Strategic
momentum
from the
inside out
Working with you and your teams, I help draw out the people, ideas and confidence that lead to more strategic, more responsive organizations.
Do you ever wonder when strategy became the exclusive job of a few executives – or worse – external consultants? Or when we stopped trusting the knowledge and intuition of employees, customers and stakeholders to read the signs and calibrate direction?
I believe there is enormous potential within every organization to develop and implement winning corporate, brand and engagement strategy. You just need to create the space for planning and gradually build strategic muscle.
That's where I come in. +mjbraide is about creating strategic momentum from the inside out, through:
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Strategy
Brand Positioning
Narrative
Services
Where you’re headed, why it matters, and how to talk about it
Strategy
that actually works...
Real strategy isn’t jargon or trendy frameworks. It’s the knowledge and insight of leaders able to make winning choices as their environments shift.
My work as a strategic facilitator is to ensure board and management have the information and the opportunity to set clear direction and align the organization. I don’t do big strategy decks, but my clients still do great things.
Brand positioning that stays relevant...
Any brand can be lucky (or smart) once, and anyone can buy their way to brand awareness, for a time. The brands I admire most are the ones that stay in-tune with their markets, their competition, the cultural zeitgeist and their own
changing capabilities.
I work with people who lead B2B2C, family enterprise, corporate and relationship brands to develop positionings and brand architecture that adapt, so brands keep on
being brilliant.
Narrative that gets to the heart of the matter...
While strategy is all about action, and brand is all
about experience,
words still matter, a lot.
I work with comms teams to bring relevance and resonance to the most important communications: your new strategic agenda; a more relevant website; persuasive pitches or donor cases; employee engagement…
About me
Making other people look good for over 30 years
I'm an independent advisor in corporate strategy, brand positioning and strategic narrative. I collaborate at senior levels with category leaders across sectors internationally, including: financial, business and professional services; associations; social enterprise; public institutions and early stage ventures.
Candour and empathy are hallmarks of my practice and I am dedicated to helping organizations take the fear out of honest exchange and open dialogue.
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Prior to leading my own firm, I spent a decade as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group and its predecessors in Canada, and was a leader in their organizational practice, speaking and publishing internationally on the topic of organizational performance.
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I'm active as a volunteer business coach to social ventures and I'm currently a mentor in the first cohort of the Faculty of Arts And Science, Centre for Entrepreneurship at the University of Toronto.
What's the plus in +mjbraide?
A positive presence to make change possible
This might shock you, but I often find the right answer is often pretty obvious, or most people already know it, at some level. The trick is to believe in it, be courageous, and get the barriers out of the way. That's the plus in +mjbraide.
Getting ready to do the right thing. Strategic moves, culture shifts, brand repositioning, good governance… I help you get your foot off the brake and let your people do what they know is right.
Focusing on the important stuff. I start with the messy, complex, sludgy situations and orient teams to the strategic essentials in a way that feels manageable.
Building bridges internally based on understanding personal motivations and finding common ground, respect and shared values.
Starting with the art of the possible. We’ll always envision the pure answer but also get on with the first steps towards positive change.
You + me
Send me an email, give me a call or message me through WhatsApp or LinkedIn.
+1 647 970 5059