Get your free subscription to The Strategy Lessons Newsletter
And learn the insanely powerful skills that will help you to be much better at planning and achieving goals. Subscribe now and get a free digital copy of The Strategy Book
Kia ora. It’s Ben M. Bartlett here and I am writing to you from the awesome country of New Zealand.
What is Kia ora? It’s a greeting from the indigenous people of New Zealand known as the Maori. And it simply means hello or welcome.
As you may know, New Zealand is a developed country of 5 million people located near the bottom of the world.
Here in New Zealand we’re famous for sheep, beautifully picturesque landscapes, the Lord of the Rings movies, the All Blacks rugby team…and that on a per capita basis, we are one of the world’s best sporting nations.
We also have a reputation as being really friendly, down-to-earth and helpful people.
Today I want to help you.
How so?
I’d like to invite you to subscribe to The Strategy Lessons newsletter. It’s free. What’s more, when you subscribe you’ll also get a free digital copy of The Strategy Book.
What is The Strategy Lessons?
Sent to your email inbox several times a week, The Strategy Lessons is a newsletter about strategy. More to the point, it’s a free newsletter about the full process of strategy known as strategic management.
As revealed above, strategic management is the overarching leadership skill of planning and executing strategy to achieve a big goal and vision.
Listen up. The secret to success in any performance-based endeavor is strategic management. Put another way, if you have a goal you want to achieve or a problem you need to fix, the actual solution is knowing how to plan and execute strategy.
Significantly, strategic management is the #1 leadership skill. And it is the core role of the CEO and/or business owner.
Fact is, strategic management is so important it is the capstone course in the MBA program. It’s also why top business leaders invest significant time, energy and money on strategy.
But strategic management doesn’t just apply to business. High-level strategic management is a skill required for all performance domains including military warfare, elite-level sport and politics. Strategic management is also the #1 life skill.
The Strategy Lessons shares important strategic management lessons delivered in a unique, no B.S style. No corporate diarrhea. No academic airy-fairy theory. No motivational mumbo jumbo. No PC nonsense. So if you are into diarrhea, pie in the sky theory, mumbo jumbo or PC silliness then do not subscribe. Otherwise you will be grossly offended.
Again, The Strategy Lessons is free, and is delivered to your email inbox several times a week.
In your subscription you’ll also be introduced to our other educational offerings, as well as our strategy consulting and coaching services including:
Strategic MBA. Strategic MBA is our flagship strategy education program that teaches all aspects of strategic management. Strategic MBA includes lectures, courses, workshops and strategy briefings, which are available both online and offline.
Planning With Pictures. Planning With Pictures is a deep dive strategy consulting and planning service that applies our proprietary visual planning system.
These services apply strategic management principles and techniques to help you to excel in all areas of your life. You see,
To grow a business you need to develop and skillfully execute a good business strategy.
To win a sporting contest you need to develop and skillfully execute a good sports strategy.
To lose weight, get fitter and be healthier you need to develop and skillfully execute a good health and fitness strategy.
To have a successful marriage you need to develop and skillfully execute a good marital strategy.
Getting the message? Anyway, our work is all about helping you to be better – much better – at strategy. And to have more wins, more often.
Introducing The Strategy System
The overarching framework for our work is The Strategy System, which incorporates the key strategy models, tools and skill sets we help clients to develop.
As the visual illustrates, the heart of the system are our 12 Rules of Strategy, which we apply to three strategy domains, namely:
- 10 Diamonds Business strategy
- Champion Team strategy
- 7 Ladders Personal Leadership strategy
Then, linked to these domains are crucial strategy skills and methods such as:
- Mindset science
- 5 Mode Health and Fitness
- The Leadership Skill Set
- Philosophy Design and Build
As well, the system includes:
The Strategy Models Toolkit – comprises more than 100 strategy tools built on the principles of design thinking. Tools include strategy grids, process visuals, scorecards and strategy models. Designed to improve strategic analysis, ideation, decision-making and planning, most of these tools are the intellectual property of BM. Bartlett, while a few are widely known and frequently used tools.
The Planning With Pictures Method – a planning system built upon the well-known “A picture is worth a thousand words” quotation and principle. Applies design thinking principles to help clients develop visual business models, strategic plans, roadmaps and goal trackers on a single page in sizes from A3 to A0.
