A Multi-Dimensional Approach to Executive Coaching
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I blend expertise in strategy design and enterprise risk with personalized coaching and advisory that builds internal discipline in these areas. You are an expert in your business - I simply help you think about what you already know in a more holistic way, creating a quantum-intelligent organization able to successfully navigate today and tomorrow.​
My clients are complex and unique. They need fluid process facilitation and customized strategy models that work specifically for them.
I partner with leaders and their teams for the duration of the project. I work for you and with you to help your team think smarter about what they already know. I am intentionally not married to any specific framework or model. We will use the tools that are right for you to deepen your understanding and support strategic decisions to further the purpose, growth, and evolution of your organization.
Andrew neitlich
Executive Coach
Erin is a seasoned executive who combines years of real-world strategic expertise with amazing executive coaching ability.
I've observed her coach leaders on a variety of challenges, and her energy, insights, and presence come through loud and clear. If you are an executive -- including a new executive in your first 12-18 months when you must make an impact -- Erin is an important addition to your team. She will help you and your team get clear and aligned about their vision, strategic priorities, and performance accountability. I highly recommend her work.
Assess, Analyze & Understand
Challenge assumptions by understanding internal capabilities and external market needs and industry drivers. Reveal hidden opportunities and blind spots to improve strategy design.
Design & Refine Strategy
Align the organization and its resources around deep purpose, create an intentional plan for growth, and evolve capabilities to meet the continually changing needs of those served.
Build Strategic Thinking Discipline
Create alignment around key strategic priorities, build a discipline around meaningful and efficient performance measures, and design agility through proactive observation and testing of anticipated results.
Set the Stage for Continual Learning & Evolution
Iterative performance enhancement through individual leader and team coaching to raise awareness of self-perception and impact on others, team dynamics, and effective mentorship.
Why Work with Me?
Experience. Expertise. Approach.
Leading successful organizations is a multi-disciplinary endeavor. Executive leaders must be equipped to harness the power of human creativity, leverage the momentum behind a pure vision, and navigate a dynamic world landscape.
Why would you want any less from an Executive Coach and Advisor?
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I have 30 years of risk/strategy experience with degrees in finance, organizational management, legal studies, and business administration.
I maintain professional designations in Executive Coaching, Strategy Design, and Enterprise Risk.
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Most importantly, I love seeing people realize their true worth and contribution because, at the end of the day, it's not just a job, is it?
Strategic planning is a critical, foundational competency required for every organization, regardless of size, complexity, industry, or objective.
Why I Do the Work
Organizations are complex adaptive systems made up of complex adaptive humans.
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When we treat them as such, allowing for creative and agile, problem-solving, they thrive.
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It's time to set a new bar for organizational success and contribution.
STRATEGIC PLANNING & DESIGN
I am often asked this question:
Just What does a Strategic Planning Facilitator Do anyway?
Strategic planning requires leadership to examine and clearly articulate why the organization exists and how it will move through a continual cycle of growth and evolution to support the contributions it makes to both the employees who support it and the clients, consumers, and stakeholders who depend on it. Unfortunately, this organizational capability and crucial leadership skillset often falls short.
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The organization’s vision may fail to clearly describe its contribution to a greater cause and how those supporting it can participate.
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The plan for growth may be hyperfocused on revenue, ignoring the need to reinvest in expanding capabilities to maintain agility in meeting market demand.
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A lack of attention in building organizational sustainability in favor of shorter-term success agendas can inhibit necessary evolution.
The key to successful strategic planning is to understand that it is an energetic thought discipline, not a periodic event.
Planning efforts must pull the team into a space that challenges the status quo and where creative and expansive thought dialogues have the opportunity to birth strategic breakthroughs. The resulting plan must be clear and well-balanced, intelligent and responsive, pragmatic and inspirational.
An organization is simply a term for an organized collection of people, aligned for a common cause to accomplish specific, intended results. The entity itself cannot accomplish anything without the collective effort, creativity and insight of all involved, just as a strategic plan cannot accomplish the intent of the words on the paper without that same collective action of the people it’s intended to guide.
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Read more about getting a good ROI on your next planning workshop!
