A strategic, proactive approach to business is essential for meeting expectations, mitigating risks and achieving successful outcomes.

Why strategy is important

A business strategy creates a vision and direction for your organisation. It clarifies your purpose, drives the decision-making process, helps allocate resources and provides a better employee experience as it allows them to understand how their role contributes to the overall strategic intent.

When your workforce understands the overarching goals they are working towards, and what success looks like, your business will become more efficient, which in turn, will increase productivity and profit.

Mel works with executive teams, communication teams, boards and business owners to design and develop strategies that provide clarity and focus, and enable your people to buy-in to your vision.

Whether it’s a strategic thinking workshop, an offsite or ongoing advisory, Mel’s approach is collaborative, interactive and outcomes focussed.

Tactics without strategy is the

noise before defeat.

Sun Tzu

how i work

As the facilitator of choice for many companies, non-profits, associations, boards and executive teams, I have worked with senior leaders and their teams to facilitate strategy days that are collaborative, productive and goal-focussed.

My experience has shown that successful strategic planning days include time to discuss facts and evidence, the sharing of opinions and thoughts, a conversation that allows for the generation of ideas, strategies and actions and the development of an action plan to move forward with the implementation of the strategy. We also discuss how we determine and measure progress and success. Each of these elements will be built into the workshop.

The facilitation processes I use are collaborative, inclusive, and encourage participation from everyone in the room.

There are a few elements involved in developing a strategy:

  • Desk research – a review and analysis of core documents including past strategies and operational plans, annual reports, relevant stakeholder and market research/data

  • Primary research – in-depth interviews with key senior leaders and stakeholders

  • Facilitated strategy workshop

  • Developing a strategy document

  • Post-session consultation with key stakeholders

  • Quarterly sessions to improve execution, review results, identify high-value activities and renew the focus on goals and priorities for the quarter ahead.

what people are saying

  • “Mel pointed us in a more strategic direction that will enable us to engage with our members and stakeholders more, without increasing workload and resources. Our entire team enjoyed the workshop and the friendly, professional manner in which Mel ran the session.”

    David Millar CEO, Concrete Institute of Australia

  • “Mel, thank you for your input offered to the Board of @ARATAaus in 2020 - certainly an ‘unprecedented’ year where ARATA had to work strategically to meet the rapidly changing needs of our members. Your expertise, your ongoing willingness to take one-off questions from our Board, and your ability to reflect through post-board meetings with our Directors was highly valued through this period. Mel, your input has been invaluable as we grow our ongoing Board strategic planning and implementation. As the current President, I really value your input and your expertise. Thank you again.”

    Libby Callaway, Chair, ARATA

  • “Mel has a unique understanding of communication and how this can be the most effective for leaders as well as businesses. She is also a great facilitator of all things marketing bringing together people and ideas to create clear objectives with a stepped plan on how to achieve them. I would highly recommend Mel to any business to assist them in becoming more visible and impactful through the way they communicate.”

    Jodie Long, CEO Australasian Sonographers Association

 

Talk to Mel about creating a strategy with your organisation.