If you are running complex initiatives, your biggest challenge is usually aligning action across various teams to deliver results as planned. What can you do to make your plans more sticky? Drawing from her expertise as an Executive Coach and Strategist, Pam Fox Rollin lays out 5 tips on how to make plans real. Act as if plans live in brains, not documents. Because that’s the reality. Your plan just sits there on the share drive, while people do whatever…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Rumbidzai Mufuka with KAVA Consultancy.  Rumbidzai spent five years as a communications and change management specialist in the public sector practice at Booz Allen and Guidehouse (formerly PwC Public Sector. She has been running her own consulting firm since 2020, and has supported select nonprofit clients since 2016. After her time in the public sector, she launched and managed 100+ consulting projects for nonprofits in DC, Chicago, and Philadelphia with Compass Pro Bono. She later…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Olaoluwa Adeola with Leke Services. Laolu is an experienced strategy consultant with 10+ years in automotive and mobility industry. Thrives in fast paced environments, relying on data-driven insights to solve complex problems with a customer focus. Proven record in strategic planning and driving growth. Effective communicator and collaborator with strong client relationships. Prior to joining McKinsey, Laolu spent about 10 years in automotive industry roles (e.g. product development engineer at Navistar, strategy roles at Faraday…

In this article, Martin Pergler explains why timing is so important when applying risk insights to strategic decision-making. Why timing is everything when it comes to effective risk management There is much discussion over how institutions should do risk management. In addition to who should be doing it, what is it (risk management… even risk itself) and why it is necessary. Much less is said about when to do risk management. And yet timing is everything. Institutions that mistime their…

In this article, Caroline Taich shares how to avoid a critical mistake when setting up your strategic planning process. Much of my work involves strategic planning. Over the years I have observed that there are different kinds of strategic plans, and different views on what constitutes an excellent plan. This can lead to trouble when it comes with a mismatch of expectations within one team.I wonder, why is there so much difference? There is probably a long list of reasons….

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Michelle Wald. Michelle is a strategic leader passionate about using business as a force for good. She has significant experience in strategic planning and operational execution across small and large consumer goods companies. After studying business as a dual-sport athlete at Cal, she started her career in management consulting at McKinsey, then built a multi-functional skillset across various roles and geographies at Nike, and most recently led the US expansion of Tony’s Chocolonely, a Dutch…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Trevor McCaw with Kitsilano Partners. A visionary and pragmatic consultant with 20+ years of healthcare experience with a passion for building and advancing innovative medical and healthcare digital/analytic technologies. A result-driven executive/consultant comfortable with rolling up his sleeves to get the job done and a keen eye for strategic planning, partnerships, and operations to accomplish ambitious goals. 20 years of experience working collaboratively with clients, C-Suite leaders, and cross-functional teams….

Gina Abudi shares an article designed to help build a plan when planning to build a team. When you have decided to commit to team building on your team, build out your action plan to plan for team building. In this way, you’ll be sure that team building will be more than just some fun for the team (though that is important too!) but will also address the reasons why you are doing team building in the first place. Take…

In this article, Caroline Taich explains how to avoid a critical mistake when setting up your strategic planning process. Much of my work involves strategic planning. Over the years I have observed that there are different kinds of strategic plans, and different views on what constitutes an excellent plan. This can lead to trouble when it comes with a mismatch of expectations within one team. I wonder, why is there so much difference? There is probably a long list of…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Austin Riggs. Austin describes his practice : I am a strategy consultant with over 10 years strategy and operations experience. In addition to my expertise in growth strategy, M&A, and strategic planning, I have deep experience in new business launches and social innovation. My industry expertise covers financial services, technology, entertainment and consumer electronics. I am especially passionate about sustainability and mission-driven businesses. With professional experience in the USA, UK, South Africa, and Jordan, I…

Geoff Wilson shares an evergreen article and a sharp reminder on the problem of rolling out an uninspiring strategic plan and what you can do about it.  The possibilities are endless.  Some might say that the sole purpose is to “enhance shareholder value.”  I’d argue that this old trope is no longer the gold standard.  Some adhere to the stakeholder model…which might be closer.  Regardless of the “concept,” a given business strategy has to appeal to a lot of people….

