Driving Human Performance through Strategy

Toyota embarks on a journey to implement MTI's comprehensive competency model
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Assessing Bahrain’s Private Sector for World Bank

The World Bank Group has retained the services of MTI Consulting to assess the Bahrain Private Sector – through the Bahrain Enterprise Survey 2024
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Taking Bangladesh’s Organic Tea International

MTI was retained by Teatulia, the fast-growing niche organic tea brand in the USA & UK, to chart their strategic direction and to provide implementation support. Teatulia recently launched its first Tea Bar near Covent Garden, London as a part of their growth strategy
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Strategic Assessment of Ethiopian SOEs

As part of the wider SOE reforms that is taking place in Ethiopia, MTI Consulting has completed the Strategic Assessment of 5 State-owned Enterprises (SOEs)
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Game-changing for USA’s largest Lemon Producer

MTI’s enabled Limoneira to develop a global direct go-to-market strategy – breaking free from a legacy co-operative approach.
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Enabling India’s Enterprise Digitalization

Tata Tele Business Services retained MTI Consulting for the second phase of their business strategy - based on MTI’s 8S ® model, working collaboratively with their management team
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Enabling Rwanda’s Socio-economic Development

The MTI-enabled Strategic Plan of the Rwandan Telecom and Energy Regulator (RURA) has now been published, which is strategically linked to Rwanda’s Vision 2050
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Media & Thought Leadership

Media Releases Strategic Reflections Strategic Insights

MTI revisits turnaround of loss-making Sri Lankan Airlines under Emirates

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MTI Consulting steps into 30th year – assignments done in 51 countries

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MTI case-features Sri Lankan Street food franchise in Serbia and Croatia

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MTI launches Global Strategy Internship for the Balkans Region

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Dialog Awards 2025 celebrates excellence and innovation in partnership with MTI

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MTI strategizes Industrial Development for Zimbabwe’s Sovereign Fund

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MTI ranked among Top Strategy Consulting Firms in Asia 2025

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Bank of Bhutan strategizes with MTI Consulting – MTI’s International & Bhutan Teams in Thimphu

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Bhutan’s Queen Mother commends MTI’s strategy consulting contributionMeeting at the Mothithang Royal Palace

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MTI in Zimbabwe for Strategy Consulting Assignment

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MTI explores how business can integrate Gross National Happiness

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MTI launches Bank of Bhutan’s strategizing process – MTI’s International Team in Bhutan this week

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The CEO’s Toolbox

To perform any job, be it a carpenter or a CEO, you need a set of tools and of course the competencies on how to use the tools.

Strategy - Conceptualise ‘Master Strokes’ to protect and grow the business.

Structure - Creating internal ecosystems and defining jobs to be done.

Resourcing - Attracting and optimising high value-adding talent, beyond conventional payrolls.

Systems - Value-adding workflows to ensure operational efficiencies.

Performance Management – Setting targets and trackers for work deliverables and linking rewards / recognition to it.

Engagement - Creating a conducive climate to optimise human performance.

Knowing which tools to use when, i.e., situational prudence, is key.

Thinking about Thinking

Our happiness is significantly determined by how we think of ourselves.

If we let our thinking overly dependent on what we think of what others think of us, we end up with cognitive conflicts, in short, our mind playing hell with us.

Three ways to work on our thinking (and therefore happiness) would be to:

Step back and self-critique how you think and how it influences your actions.

Being conscious of your thinking – before taking reactive actions based on it.

Investing the time to think about thinking – because if that is what determines happiness, surely it must give you a very high ROI!

Socialising Businesses

Businesses exist because of nature (to produce) and society (to consume).

Therefore, businesses should think and act as social-impact organisations. This can only happen if the business is sincerely purpose-driven.

Do not interpret ‘social impact’ as benevolence, inefficient and/or loss-making.

Purpose (effort) and profit (reward) can co-exist. Businesses that struggle with this paradigm are perhaps in an exploitative mode!

Blinded by Corporate Vision

Corporate Visions, that are based on market dominance and business sizing, are often a manifestation of deep-seated ego and greed.

Instead focus on ‘Purpose’, with a wider societal impact. Execute it effectively, authentically and sincerely.

The rewards will follow. But let not the rewards be the preoccupation.

Imaginary Money

The valuation of any listed stock has 3 components, i.e., the true economic value (based on the current business performance), the future potential value (based on future plans/cash flow) and of course, what we know as the ‘speculative / imaginary money’.

The global financial crisis has taught us that when the ‘speculative / imaginary money’ becomes the major component, then the ‘casino’ effect starts, and it begins to collapse like a pack of cards.

Immediately after the global financial crisis, a child asks, “Who took all this money that people claim they lost?” Perhaps it never existed!

When Albert Eisenstein said imagination is more than knowledge, I am sure he did not intend it for Hedge Funds or Day Traders!

Sharing economy – a double-edged sword!

The time we have to 'consume' in a day is largely the same as we did decades ago. But per capita acquisition (of all forms of goods and services) has significantly increased.

This means a lot of idling assets in our homes and offices, from cars to camera, from washing machines to wardrobes. On average, a car is used only 8% of a day.

Not surprising the concept of a sharing economy (think Uber) has taken off.

However, in a consumption driven global economy, if Uber reduces the number of cars being produced, that is arguably bad for the global economy.

Therein lies the dilemma!

Consumption Addiction

Our economies, our businesses, and, therefore, our jobs are all critically dependent on ‘consumption’.

If consumption (and, therefore, revenue) does keep increasing year on year, our economies, our businesses, and our jobs will be negatively affected.

Therefore, not only have we expected others to consume more, but we, too, (as consumers of others) have to consume more.

The world runs on our addiction to consumption, which the planet cannot ‘afford’. If you do a simple extrapolation of the population growth, consumption growth, and the consequent space needed to live, grow food, transport, etc., it is quite scary.

Maybe that’s why we humans are exploring other planets!

Is there a ‘child’ in your boardroom?

Tom Peters once said: “Strategies are okayed in boardrooms that even a child would say are bound to fail.”

With the increasing emphasis on corporate governance and the rising rate of ‘white-collar’ crime, board decisions are critical to the survival of any business.

However, stressed-out board directors who shuffle between the many boards they serve on, hardly find quality time to reflect and ponder on key decisions.

Hence my question: Is there a ‘child’ in your boardroom – one who can ask the most basic questions, yet not get ‘drowned’ by the weight of board papers and the sound of ‘big talk’?

The ‘enemies’ of strategy

Love: Falling in ‘love’ with your strategies, when in fact they should be clinically challenged on a regular basis. Strategies must be market-responsive, hence even be prepared to ‘kill’ your own strategies if need be!

Ego: When senior management start taking ‘proprietary ownership’ of strategies, and it becomes the basis of boosting their egos!

Awards: When corporate awards become the primary source of ego and job satisfaction, strategies tend to be made for awards!

Fashion: Seeking novelty for the sake of novelty, blindly aping ‘buzz’ management concepts!

Clinical as it may sound, this does not underestimate the importance of ‘passion’ in executing strategy.

Start-ups need more logic, less magic!

Pick your domain based on real ‘pain points’ in the demand or supply chain – not technology looking for a problem!

Get the commercial business model right upfront, i.e., how will you make money? – not just hoping for an inflated valuation to flog it!

Fulfilment is what the end user will pay for – technology is only an enabler.

Driving Human Performance through Strategy