Career Competency Building

Hogan vs. CliftonStrengths: which one to choose when?  And what to do if you need more? Leaders often ask which assessment is best. The honest and only answer is that it depends on the question you are trying to answer and the reason you are using it. Two popular ones are Hogan and Gallup's CliftonStrengths. Hogan explores the psychology behind performance. It looks at personality traits, motives, and derailers that quietly shape how people lead, decide, and react when the pressure rises. It is a tool for understanding risk and potential. That makes it especially useful in selection, succession, and leadership transitions. When you want to know how someone is likely to behave when things get hard, Hogan gives you that picture. CliftonStrengths takes a different approach. It highlights what people do well and how they can use those strengths more intentionally. It is energizing, easy to introduce, and widely used in coaching and L&D. You use it when you want to build a positive language around talent, motivation, and teamwork. It helps people appreciate differences and work with these. Both tools are valuable, but they look mostly at the present. They tell you who you are and how you operate today. They say less about what you will need tomorrow and how you can develop and grow. The world of work is changing too quickly for that to be enough. What matters now is not only personality or talent, but the capability to think and act strategically amid uncertainty. That is where a third framework, the Big 5 of Strategy comes in. It does not measure traits or preferences. It measures the five strategic competencies that define future readiness: ↳ Grasp the Present to understand complex realities. ↳ Shape the Future to set direction and make bold decisions. ↳ Move the System to align people and drive change. ↳ Deliver the Results to turn plans into outcomes. ↳ Adapt to Change to learn, renew, and stay resilient. You use the Big 5 of Strategy when you want to prepare people and teams for what comes next. It helps them see where their strategic strengths lie and where development is needed to handle the challenges of the future. So, use Hogan to understand personality and risk. Use CliftonStrengths to unlock energy and collaboration. Use the Big 5 of Strategy to build the capabilities that keep people and organizations future fit. Because the future will not reward who you are. It will reward what you can do. #strategy #leadership #futureofwork #big5ofstrategy

Everyone wants a great plan. But very few understand the real power lies in the act of planning—not the document you walk away with. 🎓 One of the greatest gifts of being an educator is not just teaching content—but shaping how future leaders think. Today, I shared a lesson during a talk that sparked some powerful dialogue: “The plan itself is not the real value— It’s the planning process that transforms how you lead, adapt, and create lasting impact.” Planning is often misunderstood as documentation. But real leaders know it’s a strategic thinking exercise one that stretches your foresight, sharpens your decision-making, and increases your resilience to uncertainty. So here are 3 thought-provoking lessons I teach about planning that will change how you approach your career (and your value): 1. Planning is not About Predicting, It’s About Preparing Most people create plans hoping to control the future. But true leaders use planning to increase their readiness. Key Question: “What assumptions am I making—and how do I plan for when they don’t hold?” Careers, like projects, rarely go as planned. Planning well helps you surface blind spots before they become breakdowns. 2. The Best Planners Are the Most Adaptable Rigid plans create fragile leaders. But flexible planning builds strategic agility. The true benefit of planning is being able to pivot with purpose, not panic under pressure. Build the habit: Regularly reframe your goals in the face of new information. Your ability to lead through uncertainty is your true competitive edge. 3. Your Planning Process Reveals Your Thinking Strategy Planning forces you to answer: – What matters most? – What are the risks? – Who do I need to involve? – How will I measure success? That mental clarity doesn’t just improve execution—it builds executive presence. It signals that you’re not just reacting… you’re orchestrating. If you are not planning, you’re drifting. If you are planning without reflection, you’re just filling templates. But if you’re planning strategically you are shaping your future with intention. 🧠 The next time you are tempted to skip the planning process, remember this: Planning is not a task. It is an a leadership habit. Agree? #FolaElevates #StrategicPlanning #CareerGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #FutureReady #NeuroStrategicLeadership #EducatorImpact #ProjectLeadership #AgilityInAction

