Agility is vital in order to creatively execute and continually fine-tune action plans and resources devoted to strategic initiatives. Customers' and investors' expectations and competitive threats are intense and unrelenting. Strategy implementation demands time and talent that can be in short supply. Successful companies have the agility to redeploy talent and resources across the enterprise to meet the ever-changing mareketplace.

Be very clear about both customers and investors. What do existing and future          customers really want? What do the existing and future investors really          expect?
How will customers' and investors' requirements change? When?
Know the competition. What is it? Who are they? What are they doing?          Look beyond today. Where will they be in 3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months?

Implementing strategy requires focusing a watchful eye on customers, investors, and competitors. It does not make sense to recycle strategies and changes that were founded on inadequate or outdated intelligence on competitors, customers, and investors.

Communication is key to understanding and satisfying customers and investors.

A Suggestion

Invest 50% of your communications resources in delivering your story and 50% in listening. Communicate creatively, tenaciously, and aggressively, and leverage technology 24/7 worldwide.

A reminder – field, telephone, and Internet sales professionals may be the most powerful and effective, yet least used, communications resource.

Nurture a well-informed, open-minded, and discerning view of existing and prospective global competitors, investors, and customers. Strengthen your capacity to initiate pre[emptive strategic changes – ahead of customers' and investors' needs and well ahead of competitive attacks.

To emphasize the obvious – The Internet, and technology in general, may be a more formidable threat to thousands of companies than any traditional competitor.