“Working with Erin Sedor of Black Fox Strategy for the past two years has been an amazing experience. During our strategic planning sessions, Erin professionally guided our board and senior management staff through a series of visioning exercises to meet the ongoing challenges our organization faces, while at the same time helping us recognize our inherent strengths and tremendous progress. She is a skilled facilitator, who can synthesize varied sources of information and input in real-time. Erin produces strong visual and written products, which guides our organization in the form of our strategic plan. We value our partnership with Black Fox Strategy and look forward many more effective planning sessions.”
~ Dr. Jessica Black, Fairbanks Native Association Board President
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What does a strategic planner do?A strategic planner act as guide on your journey. We are problem-solvers, dot-connectors, teachers, and creators. My goal is to help your team think about what they already know in a totally different way, breaking down static mindsets and revealing new opportunities to create success. Unlike many, my approach is not to build strategy for you - I help your team build an dynamic strategic thought discipline that will grow and flex as your organization needs today, tomorrow and years from now. I approach planning projects through a discovery, alignment, pathfinding and performance framework - take a look at my Essential Strategy page for more information on how it works.
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How long is a typical strategic planning engagement with Black Fox Strategy?The length of a planning engagement really depends on the complexity of the project and how many sessions are required to develop the plan and the availability of the team. A good estimate would be 2 – 4 months to allow for prep and discovery work, visioning (if required), strategy design, and the goals blueprint.
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Do you do virtual planning sessions?Yes! I am most fond of working with teams in person, but I have a dedicated audio visual studio right in my office with high speed internet so I can connect with teams anywhere. Virtual facilitation is its own kind of art, so I use an array of tools like virtual whiteboards and mind mapping programs to make sessions productive and engaging.
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If we want an in-person session, will you travel to work with us?Absolutely! I have clients in all kinds of places and I love working face to face especially for the strategy design workshop itself, where we capture focused energy in the room and gain real traction with strategic breakthroughs. We often use virtual sessions for discovery sessions to create greater flexibility in the schedule and for the participants.
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Do you do just facilitation?It is hard to build out strategy in a single session with no prep work, so I don’t often accept one-off facilitation projects unless the focus is educational in nature – for instance spending a day with a Board or Council to provide training on best practice strategic planning and risk governance.
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How much does strategic planning cost with Black Fox Strategy?The investment in strategic planning varies based on the complexity of the project, how many sessions are needed, and the number of people involved. Projects typically start at $15k. - Every project is custom designed and quoted - Lower rates are offered for non-profit organizations - Projects are fixed-priced to the greatest extent possible - Travel is always included
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What products do you produce as part of the strategic planning project?Again, every client is unique, and the project outputs are designed specifically to the needs and the budget of the client. The project elements typically include Vision/Mission, Values, Strategic Priorities, Risk Appetite, and then if part of the project, a Performance Blueprint. Typical outputs include: - Facilitation Plans & Agendas that detail the approach, outcomes desired and flow of each workshop to ensure that each one is highly productive and is aligned with expectations. - Workshop Summaries that include all the information developed, key takeaways, next steps and action items. These will also include assessments completed such as interviews, surveys, SWOTs, capability agendas, etc. - Strategic Plans designed specific to the client. These may be as basic as a word document of our structure that contains the basic plan elements developed, or a more formal document intended for public consumption. - Performance Blueprint is the tactical tool used to plan the work defined in the strategy and provides a tool for measuring progress and identifying key trigger points that may call for an adjustment of the plan. It includes that captures Goals, Objectives, Tactics, Timelines, Owners, and KPIs - Project Summary & Recommendations Report which closes out the project and is a culmination of all work, outputs, and deliverables of the project – often used internally to get new team members up to speed and to provide context and foundation for future work.
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How far in advance should I be planning my strategic planning workshop?A solid planning session requires a good 4-6 weeks for prep and discovery, and a good rule of thumb is to be reaching out 3-4 months ahead of your desired dates. While I can sometimes fit something in, my calendar is typically booked at least 3 months out, and I have recurring clients that book projects out 9-12 months ahead. If dates are firm and there is a good fit on approach and planning philosophy, I am am always willing to put a soft block on my schedule to hold time while we work through project scope and engagement.
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What method or framework do you use for strategic planning?Because my clients are unique, I do not hold to using any one framework or tool – I build around what exists, what works and what is needed for success. I do, however, have my own philosophy around strategic planning that guides the work I do – it is based on a purpose, growth, and evolution foundation. I call it Essential Strategy and you can learn more about it HERE.