Strategy isn’t just about good ideas. It’s about navigating tensions, dilemmas, paradoxes. In real strategy work, you’re always balancing two fundamental forces: Thinking vs. Doing: the tension between understanding and acting Stabilizing vs. Transforming: the tension between preserving and changing Together, these form the Strategy Competency Matrix: A 2x2 that maps how people approach strategy, not just what they know, but how they operate. This leads to four specific competency-based roles: ↳ Analyst (Thinking & Stabilizing) Brings clarity, structure, and insight to what already exists. Protects coherence. Core Strength: Grasp the Present ↳ Visionary (Thinking & Transforming) Reframes assumptions and imagines new possibilities. Sets direction for what’s next. Core Strength: Shape the Future ↳ Change Agent (Doing & Transforming) Acts with urgency, adapts fast, and mobilizes others for change. Makes things happen. Core Strength: Move the System ↳ Operator (Doing & Stabilizing) Delivers consistency and reliable outcomes. Keeps the machine running. Core Strength: Deliver the Results None of these is better than the others. But over-relying on one can create blind spots. Great strategy work requires knowing your strategic strengths and your best contributions to strategy design and execution. That’s what makes this matrix such a powerful coaching tool. And it’s where the Big 5 of Strategy framework starts: Not with content on strategy models, but with capability & competencies. You can now take the assessment and/or get certified to use the Big 5 of Strategy within your organization and your clients!

A strategic planning framework that actually works. 🎯 Most organizations skip straight to tactics. They ask “what should we do?” before answering “where are we?” or “where are we going?” That’s why 70%+ of strategic plans fail. (Those odds should shame us all) Here’s the framework that changes that: 1. Where Are We Now? Start with brutal honesty. Your SWOT analysis isn’t a feel-good exercise—it’s your reality check. What’s actually working? What’s quietly killing you? 2. Where Are We Going? Your mission and vision aren’t wall art. They’re your North Star. If your team can’t recite them, you don’t have clarity—you have confusion. 3. How Are We Getting There? This is where dreams meet discipline. Strategy without execution is just expensive dreaming. Break it down: Creative, Marketing, Finance, Production, Facilities, Management, Organization. 4. How Will We Know We’ve Arrived? What gets measured gets managed. Track progress. Measure programs. Monitor financial results. No assumptions - just data. The difference between companies that thrive and those that survive? They plan with intention. They execute with discipline. They measure with honesty. #strategyinmotion #highperformance #management #leadership

Strategic Planning Framework: Key Steps & Core Themes 1. Vision Development Strategic planning begins by defining the vision, mission, and core values. The vision sets the long-term direction, the mission explains the organization's purpose, and values shape the culture and ethical compass. This foundation ensures alignment and inspires commitment from stakeholders. 2. Goal Setting Goals transform the vision into specific, long-term aims. They must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to drive focus and accountability. Clear goals bridge the gap between strategy and execution. 3. Strategic Analysis This step assesses internal strengths and weaknesses, along with external opportunities and threats. Tools like SWOT, PESTEL, and Porter’s Five Forces help identify market trends, industry shifts, and organizational capabilities, ensuring informed decision-making. 4. Strategy Formulation Leaders evaluate strategic options and select the most effective path forward. This includes defining priorities, choosing markets, and crafting value propositions. The aim is a cohesive, actionable strategy aligned with long-term goals. 5. Strategic Plan Design The chosen strategy is structured into a detailed roadmap that outlines initiatives, allocates resources, and defines key metrics. This blueprint guides execution and helps mitigate risks while tracking progress toward goals. 6. Implementation Planning This phase maps out who does what, when, and with which resources. Clear ownership, timelines, and milestones ensure momentum and enable cross-functional coordination to support change and transformation. 7. Execution & Monitoring Execution turns plans into actions. Success depends on strong leadership, engaged teams, and active performance monitoring using KPIs. Transparent communication and agility allow for mid-course adjustments as needed. 8. Sustaining Competitive Advantage Strategic success ultimately creates and preserves competitive advantage—the distinctive capabilities or positioning that set the organization apart. This may come from innovation, efficiency, customer loyalty, or brand strength, and must be continually nurtured.

