Michael offers a unique approach to help growth-oriented companies (especially those back by private equity) develop a strategic action plan to achieve substantive scale. Michael acts as the facilitator to allow the leader to be an active participant in the process. This engagement methodology results in a growth plan that adds meaningful value to your organization with management and board support.
The strategic planning process Michael has developed helps executives to gather critical feedback from their team and the market, to design and communicate the 5-year goals of the organization, to build tactical plans to achieve those goals, and to consistently measure progress to the plan to realize the goals.
Over Michael’s career, he has led 3 different private-equity-backed companies and launched a successful non-profit (the Nashville Entrepreneur Center). In each case, getting the plan right was essential to drive scale. Over the past 5 years he have led strategic planning processes for over 20 organizations.
Here’s How Michael Helps:
Step 1: Discovery. Michael and his team reviews prior Board materials, industry trends, management reports, the competitive landscape, organizational goals, mission, vision, and core values. He also interviews the CEO & key stakeholders. This discovery process develops a set of assets that are used to help the team unify around a high-impact strategic plan.
Step 2: CEO Preview: Michael and the CEO develop a preliminary outline for the strategic planning session. This involves a thoughtful discussion of resources and constraints. Within this phase, a clear picture of “what’s possible” is formed.
Step 3: Aggregation: Michael and his team then combine all the relevant materials from both the Discovery Phase and the CEO Preview into a set of materials that will be used during the onsite “kick off” event to engage and align the management team.
Step 4: Strategic Planning Session: Michael facilitates a 2-day strategic planning event with key leaders of the organization - covering stakeholders, mission, vision, values, industry trends, competitive landscape, stakeholder prioritization, and an organizational SWOT. As the team works through the strategy process agenda items - key strategic (growth) and operating (structure and scale) themes emerge that get prioritized. T
Step 5: Set a 5-Year Strategic Direction. The priority themes identified become the basis of the strategic plan. Before leaving the planning session, the team will unite around the top 3-5 growth initiatives for the organization as well as the key operating areas that must be addressed to successfully scale the organization.
Step 6: Strategic Charter Development. Team-based plans (each with an individual leader) are developed for each strategic initiative - including a well defined objective, run-rate financial goals, resource requirements, measures of success, interdependencies and risks. This process ensures alignment of the team with both the resources required and the expectations for results.
Step 7: Monitor & Adjust. The team uses the the tools above to track their progress week to week - measuring their success against milestones. Monthly and quarterly updates confirm the plans are all moving as expected and provide opportunity for adjustment. At the end of each year, the team repeats an abbreviated process (1-day) session to review insights from the first year and to add an additional year that the end - thereby maintaining a rolling “5-year window” of desired growth and opportunity.
Michael In Action:
Justin Ishbia. Managing Partner. Shore Capital Partners
“Michael leads strategic planning for each of our portfolio companies. We began this process with him two years ago - and, to date, he has led seven of his two-day sessions. Our management teams and boards walk away from these strategy events not only with a meaningful and executable plan, but are more united in their vision for “what’s possible.” He is an outstanding facilitator - and brings out all the meaningful points of discussion. After the session, he and his team provide excellent follow-up to ensure that the full plan to developed and delivered with initiative owners, timelines, and measures of success.”
Agenia Clark, President & CEO - Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee
“Michael’s strategy workshops are phenomenal. His ability to capture an audience and keep them engaged is unparalleled. I highly recommend any business to engage Michael for their company strategic planning event. He helped our team sharpen their decision-making skills and execute strategies that have led to meaningful growth.”