ABSTRACT
Luck has been described as the product of preparation and opportunity. Alignment is critical within the executive team, between the executive team and middle management, and then down through the supervisory ranks and front-line workers. Alignment towards a unified direction in strategy, goals, and objectives can be especially challenging in the presence of strong subcultures. The linkage between experiences, beliefs, actions, and goals is much clearer through outcome-based goals. Senior leaders approach organizational problems from a conceptualizing perspective that looks beyond day-to-day realities. A values-based leader seeking to achieve excellence goes beyond conceptual thinking to also spend time developing a plan for strategy execution. Effective strategic planning moves from conceptualizing the strategy to implementation. It requires develop solutions that coalesce operational and business processes to provide improved agility, efficiency, and responsiveness. Engineers Johnny and Suzy are given objectives to pilot a design thinking approach with their customer, Michael’s Muffler Company.
