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.'

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

'Yes, long term strategy needs fresh crayons.'

"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'.'

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

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

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

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

Man selling dirt and mud.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!'

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