Cyndi Wineinger & Darcy Bien have been working for the past year on Stretch Strategic Leaders to help companies stretch to the next level. We have decided to combine our efforts into one newsletter. Our programs and trainings integrate strategy and organizational development for mid-size, growth-oriented companies. Both Cyndi and Darcy continue to serve their current clients as well through The Wineinger Company and Partners in Change.

It's been a rocky couple of months with lots of crisis management. But, it's also been amazing to see our clients rise up and manage with grace and confidence. Most transitioned to remote work quickly with few interruptions. And, we are impressed with the amount of communication happening – both internally with employees and externally with clients.

Now it's time to plan the Restart! We will get through this and there will be a new normal. This is a great article from the WSJ: Getting the Restart Right: How to Lead When Nobody has a Map . Some key takeaways:

Business will have to be reinvented
Review your current strategy – get rid of anything that doesn’t make sense AND determine what needs to be added. Focus on the positives - brainstorming Possibilities – Opportunities, ideas, and innovations. Your leadership team and employees need energy right now; figure out how to end the year stronger!

The article mentions Hubert Joly at Best Buy. Mr. Joly once likened his strategy to riding a bike the first time: You don’t want to go too fast, but it’s a lot easier to make course corrections once you’re moving.
 
Reset your Goals
We all know our 2020 goals have all changed; for the past 8 weeks we've been fire-fighting and managing the crisis. Take time as a leadership team to face the reality, discuss possibilities, and agree on your 2020 goals.The article describes the traits of amazing leaders. In his book Good to Great , Jim Collins found that most executives who led super-growth companies were much like Deng: quiet, reserved and self-effacing. They possessed “indomitable will” but directed their ambition toward the organization and its goals, rather than themselves.
 
Show Enthusiasm
Everyone is tired; we are anxious, and most of us are downright scared with a predicted recession looming. How will your company weather the next wave, and how can you approach this with optimism and strength? The article mentions Marc Andreessen, co-founder of the venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, and the most difficult skill he had to learn as a chief executive. It “was the ability to manage my own psychology.”

We would love to "see" you at one of upcoming FREE webinars. See details below.
Sales & Marketing: Accelerating your Restart
May 12, 2020 2pm ET
Led by: Simcha Kackley
What's your Sales and Marketing approach when we all restart? Now's your chance to do things you've never done before.

Simcha Kackley , CEO & Founder of Swivel , will cover specific creative ways to go to market and engage your audience – from social media to other digital opportunities and account-based marketing strategies -– to enable your sales team to close deals.  

Getting the Restart Right
May 26, 2020 2pm ET
Led by: Darcy Bien
Connect, learn and share strategies for the Restart. Discuss key strategic concepts and valuable tools to review your key assumptions, update your strategy and reset your goals.

  • What Assumptions have changed and how to increase the “value of adaptability”
  • Brainstorm Possibilities / Opportunity Assessments with lots of small plans and test
  • Resetting your 2020 strategy and Goals to end the year strong
  • Any other topics/needs you bring to the table

Darcy Misiak Bien, Strategic Planner
Run Improve Grow
June 16, 2020 2pm ET (Save the date)
Led by: Ray Attiyah

Ray will review key concepts from his book, Run Improve Grow.
50% discount code is: RIG50OFF

Stretch can help jumpstart your success with 3 new services !
1-hour brainstorming with your leadership team
4 sessions to jumpstart your leadership & company
Increase your confidence to win in the new reality