Outcomes of Current Strategy—Managing Uncertainty

Whether your business is humming along or struggling, setting direction and forecasting future business results from that direction is one of the most difficult of business leadership tasks. Being too conservative may look good on paper, but almost always leads to underperformance. Being too aggressive can be challenging, but frustrating and, in some cases, threaten credibility of management. "Long Range" plans have almost become irrelevant. Market conditions change too rapidly to focus on long term objectives without the appropriate checkpoints to test strategic and tactical validity.

The demand on business leadership is to take all the market and business input and craft business vision, strategy and objectives which the business plans are built around. It becomes an issue of confidence. Confidence is an issue of understanding opportunity and risk, and managing the uncertainties attached to both.

So, what can you do?

• Understand what you are sensitive to and monitor it
• Create or at least consider strategic and tactical options related to key variables, then if they change, it's not a surprise, you've thought about what to do
• Set meaningful checkpoints to test progress against objectives and plans. If they are not working, do something about it. If they are succeeding, look for ways to accelerate success
• Continually monitor the relevant world of opportunity
• Continually test the validity of strategy and objectives
• Engage your organization to help - they are on the front lines

What do you get out of it?

• Increased probability of meeting objectives
• First mover advantage to changes in market and/or business conditions
• Confidence in your organization's ability to recognize and respond to opportunities, and accept risk

How can Gateway Insights Help?

As a partner and advisor with your management team, Gateway Insights can contribute its experience and efforts to help you:

• Develop strategic and tactical options
• Develop a business model which includes key driver relationships (quantitative and qualitative)
• Conduct a sensitivity and business risk analysis for strategic and tactical options
• Select and implement the highest value actionable path
• Evaluate and adjust resources to meet needs
• Communicate and reinforce actions with the organization

in-sight ('in-"sIt) noun - "The power or act of seeing into a situation."

• Achieving Action with Impact: Separating Uncertainty from Risk
• Small Business Administration
• Decisioneering, Inc.
• The Art of the Long View, Peter Schwartz

"Gateway Insights has been a great resource, helping us to develop a business perspective for our periodontal practice and evaluate potential opportunities. . . Jim listened to our ideas and helped us clarify our personal and business objectives, identify risks and options, and helped us create an action plan to achieve our goals."

Larry L. Borth, D.D.S.