AN APPROACH FOR THE AMBITIOUS

Steve Johnson brilliantly debunked the ‘eureka moment’ myth with his theory on slow moving hunches. He explains that big ideas – the ones that change organizations and have durable value – don’t happen in an instant. Instead they are the realization of clues collected along the way, conversations had among colleagues , interesting perspectives from collaborators and ultimately that moment of decision and action. 

I start most strategy engagements by uncovering your slow moving hunches. I interview people throughout your organization individually or in small quick-think sessions and ultimately identify at least 10 strategic questions you already have validated answers to.

What does great look like in your category? House Strategy collects clues from published customer studies, industry literature, public-facing statements, etc., to define and quantify the elements  of brand, service or experience that are helping competitors quickly get ahead.

With that index, we critically rank and rate how your organization and its key competitors are performing today.

Answers to the what change is needed quickly come into focus:

Are you realizing the possibilities of your brand? Meeting the expectations of customers? Leveraging the right technologies?

Your brand’s success starts and stops with Commercial accountabilities. Our work together will start there, too. We’ll build digital, brand or marketing strategies from that core foundation, asking the questions, how can digital, for example, help us make significant strides toward this goal? What is its specific role in ultimate success? 

Lead metrics and their benchmarks will play an important role in optimization and early indications of coming successes or challenges ahead. We’ll also set lag metrics that report on the ultimate commercial impact those actions lead to.

In the end, a plan is only as good as the action it earns. Our strategy blueprint will translate important concepts and ambitions into every day activities. 

One essential way of doing that is simple more of / less of design. Where we spend less of our time, energy and resources in order to do more of new or evolved activities. Those frameworks ensure your total effort is delivered on target and on budget.

Throughout the process you'll hear and share stories of customer experiences and peer success.

We'll add to those illustrative stories of why the work matters with modern parables of the way humans really make decisions.

From hockey to cholera; weak coffee to a 5-piece puzzle, you'll be able to guide your audience on how to think about the work ahead.