My clients are smart, capable leaders who know that it sometimes takes a fresh approach and new eyes to evaluate a situation.
PERFORMANCE 360 & STRATEGYGAP ASSESSMENT
Getting to the root of a problem is never as easy as we would want it to be. Understanding why something is happening requires a broad knowledge base about the entire organizational structure from systems and processes to people and money. Every aspect of how an entity functions is connected – a seemingly unrelated thing could be the key driver of the issue we are trying to solve – it is easy to be short-sighted if there is a lack in this understanding.
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This is my Sweet Spot
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You know your business better than anyone. I provide a fresh perspective and an unbiased analysis of how your organization operates. The gaps and issues I help your team find usually come as no surprise - but it’s how they are connected that is often a revelation.
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The value I provide isn’t about handing you a solution on a platter – it's about rolling my sleeves up with you to build strategic thinking discipline.
The decisions you make today are just the beginning. The best possible outcome isn't just a new strategic plan - creating a continual learning mentality that challenges the status quo at every turn is.
We worked with Black Fox Strategy in 2019 to gap assess an issue we had affecting client capture in one of our groups. From the start, we thought we knew what the problem was and that Erin would simply confirm our suspicions. We were enlightened when her analysis revealed that what we thought was an issue wasn’t one at all – we actually had a completely different problem. She then worked with our team to create an action plan to get the group back to an optimum level of performance. The results have been extremely successful – we couldn’t be happier! Erin’s ability to get at the root of a problem and then support a team in crafting the solution is exceptional."
~ Lydia Griffey, Senior Principal at Stantec
What to expect when you work with me
Efficient. Personalized. Sustainable.
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I value your time as much as my own. My goal is to work alongside your team, using my expertise to add to your institutional knowledge, leaving you in a better place than where you started and providing exceptional value and return on your investment.
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What does a strategic planner do?A strategic planner act as guide on your journey. We are problem-solvers, dot-connectors, teachers, and creators. My goal is to help your team think about what they already know in a totally different way, breaking down static mindsets and revealing new opportunities to create success. Unlike many, my approach is not to build strategy for you - I help your team build an dynamic strategic thought discipline that will grow and flex as your organization needs today, tomorrow and years from now. I approach planning projects through a discovery, alignment, pathfinding and performance framework - take a look at my Essential Strategy page for more information on how it works.
-
How long is a typical strategic planning engagement with Black Fox Strategy?The length of a planning engagement really depends on the complexity of the project and how many sessions are required to develop the plan and the availability of the team. A good estimate would be 2 – 4 months to allow for prep and discovery work, visioning (if required), strategy design, and the goals blueprint.
-
Do you do virtual planning sessions?Yes! I am most fond of working with teams in person, but I have a dedicated audio visual studio right in my office with high speed internet so I can connect with teams anywhere. Virtual facilitation is its own kind of art, so I use an array of tools like virtual whiteboards and mind mapping programs to make sessions productive and engaging.
-
If we want an in-person session, will you travel to work with us?Absolutely! I have clients in all kinds of places and I love working face to face especially for the strategy design workshop itself, where we capture focused energy in the room and gain real traction with strategic breakthroughs. We often use virtual sessions for discovery sessions to create greater flexibility in the schedule and for the participants.
-
Do you do just facilitation?It is hard to build out strategy in a single session with no prep work, so I don’t often accept one-off facilitation projects unless the focus is educational in nature – for instance spending a day with a Board or Council to provide training on best practice strategic planning and risk governance.
-
How much does strategic planning cost with Black Fox Strategy?The investment in strategic planning varies based on the complexity of the project, how many sessions are needed, and the number of people involved. Projects typically start at $15k. - Every project is custom designed and quoted - Lower rates are offered for non-profit organizations - Projects are fixed-priced to the greatest extent possible - Travel is always included
-
What products do you produce as part of the strategic planning project?Again, every client is unique, and the project outputs are designed specifically to the needs and the budget of the client. The project elements typically include Vision/Mission, Values, Strategic Priorities, Risk Appetite, and then if part of the project, a Performance Blueprint. Typical outputs include: - Facilitation Plans & Agendas that detail the approach, outcomes desired and flow of each workshop to ensure that each one is highly productive and is aligned with expectations. - Workshop Summaries that include all the information developed, key takeaways, next steps and action items. These will also include assessments completed such as interviews, surveys, SWOTs, capability agendas, etc. - Strategic Plans designed specific to the client. These may be as basic as a word document of our structure that contains the basic plan elements developed, or a more formal document intended for public consumption. - Performance Blueprint is the tactical tool used to plan the work defined in the strategy and provides a tool for measuring progress and identifying key trigger points that may call for an adjustment of the plan. It includes that captures Goals, Objectives, Tactics, Timelines, Owners, and KPIs - Project Summary & Recommendations Report which closes out the project and is a culmination of all work, outputs, and deliverables of the project – often used internally to get new team members up to speed and to provide context and foundation for future work.
