Our Approach
The Imagine Way
"If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions."
-- Albert Einstein
Imagine was created to bridge the gap when more traditional approaches and alternatives haven’t resulted in the desired outcomes. Most companies who work with us have already tried solving their problems either internally (with new hires or some form of re-engineering) or via an external advisor or agency. While these approaches probably resulted in good ideas and perhaps even progress, the outcome still fell short of the goal.
To put it simply, our clients usually come to us because traditional approaches have not taken them as far as they’d like.
That’s why Imagine is a bit different than most other advisories/agencies that you've come across, talked to, or worked with. Whether it's how we define and price engagements, how we work, or simply how we look at the problems and opportunities facing your business, you'll find that we've never been big fans of traditional approaches.
While conventional approaches certainly have their place, success in an increasingly competitive marketplace calls for a new way of thinking and a different approach.
At Imagine, four beliefs dominate how we see the world, design our programs, and work with customers and clients:
1. Your tech stack should be driven by your business processes, not vice versa. In other words, your tech stack is not going to “save” your business; it’s a tool to help drive your business. In the Imagine world, solutions are product- and vendor-agnostic. We recommend the most efficient solution based on your business needs.
2. There is not one master playbook. Along those same lines, Imagine doesn’t adapt the same playbook to fit all businesses. Effective solutions must be tailored to the unique context of the company they're designed for.
3. Sustainable business growth requires managing complexity. That requires a systems-thinking approach accounting for the fact that everything you do (and everything your market does) affects everything else. The failure to account for complexity is the primary reason that improvements fail to stick.
4. A happy client isn’t necessarily the goal. This might sound controversial, but look at it this way: you’re not paying for “yes men.” Our goal is to help you strengthen and grow your business and that route isn’t always smooth. While we believe you’ll ultimately be happy with the results, we’d be lying if we said growth was easy. It’s not. If it was, you wouldn’t need us.
All of our beliefs culminate in this: Imagine’s focus is to help you achieve the outcomes you desire through an approach we develop based on your unique situation.
Even though the approaches differ, our methodology is consistent: first, we work with you to define your outcomes, then we map the best route, build the processes and capabilities to get there, and work closely with you (and in some cases for you) to execute.
Define
We work with you to gain a complete understanding of "your game." We realize that while your business may be similar to others, it is, by definition, unique. We focus on identifying/defining:
- Desired outcomes
- Barriers to overcome
- Advantages that can be leveraged
- The gap to be filled
Map
Just as your business is unique, your particular path to success will be unique as well. We define that path by creating a roadmap that outlines:
- Your business requirements
- Priorities
- Structure
- Scoreboard
- Waypoints to measure progress
Build
Strategies and tactics are great, but at the end of the day, long-term success comes down to the quality of your foundation and “plumbing”. With your path defined, we move our focus to building out your:
- Systems
- Processes
- Campaigns
- Capabilities
- Teams
- Tech Stack
Execute
With a strong foundation and a clear path, your focus is freed for what we like to call Frictionless Execution™. Traction and acceleration become the focus, as we work with you to:
- Measure Outcomes
- Navigate Waypoints
- Optimize Performance
- Enter Acceleration Cycles
If you’d like to learn more about our non-traditional approach, check out these resources:
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