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The trio of problems, opportunities, and strategies has dominated the focus of my work throughout most of my career.
Early on, I recognized that traditional approaches to problems and planning were frequently failing and too often leading
to unintended consequences. As a result I began accumulating tools and perspectives to build insight and build stronger and
more robust strategies and solutions. For twenty years I have selectively helped clients solve problems, identify opportunities,
and develop robust strategies.
Problem definition is a critical first step - collecting facts and perceptions, closing gaps, and building a cohesive
understanding of the problem or issue at hand. Every problem brings opportunities that are too often overlooked in a reductive
focus on a problem. Holistic approaches and creativity help avoid unintended consequences, establish stronger goals, and build
organizational awareness of uncertainties, decision points, and alternative scenarios. The ultimate goal is a strategy that
will succeed across a variety of possible futures.
Over the past ten years I have worked General Motors, Royal Dutch Shell, Bell Canada, Rolls Royce Aerospace, Texas
Utilities, and others on issues ranging from industry deregulation, to supply chain problems, to research funding strategies,
and long-term market scenarios.
Experience suggests successful engagements begin by consolidating client knowledge and insight with the mutual goals
of surfacing pertinent knowledge and minimizing perceptual gaps that may exist across the client team. That consolidated knowledge
base serves as a platform for addressing issues of concern, for evaluating uncertainties, and for considering alternatives.
Tools, methods, and methodologies are selected to match the needs of the client and issue under consideration. I find the
most successful engagements are organic, evolving with the client. While the specific definition of a successful engagement
will vary from project to project, I would characterize successful engagements as preparing client teams to act cohesively
to resolve an issue or problem while avoiding unintended consequences. For longer term issues, this typically involves developing
a strategy that will be robust across a range of possible futures.
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