Our strategic management services apply the system outlined above. And it’s also the subject framework for The Strategy Lessons. In other words, each issue of The Strategy Lessons will feature a topic from one of the above system modules.
And my qualifications?
First and foremost, I am a master strategist, which is best defined as someone qualified and skilled in analyzing and developing strategy. So in a nutshell, I help business leaders to solve their biggest problems with good strategy.
In terms of academic background, I attended my first strategic planning course in 1994. And, my qualifications include an MBA (“A” grade average), specializing in strategic thinking.
As well as serving as a strategist, I am a strategic advisor and coach to CEOs, high performing business owners and team members, helping them to improve strategic performance and to get their shit together.
To assist clients, my work is provided via a portfolio of services that help clients to excel at strategic management.
Clients include senior executives at large organisations such as Marley, Red Cross, AIG and Honda…managing directors, boards and team members of multi-million dollar a year privately owned companies, government department leaders, and the owners of small businesses.
My work has been recognised and featured at industry conferences in both New Zealand and Australia, and has been the subject of legal action taken against others who have stolen my – and my clients’ – intellectual property. I’ve helped firms in a range of sectors including investment advisory, accounting, fast moving consumer goods, building and construction, food manufacturing, insurance and wellness.
Alongside my work with business leaders is the role I perform as a fitness/sports coach and life skills mentor, working with youth. This role is a passion that I’ve been dedicated to for more than 30 years. My business career is my career. My youth work is my calling. And the two work perfectly together.
What is my youth coaching work all about? It’s about helping youth to apply strategy principles to excel in all areas of their lives, such as education, vocation and physical and mental wellbeing. You see, when you master strategy you can master life. And that’s the message I drive into the youth that I coach.
My biggest qualification?
Listen up. I didn’t have the flashest upbringing. Born a poor Maori boy in the small city of Gisborne, New Zealand. And surrounded by a dysfunctional environment that included alcohol abuse, drugs, crime and financial hardship.
But, when I reached my late teens I realised that the responsibility for getting my shit together lay firmly on my shoulders. And I discovered that the key to success was learning how to plan and execute strategy.
Long story short. I did get my shit together. And now it’s me telling high falutin’ CEOs and business leaders how to get all their shit together.
A warning
Yes, when you master strategic management, you can master life. And The Strategy Lessons Newsletter is all about helping you to master strategy. But here’s a warning.
Because The Strategy Lessons is only for serious business leaders, I expect readers to read the lessons. I expect them to study and learn. And those who don’t read lessons are removed from the email list. Why is that? My view is that those who can’t be bothered reading The Strategy Lessons Newsletter are just not serious enough about studying the art and science of strategy.
My policy for those who are removed is just as strict. They cannot re-subscribe.
On that basis then, if you qualify and understand the conditions, then you need to subscribe.
Subscribe and get a free digital copy of The Strategy Book.
When you subscribe to The Strategy Lessons Newsletter your learning process will start with a free digital copy of The Strategy Book.
At more than 100 pages long, the digital copy of The Strategy Book is a powerful introduction to strategic management. Some of what you will learn includes:
- The Pictures That are Worth a Thousand Success Words
- What is Strategy?
- What are tactics?
- Your Most Valuable Investment Asset
- The Triumph and Failure of Strategy Execution
- The core tasks of the CEO
- The #1 Leadership Skill
- Simplified Strategy Definitions
- The Most Valuable Assets in a Business
- How to Build a Champion Team
- The engine that powers business strategy
- The 7 Ladders of Success
Each of these topics have been carefully chosen to show you how to apply strategy principles to achieve greater business and personal success.
And to get your shit together.
What to do now?
Fill in your first name and email address below, then click the subscribe button.
Eagerly read by CEOs and business owners in countries throughout the world including India, USA, Australia and New Zealand, the The Strategy Lessons is a must-read for growth focused individuals.
Again, with the The Strategy Lessons you get lessons sent to your email inbox several times a week.
Plus, you will receive invites to free lectures, access to free reports and special offers on a portfolio of strategic management services. Once again, these services are built upon the Strategy System and include:
- Strategic MBA
- Planning With Pictures
Most importantly, you will get to learn, understand and apply strategic management principles to improve your business and personal life. To subscribe, simply fill in your first name and email address below.
Remember. The Strategy Lessons is free. So subscribe now by filling in your details below.