-
How far in advance should I be planning my strategic planning workshop?A solid planning session requires a good 4-6 weeks for prep and discovery, and a good rule of thumb is to be reaching out 3-4 months ahead of your desired dates. While I can sometimes fit something in, my calendar is typically booked at least 3 months out, and I have recurring clients that book projects out 9-12 months ahead. If dates are firm and there is a good fit on approach and planning philosophy, I am am always willing to put a soft block on my schedule to hold time while we work through project scope and engagement.
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What method or framework do you use for strategic planning?Because my clients are unique, I do not hold to using any one framework or tool – I build around what exists, what works and what is needed for success. I do, however, have my own philosophy around strategic planning that guides the work I do – it is based on a purpose, growth, and evolution foundation. I call it Essential Strategy and you can learn more about it HERE.
The more time I spent with CEOs and EDs to create purpose, growth, and evolution for their organization, the more I realized they needed to do the same for themselves.
EXECUTIVE
& TEAM COACHING
Leaders set the tone for the entire organization - a vision for the future, the way people and resources will align, and the strategic decisions that move the business forward. They must balance the needs of employees, consumers, stakeholders, and partners. They are responsible for the financial, cultural, and reputational health of the entity they lead. They must support, rely on, and trust the handful of experts that make up their senior team. It is not easy, and hyper-evolving business and social systems are revealing the flaws in many traditional leadership models.
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The world is changing. A new breed of leader is quietly emerging across the globe.
These new leaders are not only highly self-aware but recognize the holistic and entangled nature of the world we live and work in. They recognize their organization as the complex adaptive system that it is, and that the truly agile organization moves simultaneously (like a flock of birds) as opposed to command-and-follow. These leaders are driven by a deep need to contribute their energy and talent to a cause that is greater than the bottom line. They recognize that the growth of their people is the key to a thriving organization, and they are fearless in breaking down barriers that inhibit creativity and pathfinding at every level.
In doing so, we are breaking 100 years of standard business practice and old models die hard. These are the leaders I seek to work with - helping them break the mold to create a more holistic, quantum-conscious business model. ​
​Individual Executive Coaching
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I work with individual executives to:
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Clarify purpose, growth, and evolution for the organization, their team, and themselves
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Identify their greatest contribution and passion, building a path to fully realize their vision
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Develop strategies to overcome limiting beliefs that impede success
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To lead and support a dynamic team of leaders as both individuals and as a whole
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Navigate significant change with confidence and clarity
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​Team Coaching
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I work with executive teams to:
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Align around common causes and build a foundation of respect for each other and the team as a whole
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Build trust through communication, action, and commitments
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Embrace uncertainty and seek the opportunities within change
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Gain a more quantum-intelligent perspective on the organization, its contribution, and mode of success
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Create strategic thought discipline that supports agility and adaptation
Erin’s strategic insights and ability to push me to make sure I am following the essentialist’s path are key to my current success. She helps me probe and assess whether or not I am maximizing my time and unique contributions to my mission-focused nonprofit organization. Our bi-weekly conversations range from short-term risk management to long-term strategic planning. I was in search of someone to ask me penetrating and challenging questions to bring a new perspective to the way I problem-solve and conduct business, and she has fulfilled that pursuit.
~ Michele F. Prince, LCSW, MAJCS CEO OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center
My Philosophy
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Purpose is what drives us. It defines the contributions we desire to make to the world both personally and professionally. Just as understanding and articulating organizational purpose provides perspective in the work that we do, creating clarity of purpose for ourselves provides perspective on what we do and how we choose to do it.
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Growth is elemental and fuels our desire for engagement and expansion in all areas of life - including work. Creating intentionality around where, when, and how we want to grow reveals the way that we best navigate the world, finding equilibrium to avoid burnout so that we make our best contribution.