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Seth McLaughlin with Springfield Advisors. Seth McLaughlin has many years of operating experience that he leverages to be a valuable advisor to his clients. His operating experience includes leading large, national brands at Procter & Gamble and Luxottica (e.g. LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut). His advisory work includes strategy consulting at The Boston Consulting Group and as an independent senior-level advisor. He has in-depth experience with strategic planning, marketing, acquisitions, franchising and turnarounds at both public and…

Belinda Li shares an older, but always relevant post that identities three important things strategic planning should accomplish in addition to the plan.  ‘It’s time for strategic planning again.’ If you’re anything like the Board members at a nonprofit where I serve as an officer, you can probably relate to the collective sighs this announcement elicited. I found this reaction amusing…and a little troubling. Because I do value-added strategic planning for my clients, I know it isn’t just a necessary…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Nick Mork with Value Unlimited LLC. Nick spent eight years with Bain and Company, finishing in the case team leader role. He specialized in consumer products and private equity clients and was always rated top of his class for analysis. He then opened his own practice, performing Bain-like projects for clients at a fraction of the cost. One of those clients, a Fortune 500 paper and packaging company, hired him to be a senior director…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Theresa Nanigian with TN Executive Coaching. Theresa is an executive coach with a particular expertise in leadership. She works with senior leaders, those in leadership transition and teams to successfully lead themselves and others by taking a future-back approach to sustainable individual/organisational change. Before establishing her coaching practice, Theresa worked at McKinsey as a management consultant, headed strategic planning at a division of GlaxoSmithKline and ran a worldwide technology division at American Express. She lives…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Joy Fairbanks with Fairbanks Venture Advisors. Joy is an experienced founder, investment evaluator, and advisor to high growth, innovative companies across sectors. Prior to forming her own boutique advisory, she served clients at LEK Consulting and Mitchell Madison Group where she was an engagement manager. Joy has extensive experience advising companies across geographies from M&A and strategic planning to process improvement and supply chain management. She advises on business modeling, customer discovery, MVPs/prototyping, product/market fit,…

  While many struggle with switching the focus between work and home, Barry Horwitz has published a post that is the result of a family gathering inspiring how to avoid strategic planning mistakes.  Many years ago, my mother initiated what has since become an annual family tradition. When my father was about to reach his 70th birthday (he’s closing in on 90 now!), she decided we should gather siblings and families, and all spend a weekend together to celebrate. But…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome H. Nevin Yuksel-Ekici. Nevin has 20+ years of strategy and transformation experience. This includes 11 years at a global enterprise software, hardware and hybrid cloud firm (Dell/ EMC), and 6+ years at Bain & Company. In her last role, she led cross-BU/cross-functional strategy projects, and co-led strategic planning for Dell Technologies. This involved working with the Dell Technologies executive leadership team and cross-functional leaders to identify and prioritize strategic initiatives, as well as clarifying and…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Alun Thomas with Thema. Alun was with McKinsey’s London office from 1991-95. He joined the Firm as an experienced hire, having designed bits of Aero engines and run a battery factory on the edge of the Sahara desert. After consulting and profit responsible leadership in blue-chips, Alun focussed on helping early stage disruptive B2B businesses. Alun has returned to his roots in West Wales and is particularly interested in initiatives that contribute to the decarbonisation…

