SHARE:
May 11, 2017
What's in a (Strategy) Name?
Marty Ganzglass is on the Board of a small NGO that was facing a very
common problem in the non-profit world: how to continue providing services with
reduced funding.
This NGO does critical work. Its main mission is conflict resolution. They
bring people from abroad who have a common element (like farmers or orange
growers) but are different ethnically and have traditionally been at each
other's throats.
The NGO arranges for courses (in this example, irrigation or better
techniques for growing oranges) and also includes an element in conflict
resolution. In addition, the organization holds lectures and shows films
related to the conflicts between different ethnic groups to raise funds to help offset the costs of the programs.
 Problem
Bringing people from abroad and running technical and conflict resolution
programs had become beyond their capacity, given the money they had.
Which Way to Go?
At the Board’s insistence, the Ex-Director came up with a plan to put the
organization into "hibernation" so that the burn rate of their limited funds
would let the NGO exist for several more years (until a major contribution
was anticipated.) That meant they were going to hold off on the conflict
resolution programs, including the possible shutdown of their usual fund
raising activities of lectures and movies.
Others, including Marty, saw the folly of that strategy: the danger being
that “out of sight is out of mind.” Aware of the importance of the fund
raising activities, Marty countered the Board’s metaphorical solution with a
different metaphor.
“I suggested we would be better off if the goal was ‘belt tightening’
instead of ‘hibernation.’ Working their own metaphor, I pointed out that
‘hibernation’ means no one sees the bear for several months. Since we intend
to have a public presence by a speakers and movie program, let's talk about
it as ‘belt-tightening.’”
"That helped to get the discussion rolling and the issue resolved and
achieved my goal of keeping our name out there.”
What’s Your Strategy Metaphor?
Whether you are a one person practice or part of a larger company, an
interesting exercise is to pick a metaphor that best describes your business
strategy, because the metaphor you choose likely drives the activities,
values, and approach you take with clients, how you position your products,
how you compete, where you invest, and how you measure success. For example,
-
The
Bumble Bee Strategy: Doing what others never expect you to do, which,
among other things, has implications for risk taking and the type of
people you hire (Bumble bees are not aerodynamically designed to fly,
yet they do)
-
The
Supermarket Strategy: Something for everyone, which means the ability to
manage multiple products, tight inventory controls, etc.
-
The
Laser Strategy: Focusing on one market, which means needing a thorough
knowledge of that market, a pipeline of products to service that market,
etc.
Try This
What is
even more interesting is to assemble your team and ask two questions:
Hibernation or Belt-tightening? The answer makes a world of difference.
Anne Miller
Make What You Say Pay! — with Metaphors
P.S. Marty Ganzglass is a former Peace Corps member, lawyer, and now an
accomplished writer of historical fiction with a focus on the
Revolutionary War. Check out his highly readable books
here.
Related Posts/Newsletters
Timely Metaphor: Warren Buffet
At his annual shareholders meeting,
Warren Buffet, CEO, Berkshire Hathaway, presented data
to show that health costs, not taxes, pose the greatest
risk to our economic growth and leadership in the world.
He drove home his point by saying, “Medical costs are
the tapeworm of American economic competitiveness.”
This is a metaphor he has used many times in the past to
describe the “insidious and parasitic costs of our
health care system.”
The New York Times.
 Need to Craft or Create a Winning Presentation or Demo?
Call today for individual coaching or
team workshops and
learn how to turn information that tells into a story that sells. 212-876-1875
amiller@annemiller.com
"Anne and I recently worked together on a speech I gave at a large
conference. She helped me turn a series of somewhat interesting points into
an expertly crafted, compelling and actionable story. Together, we built a
storyline with attention-grabbing headlines. We worked and re-worked the
language, making sure every word was important. Finally, Anne coached me on
the delivery. The result was so exciting - I've never been so well received
in a speech before. Thank you, Anne!" Kate Griffin, Vice President, CFED.org
If you like these newsletters, please share them with clients,
colleagues and friends! Thank you.
SHARE:
|
