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that your list is comprehensive and that you are confident that you know
where and how every strength can be better applied to give you a sound
highly profitable, springboard today and massive prosperity tomorrow.

The twin secrets of the successful strategic thinker are to never become
so committed to easy profits today that you lose sight of the bigger picture
tomorrow and to never ignore low hanging fruit today that will give you
the investment capability to turn dreams into reality. The activity of ana-
lyzing, building and applying strengths is a subtle balancing act in which
you need to be careful neither to overvalue nor undervalue those attributes
through which your ideal future will be delivered. Your ability to achieve
your ideal will be a direct function of how effective you are at questioning
how well you are applying your strengths today and building those that
you will need tomorrow speedily and at the lowest possible cost. The essen-
tial questions are not to be asked once a year and then forgotten until the
next planning meeting. They are a part of day-to-day management.

Threats

n What external threats could jeopardize our progress?

n Which could be avoided if we take the appropriate steps now?

n What should we start today to remove these threats from the
picture?

n What threats could materialize regardless of any steps that we
take in advance?

n What would be the warning signs?

n How can we be sure that we see the warning signs in sufficient
time?

n What is our detailed contingency plan to ensure that we will not be
knocked off course by any threats?

Threats to a business fall into two distinct types. There are those that
can be avoided by taking the right steps today and there are those that, if
you fail to ask the right questions, could take you by surprise. The first
demand swift and effective tactical decisions and action today. The second
require effective strategic contingency plans that can be implemented at
the first sign of trouble. In a business world where the business cycle has
been shown to be accelerating, being prepared to take effective and timely
action is the essential success factor. This depends on asking the right
questions and on building the answers into all planning, both strategic and
tactical.

The big picture 9