  Forbes published an article from Stephen Wunker that explores how we can leverage lessons learned from COVID-19 to develop, improve, and use scenario planning.  Leading up to 2020, executives were already grappling with rising disruptive technologies, changing business models, and rivals emerging from unexpected places. Throw in a global pandemic, and the future seems about as predictable as a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with a hundred hands. While some were poised to respond to the turbulence that coronavirus…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Michael Z Guterbock.  Michael worked for a decade in disaster preparedness and global health for the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Michael currently consults with Booz Allen Hamilton as a country risk manager. Prior to his consulting and government career, Michael worked for the private sector in the international development space. He is pursuing his Doctorate in International Affairs from Johns Hopkin University’s School…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome John Long with Satoe Solutions.  Jack Long was a consultant at McKinsey focusing on leadership development, organizational transformation, and strategic planning.  Following that he as an executive at IDEMIA where he lead integration and transformation, strategic planning, and value creation efforts.  Prior to McKinsey, he was an Innovation Fellow at Oxford University leading teams building startups based on University IP.  Jack holds a PhD in nanoengineering from Johns Hopkins and spent 8 years on active…

  Nora Ghaoui examines the limitations of artificial intelligence as it pertains to building a business strategy. If company strategies risk sounding the same when written by people, what happens when they get written by AI? In this post I examine an AI-generated strategy statement for what it says about the abilities of AI and creating strategies. Three years ago, I asked if large companies all had the same strategy. Perhaps their strategies all sounded the same because managers picked…

  From her company blog, Nora Ghaoui shares a two-part series that examines the strategy statements of large companies and explains why strategy writing often results in generic statements. By the time a large company has finished its strategic planning cycle, it ends up with strategy statements that could apply to any company. The same phrases show up every time.  Why is that?  Do great minds think alike, are people running out of ideas, or are market trends forcing them…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Bernhard Heine with Professional Business Coaches. Bernhard Heine is a Business and Executive Coach at Professional Business Coaches, Inc., (PBC, Inc.) a company he founded to help business owners and leaders achieve their vision. Bernhard has more than 30 years of experience working collaboratively with business partners in all phases of business management, restructuring and transformation, particularly in: strategic planning, marketing and sales, organizational design, engineering consulting, project management, coaching and facilitation. Prior to forming…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Caroline Wooldridge. Caroline Wooldridge spent a few years at BCG after an MBA at Wharton. Since BCG, she has led operations at ~100 person start-up, and most recently spent a year in strategy & transformation work at WeWork. Prior to Wharton, she worked 7 years in marketing and media. She has just left WeWork to begin independent consulting. Caroline has particular experience in transformation, operating models and org structure, strategic planning, board / funding material,…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Yevgeniy Rikhterman.  Yevgeniy Rikhterman spent three years as the Director of Strategy at Herff Jones, a PE owned CPG company. Yevgeniy has experience in creating strategic plans, as well as an evergreen strategic planning processes. Yevgeniy led the strategic planned that helped to maximize the value of Herff Jones during a critical PE transaction. He also led the corporate development, and M&A aspect, and as such has specific experiences that is applicable to mid-size companies…

Umbrex is pleased to welcome Ashu Dalvi with South Pointe Strategy.  Ashu has spent over 15 years as a consultant with various firms, including A.T. Kearney and Booz Allen Hamilton. He loves working on ambiguous problems and has developed and implemented transformational business strategies for tech, transportation, and non-profit clients. Ashu recently founded South Pointe Strategy, a consultancy that helps clients in all sectors build operating models that support their business ambition. Just prior, he was building out the strategy…

  Luiz Zorzella explains why non-strategic projects can be a distraction that get in the way of real strategic work and what you can do about it.    When companies define their strategic priorities, it is common to include in this list items that are not building blocks of the company’s strategic goals. At least directly. Some of these items are extraneous, pet projects and/or impositions from third-party actors or the result of internal politics and accommodations and at best…

David A. Fields provides an eight-week plan for an effective strategic planning process that will engage and enthuse your team of consultants for the year ahead. If you develop an annual plan for your consulting firm, there’s a decent chance you sit down with your senior team and/or advisors for a day or two to hammer out your objectives, strategies and tactics. (If you don’t engage in any strategic planning for your consulting firm then, as the old saying goes,…