Forgot about this page, but just seeing all the talk about the need for executives to take a more holistic approach to business made me look. This old static html page described the services I was offering in 1999 for my now closed consulting and software development firm called Conversal. It was a bit ahead of its time, and I really never connected with big brands to do this the way I wanted to… but of course this was also inhibited by the crash and my great time working with Palm, Inc.

I have been ahead of my time a few times too often. It seems like now with the rise of social media and the emergence of social business design, many of these ideas need to be dusted off and rewritten. For now, I will just quote it in its old entirety and add to it this weekend…

Holistic Business Strategy Consulting

Holistic – (adj) – taking
a view of the whole rather than focusing on the components;
the fundamental approach executives should take in setting strategy;
also used in holistic medicine, where a practicioner looks at
the whole body to diagnose a health problem and provide the
best solution.

Don’t get us confused with some new
age group wearing purple Nike’s and bringing a bunch of crystals
into the board room though – holistic business strategy is serious
business that will revolutionize your company. The foundation
of each engagement is based on a holistic approach, looking at
the whole of your situation, not just one part of it. For example,
while engaged on a simple web site redesign project with limited
budget, we were able to discuss and radically improve the company’s
positioning strategy and corporate voice. This has lead to a clearer
and more consistent line of communications with customers and
partners that is being affirmed anecdotally and measurably.

With Holistic Business Strategy consulting, Conversal is focused
on helping you to see your entire business in an entirely different
light. While many consultants may offer
you "out of the box" thinking, it is our deeply held
belief that there is no box! Adopting this powerful belief is
the first step in making dramatic improvements in the way you
work, and most importantly, how you feel about the work you do.
This isnt some ra-ra jedi mind trick with a turn of a phrase and
a pumping of the fist. At Conversal, we firmly believe it is fundamental
to operating a successfull organization in the world of today
for you and all of your fellow team members to change your approach
and broaden your situational world view.

Conversal’s ability to contribute dramatically to your bottom
line with a Holistic Business Strategy engagements originates
from these core beliefs:

1. A successfull business begins with an understanding
   of the value your organization creates today and establishing
   a simply understood set of brand values which define your potential
   offerings and purpose for existence.
2. Trust must be built between employees, managers,
   partners and customers and constantly nurtured.
3. Communication across all of the channels must
   be in an authentic voice while remaining consistent, accurate
   and most importantly, honest.
4. Things don’t always have to be the way they are
   today, change can happen in an instant if the situation can
   be seen clearly.
5. Management does not equal leadership. Leaders
   earn the respect of their peers and those they lead through
   courage, honesty, right action and through a genuine love for
   everyone with whom they interact.
6. In order to be effective, leaders need to see
   the forest as well as the trees. The only path to long term
   success is through a holistic understanding of your organization’s
   strategy, its values and its operations.
7. Technology for the sake of technology is worthless
   – all key initiatives should primarily focus on value creation
   for the stakeholders, which means getting them involved in the
   decisionmaking process before technology is bought or developed.
8. The knowledge exists within your organization
   today to take you where you need to be tomorrow – you just need
   to find a way to listen and respond better.
9. We are now living in the knowledge economy, where
   your assetts walk out the door every night, or at the end of
   every shift. Ensuring this knowledge and the people employing
   it constantly grow in their ability to innovate, learn new knowledge
   and constantly improve must be your primary goal.
10. There is no box. Whether inside or outside
    of a box, people remain to focused on the box itself and what
    it looks like, feels like and is. Without a box, your best assetts
    will be utilized for your best benefit.

If you are curious about what a holistic business
strategy engagement might look like for your company, let’s
talk and see if we both have a good fit for our mutual success.
If you just have some ideas you would like to share on this topic,
we would be glad to hear from you as well. Regardless, we hope
these thoughts may have contributed in some small way to your
knowledge and ultimately your success.