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Evolution is inevitable. We adapt every day in small incremental ways to address our immediate needs and move towards important milestones. However, holding a vision for the big things - those things we consider the most important to living a complete and full life both personally and professionally - requires that we anticipate our own evolution, allowing that vision to manifest.
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These three tenets create a holistic coaching experience as unique as the individuals I work with.
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What does a strategic planner do?A strategic planner act as guide on your journey. We are problem-solvers, dot-connectors, teachers, and creators. My goal is to help your team think about what they already know in a totally different way, breaking down static mindsets and revealing new opportunities to create success. Unlike many, my approach is not to build strategy for you - I help your team build an dynamic strategic thought discipline that will grow and flex as your organization needs today, tomorrow and years from now. I approach planning projects through a discovery, alignment, pathfinding and performance framework - take a look at my Essential Strategy page for more information on how it works.
-
How long is a typical strategic planning engagement with Black Fox Strategy?The length of a planning engagement really depends on the complexity of the project and how many sessions are required to develop the plan and the availability of the team. A good estimate would be 2 – 4 months to allow for prep and discovery work, visioning (if required), strategy design, and the goals blueprint.
-
Do you do virtual planning sessions?Yes! I am most fond of working with teams in person, but I have a dedicated audio visual studio right in my office with high speed internet so I can connect with teams anywhere. Virtual facilitation is its own kind of art, so I use an array of tools like virtual whiteboards and mind mapping programs to make sessions productive and engaging.
-
If we want an in-person session, will you travel to work with us?Absolutely! I have clients in all kinds of places and I love working face to face especially for the strategy design workshop itself, where we capture focused energy in the room and gain real traction with strategic breakthroughs. We often use virtual sessions for discovery sessions to create greater flexibility in the schedule and for the participants.
-
Do you do just facilitation?It is hard to build out strategy in a single session with no prep work, so I don’t often accept one-off facilitation projects unless the focus is educational in nature – for instance spending a day with a Board or Council to provide training on best practice strategic planning and risk governance.
-
How much does strategic planning cost with Black Fox Strategy?The investment in strategic planning varies based on the complexity of the project, how many sessions are needed, and the number of people involved. Projects typically start at $15k. - Every project is custom designed and quoted - Lower rates are offered for non-profit organizations - Projects are fixed-priced to the greatest extent possible - Travel is always included
-
What products do you produce as part of the strategic planning project?Again, every client is unique, and the project outputs are designed specifically to the needs and the budget of the client. The project elements typically include Vision/Mission, Values, Strategic Priorities, Risk Appetite, and then if part of the project, a Performance Blueprint. Typical outputs include: - Facilitation Plans & Agendas that detail the approach, outcomes desired and flow of each workshop to ensure that each one is highly productive and is aligned with expectations. - Workshop Summaries that include all the information developed, key takeaways, next steps and action items. These will also include assessments completed such as interviews, surveys, SWOTs, capability agendas, etc. - Strategic Plans designed specific to the client. These may be as basic as a word document of our structure that contains the basic plan elements developed, or a more formal document intended for public consumption. - Performance Blueprint is the tactical tool used to plan the work defined in the strategy and provides a tool for measuring progress and identifying key trigger points that may call for an adjustment of the plan. It includes that captures Goals, Objectives, Tactics, Timelines, Owners, and KPIs - Project Summary & Recommendations Report which closes out the project and is a culmination of all work, outputs, and deliverables of the project – often used internally to get new team members up to speed and to provide context and foundation for future work.
-
How far in advance should I be planning my strategic planning workshop?A solid planning session requires a good 4-6 weeks for prep and discovery, and a good rule of thumb is to be reaching out 3-4 months ahead of your desired dates. While I can sometimes fit something in, my calendar is typically booked at least 3 months out, and I have recurring clients that book projects out 9-12 months ahead. If dates are firm and there is a good fit on approach and planning philosophy, I am am always willing to put a soft block on my schedule to hold time while we work through project scope and engagement.
-
What method or framework do you use for strategic planning?Because my clients are unique, I do not hold to using any one framework or tool – I build around what exists, what works and what is needed for success. I do, however, have my own philosophy around strategic planning that guides the work I do – it is based on a purpose, growth, and evolution foundation. I call it Essential Strategy and you can learn more about it HERE.
