Reference no: EM133843389

Assignment: Strategy Presentation

Introduction

"In order for strategy to be effective, it has to be clearly communicated.
Everybody in the organization has to understand why we are doing what we're doing, and what they need to do in order to execute the strategy."

Time to Shine! You've done the hard work to evaluate the playing field and competition. You've looked at seven potential strategic moves and assessed the pros and cons of each. Finally, you have arrived at the game-winning move that can help your company beat competitors, generate significant shareholder value and create a sustainable competitive advantage. All you need now is a "yes" from your CEO!

You know that one of the most important skills leaders must develop is the ability to sell their ideas. They need to understand their audience, craft their presentation appropriately, have poise, and communicate clearly. They also need to show their passion and demonstrate executive presence! Place Your Order Now!

You know your CEO's time is valuable and you have only five minutes to "sell" your game-winning move and explain the key rationale. You will synthesize your previous executive briefs to create a succinct, well-organized presentation based on Jack's 5 slides and then present these during your five-minute slot.

The presentation is focused on selling the move and your rationale - and this probably means that some of the slides are going to be more important than others. Your CEO wants you to touch on each slide during the 5-minute presentation but doesn't mind if you spend only a brief amount of time on some slides and more time on others.

Instructions
Distill the work you have done in Assignments 1 and 2 to create a 5-slide strategy deck. This is explained in Chapter 11 of Winning and is also included in summary form below.

Be aware that information needed for some of Jack's questions would be available to a company's strategy team leader but may not be in the public domain for our use. Therefore, your content in each slide will primarily be derived from your research for your first two assignments. This may mean that you focus on answering some of Jack's questions, but perhaps not all of them.

You should approach your presentation from a senior executive perspective, with your intended audience being the CEO of the company. Your presentation should be both informative and inspirational. Your goal is to persuade the CEO to support your strategic plan.

You should assume that the CEO has already read your two executive briefs. However, you are unsure whether there is support or skepticism for of your game-winning move. Thus, you need to focus on "selling your strategy" and not just regurgitating your first two assignments. Your CEO will be compelled by an enthusiastic presentation that explains why your game-winning move is the right one, but that also presents a balanced, cogent understanding of the risks involved.

Your presentation should have a professional look and feel. It should demonstrate your executive presence through professional dress, eye contact, clear and confident speech and body language. Think about Jack's "4 E's + 1 P" as you prepare, and use this as a guide for your delivery.

Slide 1: What the Playing Field Looks Like Now
Who are the competitors in this business, large and small, new and old?
Who has what share globally, and in each market? Where do we fit in?
What are the characteristics of this business? Is it a commodity, high value, or somewhere in between? Is it long cycle or short? W here is it on the growth curve? What are the drivers of profitability?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor? How good are its products? How much does each spend on R&D? How big is each sales force? How performance-driven is each culture?
Who are this business's main customers, and how do they buy?

Slide 2: What the Competition Has Been Up To
What has each competitor done in the past year to change the playing field?
Has anyone introduced game-changing new products, new technologies, or new distribution channels?
Are there any new entrants, and if so, what have they been up to in the past year?

Slide 3: What You've Been Up To
What have you done in the past year to change the competitive playing field?
Have you bought a company, introduced a new product, stolen a competitor's key salesperson, or licensed a new technology from a startup?
Have you lost any competitive advantages that you once had - a great salesperson, a special product, a proprietary technology?

Slide 4: What's Around the Corner?
What scares you most in the year ahead - what are one or two things a competitor could do to nail you?
What new products or technologies could your competitors launch that might change the game?
What M&A deals made by a competitor would knock you off your feet?

Slide 5: What's Your Winning Move?
What can you do to change the playing field - is it an acquisition, a new product, globalization?
What can you do to make customers stick with you more than ever before and be more loyal to you than to anyone else?
Persuasively and logically present your "winning move"