workarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything that Stands in Your Way at Work" by Russell Bishop (McGraw Hill, $22). While "continuous improvement" sounds good, procedures, infrastructures and pro- cesses always lag behind workplace reality. As a result, productivity lags because work- ers can't really "work smart." Meaningless meetings, mountains of reports to prepare (even though many aren't read), inboxes and emails set on overflow and silos also makes "work smart" an oxymoron. Most employees adopt an "it is what it is attitude" grumbling and muddling through their workdays handcuffed by "the system." Bishop offers alternatives based upon problem solving and prevention. His first workaround: "How you frame the prob- lem is the problem." Framing leads to either a ready-fire-aim or ready-aim-fire response. Labeling something as a prob- lem automatically sets up the obstacle dominoes." He points out that Chi- nese use the same char- acter for opportunity and threat. Framing situations as opportunities keeps options open; think puzzle (i.e. how can I … ,) not problem. When thinking threat, defense mechanisms kick in and options become self-limited. Using the puzzle analogy, think of what you get when buying a jigsaw puzzle. There's a picture of the finished puzzle on the box cover — this is your outcome. It's the same way at work — but you have to create the picture (i.e. the outcome). Odd-shaped pieces fill the box; the more pieces, the more difficult the puzzle. If you've ever worked on a puzzle as a family activity, you know that the group achieves the outcome quicker than one person does. It's also more fun when oth- ers participate. Similarly, you're not the only one affected by a work- place puzzle. Ask your- self: Who else has skin in the game? Who else might be affected by a success- ful outcome? How can you engage these others to play? When a group becomes involved, many perspectives are shared. n Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer. Jim Pawlak TALKING POINTS 6 ways to boost your PR profile By Bernard L. Kavaler F or small businesses, nonprofit organiza- tions, associations and just about any enterprise looking to establish itself in the marketplace, attitude drives altitude. What you're thinking and how you approach achieving your objectives can make the dif- ference between gaining traction and spin- ning your wheels. Here are six effective ways to boost your PR profile, and move closer to where you'd like to be: 1. Stand out in unexpected places. Be the politician on the sports page, rather than the news page. Be the car deal- er in the food section, rather than merely dominating the auto- motive section. Don't limit yourself to being only where everyone else is. On occasion dip your toe into different waters and be where you will stand out. In doing so, you will convey a common interest with the audience you're seeking, while leaving a lasting impression. It will add an extra dimension to your more traditional marketing and PR pro- gram, and resonate beyond the moment. 2. Understand their needs better than yours. Look at business from the outside in, not the inside out. What drives the audiences you're trying to reach? What are they trying to achieve? What do they need, or want, or care about? Take the time to do the research and gain a true understanding. Whether you're looking for traction with bloggers or funders, clients or customers, standing in their shoes will get you further than chasing after them in yours. Build your messaging accordingly — and have the depth to back it up. Perception is reality, and seeing is believing. But be ready to be tested. 3. Read everything. Whether online or in print, don't miss an opportunity to stay up-to-date with what's happening, not only in your industry but in many others. Be on the lookout for ways to connect what you do — your business — to something else that's happening in the marketplace. Connect the dots in interesting and inno- vative ways that will ring true, and make your presence felt. The more you know, the more you know. That's step one in using the knowledge you've acquired to good effect. You may discover possibilities that would not have occurred to you if your focus had been too narrowly centered. 4. Every number tells a story. Every story has numbers. Personal stories are com- pelling, but data (outcomes) drive customers, clients and supporters, too. Mix and match. Tell effective stories grounded in solid stats. Sprinkle numbers generously, without drown- ing a great story. Identify genuine stories from among the people you're already working with that will resonate with potential customers. Help prospective clients hold a mirror to the actual accounts you share, and offer a concrete set of facts and figures that reinforce the narrative and reassure the unconvinced. 5. Partnerships with a purpose. Broad- en your base. Extend your reach. Create new opportunities. Everything is connected — it's up to you to figure out how, with whom and when. Select partnerships based on common or complementary objectives. Share lists, extend tweets, contribute resources. Be efficient and effective in identifying allies and establishing relationships. There is strength in numbers, and partnerships have a number of strengths, whether formal or informal. Keep a keen eye out for ways to build alliances that will help achieve goals — yours and theirs. 6. If it's not the same tune, it should at least be from the same album. You don't nec- essarily need to be inflexibly repetitive in your public relations messaging, but it is best not to be wholly inconsistent either. Customers accus- tomed to looking to you for the best baked goods in town will likely think twice before believing you can produce or deliver a top-of-the-line sofa. Be constant in your approach, the under- pinnings of what you do and why, and expand your direction incrementally, not exponentially. Consistency does not preclude growth. And growth does not preclude consistency. Navigating the nuances and identifying the best balance on which to build a public- relations program will provide degrees of both challenge and opportunity. Where you land on that spectrum is determined by more than effective messaging, but is less steady and less certain in its absence. n Bernard L. Kavaler is founding principal of Express Strategies, a Hartford-based public affairs and public policy consult- ing firm. He may be contacted at bernard@ express-strategies.com. Bernard L. Kavaler ▶ ▶ If you don't have the right people, it will take more time and money — and the end product may not be quite what was envisioned.

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