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Dear Friends and Clients,

Dr. Mark Weinberg has taught thousands of government and other nonprofit leaders to think more strategically.

Weinberg is the founding director of Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. The School is an impressive mix of not only academic programs but also service projects structured to make a difference in Appalachian Ohio. Despite the School’s growing complexity, Weinberg continues to find time to teach in the seminars of its Executive Leadership Institute.

A keystone of the Leadership Institute approach is a conceptual tool known as the “Strategic Triangle.” After hearing glowing reports from Institute students, I became intrigued with the Triangle and was pleased to have the opportunity to observe several of the executive programs.

My initial impression was that the Triangle and other theories didn’t matter so much. The keystone of each program seemed to be Weinberg himself, and the way he operates on three levels. On the surface is the self-deprecating, endearing but absent-minded professor. This Dr. Weinberg can charm his listeners but sometimes leaves them perplexed, as he interrupts his own presentation by wondering about where he left his keys or what he ate for lunch.

His students quickly become aware that below Weinberg’s musings runs a deep vein of compassion and a genuine interest in the challenges faced by each leader he meets. Next they discover that Weinberg is a brilliant political strategist, with an uncanny ability to go right to the heart of a problem. And he is great at finding creative solutions.

As I became more involved in the work of the Voinovich School, I decided to test the Strategic Triangle and draw my own conclusions about how useful it might be. I wanted to see how well the Triangle works without Dr. Weinberg around to offer a flash of genius. By now I have introduced it to a number of my clients, and believe that it is indeed helpful in encouraging a deeper level of analysis.

Recently a client told me about a challenging situation that at first had caused her a moment of panic. It quickly turned out OK, she said, because she “did the Triangle” on her own, and knew what she had to do. The version of the Triangle I taught her is simplified, and might not please the academics. But I have found it so frequently useful that I will share it with you in this issue.

Warm wishes,
Bev


Don’t Know Where to Start?
Sort Out Your Challenge
With the “Strategic Triangle”

November 4, 2008 * Number 92
The “Strategic Triangle” is an analytical tool developed by Mark Moore and his public management colleagues at Harvard’s Kennedy School. Moore suggested that when the bottom line isn’t an appropriate measure of a unit’s success a manager can craft an effective strategy by subjecting proposed initiatives to three tests.

The Triangle’s three tests are questions related to (1) the value to be created, (2) operational feasibility and (3) the political environment. Moore’s writing reads like a textbook, but Voinovich School has restated his “Strategic Triangle” in more practical terms and applied it with numerous clients and executive students.

Part of what makes the Triangle so effective is that it forces us to spend some time with the kinds of questions that we most want to ignore. Most of us are adept at addressing one or two of the categories, but tend to ignore the third group.

For example, Steve is a CPA who has developed sophisticated tools for keeping his company on budget. When we started meeting he didn’t understand why he hadn’t yet moved into senior leadership. His weakness was the political environment corner of the Triangle – he hadn’t developed the habit of thinking about how his systems and controls might affect his colleagues. Steve’s career began moving forward when he learned to consider others with a stake in his proposals.

If you’re trying to choose among strategic options, consider using the Strategic Triangle in exploring the possibilities. Ask yourself these questions in evaluating an initiative:

  • What value are you trying to create?
    • What is the mission of your parent organization?
    • How do you and your team support that mission?
    • What is your specific goal here and how does it relate to those missions?
    • What are the primary challenges that your group faces? How will this address those challenges?
    • What result would assure that this effort is a big success? How can the result be measured?
    • Within this organization, what are your most important achievements and contributions to date?
  • Do you have the operational and administrative capacity to succeed?
    • What are your primary activities? And how do they relate to this initiative?
    • What processes, procedures and programs do you manage?
    • To what degree must you rely on partnerships or external resources?
    • Which of your activities are most important?
    • What are the key outcomes that you produce?
    • How do you measure your success?
    • Would this initiative require that you increase your productivity?
    • Are there ways in which you would like to be more organized?
  • What is your political environment?
    • Who might have an interest in outcomes of this initiative? In other words, who are your stakeholders and what do they really care about? Consider the potential concerns of groups like these:
      • Formal authorizing bodies
      • Clients & customers
      • Senior management
      • Staff
      • Partners
      • Interest groups
      • Media
      • Other stakeholders – any who might have an interest in what happens
    • Who are your immediate bosses and what will this mean to them?
    • What is the funding process for your organization?
    • Where else might you find support or resources?
    • With whom do you compete for resources?
    • Who are your primary critics and/or competitors and what might they think?
    • What factors are driving change in your arena?
    • How do you collect feedback from your stakeholders?




    Want to learn more about effective leadership? For discussion of many issues related to achieving your workplace goals, check out the Newsletter Archive on Bev’s Website. You’ll also find links to Helpful Books. Also, know that, in addition to providing executive coaching, Bev is available to speak about a broad range of issues related to your work life. Visit her website at www.ClearWaysConsulting.com or email to Bev directly. Bev is associated with Executive Coaching & Consulting Associates.





    Bev’s Tips for a Better Work Life is published on the first and third Tuesday of each month by Beverly E. Jones of ClearWays Consulting, LLC.   Bev is a lawyer and former executive who now coaches accomplished executives and other professionals to bring new direction, energy and enjoyment to their work lives.

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