Roadmaps and Revelations: Finding the Road to Business Success on Route 101 [Hardcover]

Paul R. Niven (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0470180013 | ISBN-13: 978-0470180013 | Edition: 1

Rory Newman's company is going through big changes—the kind no one likes—having been bought by a global competitor that is now shaking things up. His new boss's first order of business is to demand that Rory come up with a new process for strategic planning to guide the company as it struggles to reinvent itself in the marketplace.

Up until now, the company's "strategic plans" were made up of visions in the former CEO's mind. Now, Rory's got five short days to develop, formalize, and deliver a winning strategic planning process. Rory planned to use a leisurely drive down the 101, en route to his wife's family reunion, to gather his thoughts, but things change when he halfheartedly agrees to pick up his wife's second cousin Sydney Wise from the airport. To his astonishment, Sydney turns out to be—instead of another maddening relative—a strategic planning guru, entrepreneur—and Rory's rescuer.

Discover, along with Rory and Sydney, what strategic planning is really about, why it is important, and how to develop a simple yet powerful strategy your company can use to set it on the course to success. Through Rory's experience, you will find out why strategic planning is not something left to the "higher ups," but something in which everyone in an organization needs to be invested.

Roadmaps and Revelations: Finding the Road to Business Success on Route 101 uses an entertaining storyline to walk you through the daunting process of creating a successful strategy. Sprinkled with practical examples and workable solutions for business executives, managers, and consultants, this motivating fable will put you on track toward creating a strategy for sustainable success.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In this business fable, Niven, a peformance management consultant and speaker, uses an entertaining storyline about a struggling manager and a strategic planning guru on a road trip to walk, or perhaps drive, readers through the process of creating a successful business strategy." (Book News, August 2009)

"In Road Maps and Revelations, Niven spins a compelling fable and manages to fit in very sound principles for developing a strategic business plan." (dbk Associates, 6/10/09)

From the Inside Flap

Roadmaps and Revelations

Finding the Road to Business Success on Route 101

A Business Fable

Rory Newman's company is going through big changes—the kind no one likes—having been bought by a global competitor that is now shaking things up. His new boss's first order of business is to demand that Rory come up with a new process for strategic planning to guide the company as it struggles to reinvent itself in the marketplace.

Up until now, the company's "strategic plans" were made up of visions in the former CEO's mind. Now, Rory's got five short days to develop, formalize, and deliver a winning strategic planning process. Rory planned to use a leisurely drive down the 101, en route to his wife's family reunion, to gather his thoughts, but things change when he halfheartedly agrees to pick up his wife's second cousin Sydney Wise from the airport. To his astonishment, Sydney turns out to be—instead of another maddening relative—a strategic planning guru, entrepreneur—and Rory's rescuer.

Discover, along with Rory and Sydney, what strategic planning is really about, why it is important, and how to develop a simple yet powerful strategy your company can use to set it on the course to success. Through Rory's experience, you will find out why strategic planning is not something left to the "higher ups," but something in which everyone in an organization needs to be invested.

An engrossing business fable on strategic planning that works, Roadmaps and Revelations reveals how to:

• Start with a consistent definition of strategy—everyone has to be on the same page if the process is going to work

• Examine your organization's core purpose and mission: the hub of the strategy wheel

• Define a strategy that is simple, straightforward, and easy for employees to act on

• Create a strategic plan that is organic and dynamic, not a clinical ooze of facts and figures

• Develop a strategy that fits with your corporate culture

• Communicate your plan as the story of your company's success in which every employee takes center stage

Roadmaps and Revelations: Finding the Road to Business Success on Route 101 uses an entertaining storyline to walk you through the daunting process of creating a successful strategy. Sprinkled with practical examples and workable solutions for business executives, managers, and consultants, this motivating fable will put you on track toward creating a strategy for sustainable success.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 222 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470180013
• ISBN-13: 978-0470180013
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,253,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

PAUL R. NIVEN is an author, management consultant (The Senalosa Group), and noted speaker on the subjects of strategy formation and execution. As both a practitioner and consultant he has developed successful Performance Management systems for clients large and small in a wide variety of organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, public sector, and nonprofit agencies. His most recent book is "Road Maps and Revelations," a business fable designed to help organizations develop simple yet powerful strategic plans. In August 2006 the second edition of Paul's book "Balanced Scorecard Step by Step: Maximizing Performance and Maintaining Results" was released. The first edition of this text has been translated in over fifteen languages around the globe. Paul's other books include "Balanced Scorecard Step by Step for Governments and Nonprofits" second edition released by John Wiley & Sons in April 2008, and "Balanced Scorecard Diagnostics" which was released in April, 2005.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strategy 101 - the road to success, May 29, 2009

By 

Dave Kinnear "Executive Leader Coach" (Lake Forest, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roadmaps and Revelations: Finding the Road to Business Success on Route 101 (Hardcover)

Often I've contemplated the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. In my experience, that statement is true and I've also observed that the viewers frequently derive significantly different information from a picture. Some will see simply a scene or in abstract art they will be reminded of vastly different experiences than I might recall. What we learn from the picture will be different depending on the lenses through which we view the scene. Those lenses are shaped, polished and given refractive characteristics through our values and life experiences.

