Strategic Thinker Prints

"Queen's Pawn to Albuquerque,New Mexico."

'We have two options. Boldly tackle the challenges ahead, or hold off and hope an asteroid strikes.'

"Look, I'd like to avoid overkill, but not at the risk of underkill."

"Can we, just for a moment, Your Honor, ignore the facts?"

"If I've timed this right, symptoms should start at exactly 9 a.m. Monday."

Change Management: Here There,,,'We thought we'd put in the detail later,'

"There, that's better" - customer focus.

"O.K., on my signal we're going to shift from pre-millennial to post-millennial thinking."

'Could we finish these negotiations via e-mail? That will allow me to think before I respond to your proposals.'

Poor Planning

"I'm afriad we had to cancel the 'perfect planning ' seminar. We forgot to book the hotel until it was to late and the speaker we hoped to use died in 1958."

'I can't talk right now. I'm discussing strategy with our financial director.'

Executive at desk, thinking: 'I plan strategically, therefore I am.'

'Yes, long term strategy needs fresh crayons.'

"I started to think outside the box. Then I started to think outside the law."

"The only problem I see here is that most of us plan to be out of here in three years."

'Let's throw them off balance by reasoning with them.'

'I'm going to free associate for an hour, and I want you to turn it into a coherent strategy.'

Jack and Ina build their dream house.

'Decision making would be so much easier if it weren't for the consequences.'

'Intelligence is spotting the flaw in the boss's reasoning. Wisdom is refraining from pointing it out'

'So that's three 'yes' and two 'no' and one 'maybe yes maybe no'.'

'Never get your story too straight: they may hold you to it.'

Man selling dirt and mud.

'Heck, no, I'm not thinking of leaving. That said, I do feel it's probably wise to have an exit strategy in place.'

Office of Strategic Scenarios: 'Best case...Worst case.'

A meeting room with two teams of businessmen in huddles on opposite sides of the room.

"Oops, pass those back please. That's my hidden agenda."

'Medieval Studies is going nowhere without a 5-year strategic plan.'

The Department of Really Stupid Ideas: 'Most people think they just appear out of thin air! But the truth is, there's a great deal of very hard work involved!'

'Look, can't we just build the damn thing next to the quarry?'

'Our concept is simple. We intend to lose money on every sale but make it up on volume.'

'...Wait a moment, I need to review my exit strategy.'

'...And it's as simple as that!'

"Is it just a scary coincidence that the words 'changes' and 'unknown' both have 7 letters?"