A great resource for all things strategic planning

I came across this site today; I highly recommend it. Great tools. Great resources.

Packing and not overdoing it

Lifehacker reminded me that we can always learn to pack better. They cite Travelite for hints:

Even by paring down your things to a pack-light minimum, the key to traveling light is to be organized with your stuff. And now that you've had a chance to gather all of your things for your travels, this section tells you how to put it all together in your pack.

Have you ever needed to get into your pack and had difficulty finding things because your bag was stuffed full, your hand shuffling around blindly feeling for some document or bottle of sunblock? Have you ever opened your travelpack and had small things fall out all over the place? The secret is to compartmentalize all of your goodies by category, puttings things into sacks, bags, envelopes and packs. This will allow you to easily get to the item you are looking for. When you open up your pack the most that will happen is that some smaller sacks will tumble out, ready for you to grasp.

See the details here.

The Scooter Libby jury is using meeting management tools

I'm pretty certain some on the Scooter Libby journey are trained facilitators. Check out what they're asking for in terms of supplies and information... I'm just surprised they didn't ask for Mr. Sketch markers, too.

Army job opening: Organizational and Strategic Planning Analyst

Here's a job for someone.

Serves as a Army Capabilities Integration Center Organizational and Strategic Planning Analyst and staff action officer in the Program Management Division, with responsibilities for organizational and strategic planning issues. Independently plans and conducts both short-term and long-range strategic studies and reviews other broad scale actions/projects associated with ARCIC goals, efficiencies, increased productivity and reduced manning which directly affect the resource posture and the accomplishment of the ARCIC mission. Assesses the impact of resource and programmatic constraints upon the ARCIC organizational structure, management systems, and/or utilization of personnel. Provides guidance and direction for areas of studies/projects. Establishes overall milestones, conducts meetings, and consolidates staff notes/comments for response to installations and activities. Maintains close liaison with ARCIC staff subject matter specialists in activities.

Any CG OPC could do this with one hand tied behind their back.

Er, actually, probably not as it's difficult to type with one hand tied behind the back.

Too funny... Goals... SMART goals...

And, on a somewhat related topic, a little something on SMART goals from Project Smart:

The acronym SMART has a number of slightly different variations, which can be used to provide a more comprehensive definition for goal setting:

S - specific, significant, stretching

M - measurable, meaningful, motivational

A - agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, action-oriented

R - realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented

T - time-based, timely, tangible, trackable

This provides a broader definition that will help you to be successful in both your business and personal life.

Pictures from the first two days of the Internal Consulting Workshop

Welp, I've finished the slide show with the pics taken thus far. Actually, that would slide shows as I had to break the darn thing in two because the file was too large to upload, even after I went through and got rid of some pics.

Here's Monday:



And, here's Tuesday:



Enjoy!

Topics for the LANT course

Thoughts on what we might take on during our May week together:

• Reasoning with statistics
• Flip chart art
• CPC Facilitation and Delivery (2-day course)
• Analyzing OAS and other quantitative tools
• Suggestions on getting qualitative information, including the list below and the list of ways to get customer information from the customer book, Customer Centered Growth
• Change management & perhaps the Kotter stuff

Your thoughts?

Focus Groups

What are they? What's the difference between a focus group and a group interview?

Try this overview from Iowa State University.

Scott Krejci named first qualified adjunct Leadership Development Center instructor

ATLANTA, GA. LT Scott J. Krejci, an organizational performance consultant assigned to the Eighth Coast Guard District in New Orleans, was awarded a qualification as an instructor with the Leadership Development Center in New London, Connecticut. Mr. Charles Coiro, Assistant Chief of the Leadership & Organizational Performance Branch, and CWO Michael Brzezicki presented LT Krejci with his certification during a training session at Leadership Strategies in Atlanta, GA.

As the first adjunct instructor with the Leadership Development Center, LT Krejci is qualified to teach the Commandant's Performance Excellence Overview Course.

LT Krejci has been an organizational performance consultant since August 2004.

They look awfully serious, don't they?

Neal Thayer named Coast Guard's Ancient Consigliere

ATLANTA, GEORGIA. Ms. Chris Wehrenberg and Captain Joseph Re, both of the Office of Performance Management and Decision Support, presented Neal Thayer, an organizational performance consultant assigned to the Thirteenth Coast Guard District in Seattle, Washington, with a plaque designating him the Coast Guard's Ancient Consigliere. The Ancient Consigliere is an award similar to the Coast Guard's Ancient Mariner for cutter personnel or the Ancient Albatross for aviators; the Ancient Consigliere is the organizational performance consultant who has the longest continuous tenure within the consultants' cadre.

Mr. Thayer, a former Coast Guard officer, has been an organizational performance consultant with the Coast Guard for more than a decade. As the "Advisor to the Capofamiglia," Mr. Thayer serves as one of the key internal organizational consultants for the Coast Guard, providing counsel to all levels of the Coast Guard.

Captain Re and Ms. Wehrenberg presented Mr. an engraved crystal plaque which read:

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Neal B. Thayer

Ancient Consigliere

Having served as an Organizational Performance Consultant for the longest continuous tenure

Advisor to the Capofamiglia

Inducted to the Order of Consultants, June 1996

Named Ancient Consigliere, February 2007

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Deliberatio Senatus: Consultant Council of Elders

Some people would say this is scary.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA. Neal Thayer, Peter Stinson, and Dan Canavan were, today, inducted into the Deliberatio Senatus, or Consultant Council of Elders, of the Coast Guard's Organizational Performance Consultant corps.