Much the same happens when we hear an interesting story, which, next to a picture, is the second most engaging and inspiring way to share information. In Road Maps and Revelations, Niven spins a compelling fable and manages to fit in very sound principles for developing a strategic business plan. The story takes place in a trip down the California coast between San Francisco and San Diego. This was especially interesting to me since I have made that very same trip several times. Rory Newman, the protagonist, uncovered many lessons through the improbable character, Sydney Wise, who is both a surprise visitor and a successful serial entrepreneur who has figured out exactly how to create a strategic plan. He doesn't make it easy on Rory, but rather seeks to engage Rory's imagination in discovering the lessons for himself.

Those lessons are: (1) Start with a consistent definition of strategy; (2) examine the organization's core purpose and timeless mission; (3) create a strategy that is simple, clearly understood and easily implemented by the employees; (4) create an organic plan which is dynamic rather than details of facts and figures; (5) develop a plan that fits with, complements and creates synergy with your corporate culture; (6) communicate your plan as a story in which every employee is central to the exciting success of the company. Niven further espouses getting clear on your mission and then answer four fundamental questions: (1) what propels us forward? (2) What do we sell [not really a trivial question!]? (3) Who are our customers? And (4) how do we sell? Each of these questions is answered looking at them through the lenses of social/cultural impact, Human point of view, technological issues and financial point of view. Keep in mind that this is a high level method of creating and presenting a plan. There is much work hidden in these simple steps.

When written and summarized in this short list, the lessons seem boring and somewhat trivial. Niven's book itself, on the other hand, demonstrates exactly why weaving a story to make your point and communicate your plan is the most effective way to get everyone on board. In using his story to develop how to go through the sometimes overwhelming task of developing a clear and compelling strategy, the author manages to break things down into bite-sized tasks. We know that each one is going to be a challenge by itself, yet we no longer feel that we have such a monumental task in front of us. And best of all, the plan developed will be easily understood and will not comprise reams of paper with incredible detail. All that will, of course, exist. However it will be backup data rather than the plan itself. I am reminded of Chief Justice Oliver Wendel Holmes who once famously said, "I would not give a fig for simplicity on this side of complexity. But I would give my life for simplicity on the other side of complexity." Niven gives us a simply understood method for digging through the incredible complexity required of a solid strategic business plan so that we arrive at a concise and simple to understand strategy on the other side.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just in time!, May 4, 2009

By 

Kim Pate (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roadmaps and Revelations: Finding the Road to Business Success on Route 101 (Hardcover)

I happened upon Roadmaps and Revelations, by Balanced Scorecard expert Paul Niven, during a critical time of strategic planning for my non-profit organization. The book, with the engaging fable and model summary at the end, gave a nuanced yet direct way to apply outcomes-oriented strategic thinking to an organization's change process. I will adapt the Roadmap Strategy to my organization's strategic planning efforts to enable us to change, grow and become an even more effective organization. And it is because of the accessibility and clarity of Roadmaps and Revelations that I am able to embark on this process with a firm plan and a high degree of confidence. I recommend this book to anyone involved in strategic planning, whether in a non-profit or for-profit organization, getting started or renewing a strategic plan that has already been in place. I'm ordering copies for my whole strategic planning team. This is great stuff!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The New Goldratt, May 13, 2009

By 

S. Bonham "author of 'Actionable Strategies'" (Walnut Creek, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roadmaps and Revelations: Finding the Road to Business Success on Route 101 (Hardcover)

This is a book on how to get an executive team to efficiently create a strategy. As the author explains, the experiences from his leading many strategy development sessions are the basis for the book. While he was born into the world of Balanced Scorecard consulting, he appears to have found those nuggets of practicality in the sea of Kaplan and Norton academia. I too have led strategic development sessions and agree that distant case studies, sterilized academic theories and distilled acronyms (e.g. SWOT, PEST, TQM), as critical as they are, only get you so far. You have to have stood in front of many desperate, frustrated and confused executives to really get it. Paul Niven gets it - executing among the complex and abundant roadblocks of the executive and upper manager psyche involves some technique, but a lot of artful finesse. As Niven points out, one step is to have all participants read, understand and talk-to a common methodology before holding strategy sessions. By presenting his methodology as a fable, keeping it very simple, and leaning towards reality (e.g. more emphasis on finances and customers); it will be that much easier to get everyone on the same page. But, herein lies the greatest strength of the book - Niven has integrated classical theories (e.g. SWOT, Drucker, von Clauswitz), with solid new-age concepts (Collins, Raynor, Kaplan & Norton) with his proven experiences - an approach I value. I always look for methods to help my clients avoid "strategic retreat" hell which leads to SOTS (Strategies on the Shelf) - this book fits that need well.