Growing the Top Line

CHAPTER 9Defining Business Objectives: Step 1: Targeting the Hill We Need to Take

Setting business objectives seems like it should be the easiest part of the strategy development process. As a leader, setting and communicating the goals for the organization is a core part of the job and is easily and uniformly done, right? Unfortunately, this is rarely the case.

It starts with what is the most important process or the most important statement in all of this; it’s called “The Commander’s Intent.” This is what I intend to accomplish by this mission. Okay, we’re going to go liberate Kuwait. That’s what we’re after at campaign level. But at a platoon level, it may be to attack the next hill and to occupy that hill.

Lieutenant General Paul “Gene” Blackwell

Setting clear objectives isn’t just important in growth strategy, it’s important for any endeavor. The military teaches this across its branches as the most basic element of successful planning.

Rami Rahim is everything you would hope for in a CEO of a publicly traded company. He is smart, funny, humble, and perhaps most importantly, genuine. His strengths come through in the talent he attracts, the excellence he projects, and the loyalty he has for his company. Rami is the CEO of Juniper Networks, a California‐based multinational company that serves the networking market with hardware, software, and service‐based solutions. ...