Late last year we made a strategic pivot at Focus HR. Not because the business wasn’t working. But because it was. In many ways, we had (and still have) a great little consulting business. We were working with good clients, doing meaningful work,...
Strategy.
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Strategy doesn’t cause attrition. Clarity does.
When a business gets serious about strategy, something predictable happens: not everyone comes with it. It is one of the most consistent patterns we see in strategic planning. The most common immediate outcome isn’t just improved focus or sharper...
The Art of Stopping: Why “Less” is the answer to 2026
Recently, a client lost a valued employee. The immediate response was stress. Leaders worried about the loss of capability, corporate knowledge, and capacity. There was real concern about how the work would get done. But once the employee was gone,...
2025 Wrapped: A Year of Progress, Lessons… and a Much-Needed Reset
When I look back on 2025, it’s easy to point to the things we got right. We grew revenue by nearly 20%. We hit our budget despite losing 20% of our consulting capacity. We delivered great outcomes for clients, reflected in a 95% NPS. On paper, it...
Strategy isn’t a document or an event – it’s a conversation
Many organisations treat strategy like a once-a-year exercise - crafted by the executive team, written into a polished deck, and shared at an all-staff meeting before everyone gets back to “business as usual.” But real strategy doesn’t live in...
The Predictable Path of Progress
Last week, our 2025 Group Strategy participants gathered for their Quarter 3 Review and Reset, a rhythm we follow every 90 days. As a group of peers, we sit together and reflect. We look back on the previous quarter, the goals set, the actions...
Mid-Year Strategy Check-In: 4 Essential Questions for Leadership Teams
Mid-year is a critical checkpoint for every business strategy. As the saying goes, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” In business, the “enemy” isn’t a single threat — it’s shifting markets, stretched teams, unexpected fires to put...
Why Your Strategy Needs A Name
In marketing, we all know the power of a name. It gives meaning, captures attention, and sticks in your head. But too often, strategy is left nameless — reduced to vague intentions or generic goals like “grow market share” or “improve...
Get Out to Look Ahead: Why Strategy Needs Distance from the Day-to-Day
Most of the business leaders we work with are excellent operators-fast thinking, action-oriented and indispensable to daily operations. But, that strength and effectiveness often becomes their limitation. These leaders are so effective in their...
Strategy isn’t a day. It’s a discipline. Why one-off strategy workshops fail – and what to do instead
“Five percent of the challenge is the strategy. Ninety-five percent is the execution.” — Carlos Ghosn, former COO of Nissan We’ve all seen it. A leadership team heads offsite for a day. The energy is high. The view is inspiring. There’s good...
The 90-day Cadence: Breaking your Strategy into Achievable Chunks
– Alistair Green, Director of Business Strategy In business strategy, grand visions, powerful purpose statements and moonshot goals provide important alignment, direction and inspiration. However, these elements do not guarantee success in the...
Scaling Up – The Challenge of Impostor Syndrome
We all experience imposter syndrome at some point in our business journey. It’s that nagging feeling that you’re not as competent as others think you are – and it usually hits when you’re in the throes of business growth. It’s perfectly normal to...
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