Most people think “being strategic” means having better ideas. It doesn’t. The leaders who rise fastest aren’t the ones who speak the loudest in meetings; they’re the ones who can think, decide, and act in ways that move their organisation forward. And here’s the part we rarely talk about: Strategic ability isn’t one skill. It’s a set of capabilities that work together and most people only develop one or two of them. That’s why you see patterns like this: ▪️ Someone who’s great at executing struggles to influence stakeholders. ▪️ Someone who sees the big picture can’t turn ideas into outcomes. ▪️ Someone who drives change can’t stabilize a system that feels chaotic. ▪️ Someone who adapts quickly can’t always communicate clearly. These aren’t personality flaws. They’re strategic competency gaps (and every leader has them). What separates high performers is not that they have no gaps… but that they know them and know how to grow them. So what does strategic ability actually look like? Across roles, industries, and levels, the most strategic people consistently show the ability to: 🔸 Grasp the Present: Make sense of complex realities 🔸 Shape the Future: Imagine and design what’s possible 🔸 Move the System: Mobilise people and navigate power 🔸 Deliver the Results: Turn ideas into outcomes 🔸 Adapt to Change: Learn, adjust, and respond in real time These aren’t abstract concepts. They’re observable competencies — and each breaks down into specific strengths you can measure and develop. When leaders strengthen these five areas, two things happen: 👉 Their performance accelerates 👉 Their teams become more aligned, resilient, and effective That’s why strategic thinking is no longer “nice to have.” It’s now a baseline capability for anyone shaping outcomes (not just C-suite). And here’s the exciting part: strategic capability is measurable. I’ve become certified in a brand-new tool: The Big Five of Strategy Assessment — the world’s first strategy competency assessment. It evaluates these five capabilities across 20 measurable strengths (things you can actually see, practice, and improve). I now use it with: ✔ Individuals who want to grow their strategic impact ✔ Leaders who want clarity on their strengths ✔ Teams who need a shared language and direction The insights it provides are unbelievably actionable: not personality traits, not labels but capabilities you can develop. If you want to understand your strategic strengths — or your team’s — this framework is a powerful starting point. 💬 If you would like the assessment overview, send me a message with “Big Five.” ➕ Follow me, Jill Avey for more leadership insights

Someone has to say this. Most PMs don't even know they have a strategic thinking gap. I see it constantly. Tactical PMs who excel at execution. They nail the planning, the budgets, the risk logs. They deliver on time, under budget. But they never make it past Senior PM. Why? They're so deep in the weeds they can't see the forest. Here's the brutal truth: being good at execution doesn't automatically make you strategic. Strategic thinking means: - Seeing how your project connects to company vision - Understanding why leadership cares about certain outcomes - Knowing which battles to fight and which to let go - Spotting opportunities before they're obvious But here's the real problem: if you've always been in the weeds, being told to "think strategically" is 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 advice. It's like telling someone to "be more emotional intelligent" without showing them what that actually looks like in practice. You'll walk away scratching your head. So here's what strategic thinking actually means on Monday morning: ↳ Before starting a task, ask: "How does this connect to what leadership cares about?" ↳ In every meeting, listen for what's NOT being said. That's where strategy lives. ↳ When presenting updates, lead with impact, not activities. Nobody cares that you had 12 meetings. They care what changed. ↳ Pull yourself out of the details once a day. Look at your project like your VP would. Strategic thinking isn't a personality trait. It's a habit you build. Start building it now. Don't wait for the promotion to learn.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 #𝟒 - 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫. Strategic planning is not about perfecting last year’s playbook. It is about helping the business make better decisions under uncertainty. When procurement is strategic, it stops managing activities and starts shaping direction. Here’s what that looks like in practice. 1. Start with business priorities Effective procurement strategies align directly with enterprise goals like growth, margin protection, risk, and sustainability. Working in isolation quickly reduces impact. 2. Strategy must translate into execution Clear roadmaps, defined ownership, and visible milestones turn intent into outcomes. Without this, strategy remains theory. 3. Data enables judgment, not just reporting Clean, timely, and connected data allows teams to anticipate risks and trade offs, rather than react after the fact. 4. Capability matters as much as ambition Strategic goals must be grounded in available skills, capacity, and influence. Gaps require investment, not workarounds. 5. Volatility is the baseline, not the exception Geopolitical shifts, cost pressure, climate risk, and technology dependence demand strategies built for flexibility, not stability. Procurement’s role is evolving quietly, through better planning and sharper decisions. Where do you see the biggest gap between procurement strategy and execution today?

Strategic planning isn’t failing because of bad analysis or weak PowerPoints. It’s failing because the process itself is broken. Too many companies pour months into building exhaustive decks that never change how resources are allocated. The result? Beautiful documentation, but no performance impact. In my experience — from Fortune 500s to mid-market businesses — the difference comes down to process design. When you start with the right questions, separate “momentum” from “plan” cases, and assign clear portfolio roles, planning becomes a decision-making tool, not an annual ritual. In my latest article, I lay out: The three design principles that make strategic planning actionable. A six-step process that connects analysis to real resource allocation. The real-world results when companies adopt this approach — from divestitures to margin expansion. 👉 Article below Strategic planning should create clarity that drives action — not just another stack of pretty slides.