Here we discuss that combination, Uptake’s fascinating work, and why her role is a great example of the strategic concept of specific investments. These types of investments, whether human or physical, signal a commitment to clients and also lower the relative cost of outsourcing vs internalizing things that may be beyond the efficient boundary of a client’s organization.

This was interesting to me. What about you?

In his current role as Manager of Renewable Energy Strategy and Business Development at the manufacturer Panduit, he has helped plan, executed, and continually adapt to just such an expansion. In this episode we learn Panduit’s process and how they leveraged firm specific and usage flexible resources to find the best target for expansion. This is an interesting one, you should listen in.

It IS a digital world and IT touches everything in it, connecting resources & people through process & data. Through Dave’s career he’s accumulated both deep knowledge and some healthy perspective on the subject. While his knowledge has earned him a seat in the strategic planning process, his perspective always reminds him that for all of ITs big potential, it always best to start by listening to people and solving their problems first. An important lesson for sure, you should listen in.

It also requires a clear understanding of both a firm’s current positioning in the eyes of customers & competitors and, tactically, how to get them where they want to go. In this episode, Alison describes why the tools of Economics are uniquely applicable in her role and how they help her see things more clearly. It’s a really great example of the power of economics in business strategy – you should listen!

For strategy development, this kind of information is vision and, in the right hands, can serve as a divining rod to opportunity. While few will ever find a strategic panacea, well-informed business leader can make better decisions one at a time and even see new connections that help solidify their strategic plans.

In this episode, Brittany takes us through her 10+ year career at Ford and describes the current transformation taking place at the legendary automaker. A transformation dictated by changing market preferences and full of opportunity for growth and innovation. By embracing such change, Ford illuminates its lineage as an industry disruptor and signals management’s awareness that good strategy means if you’re standing still, you’re falling behind!

In this episode, we are reminded that even the best strategic plan is only as good as the people executing it. Like the links in a chain, if each area of the business isn’t aware of, and prepared for the what, when, and how of their firm’s strategic plans, those plans are likely to fail. In this conversation we discuss the critical role of Treasury in that model of success and use Bryan experience to highlight the idea that strategic success really does take a village.

Zebra has been on a roll of late and, as you’ll hear, that success results from a series of good decisions made by leadership with a clear vision and good communication skills. Their success in pivoting from primarily a hardware manufacturer to a vertically integrated solutions provider is a masterclass in business transformation and working your way up the value chain.