BLOG
Read all our blogs here
Strategic Planning That Flows All the Way to Results: Reflections from the 2025 7 Rivers Lean Symposium
At the 7 Rivers Lean Symposium, I had the privilege of opening the day with a message that’s central to every organization’s long-term success: strategy only matters if it flows down into action.
Too often, strategic planning is treated like an annual ritual. A binder is created, the team nods in agreement, and then it’s placed on a shelf. Six months later, nothing has changed.
What we’ve proven—in manufacturing firms, in service businesses, and in private equity portfolio companies—is that a strategic plan only creates value when it connects three elements:
Operating Rhythm – A cadence of meetings that keeps the big picture visible while driving accountability day to day. Annual planning ties to quarterly rocks, which connect to weekly tactical reviews and daily huddles.
KPIs That Matter – Not 50 metrics, but the vital few: Safety, Quality, Delivery, Inventory, and Productivity. The right 5–10 KPIs make performance visible and enable faster course correction.
Leadership Development – The force multiplier. When leaders practice standard work, run effective meetings, and coach their teams, they create capacity and capability that scales far beyond one person’s effort.
During my keynote, we walked through a real-world case study where aligning these three elements created measurable results: improved on-time delivery, reduced turnover, and faster customer response.
Here’s the lesson: organizations win when strategy, rhythm, metrics, and leadership are all in sync. That’s what turns vision into execution—and execution into freedom.
If your organization would benefit from experiencing this process firsthand, I’d welcome a conversation. Together, we can translate strategy into operating discipline, build stronger leaders, and deliver results you can measure.
Don Vanpool is a business coach, private equity operating partner, and former GE executive. He has led transformations generating over $100M in revenue growth, $40M in cost reduction, and 85% improvement in on-time delivery. As founder of OptaProfit and leader at Freedom Capital Partners, Don helps manufacturing firms and private equity-backed companies align strategy, build leaders, and achieve measurable results.
Strategic Planning That Flows All the Way to Results: Reflections from the 2025 7 Rivers Lean Symposium
At the 7 Rivers Lean Symposium, I had the privilege of opening the day with a message that’s central to every organization’s long-term success: strategy only matters if it flows down into action.
Too often, strategic planning is treated like an annual ritual. A binder is created, the team nods in agreement, and then it’s placed on a shelf. Six months later, nothing has changed.
What we’ve proven—in manufacturing firms, in service businesses, and in private equity portfolio companies—is that a strategic plan only creates value when it connects three elements:
Operating Rhythm – A cadence of meetings that keeps the big picture visible while driving accountability day to day. Annual planning ties to quarterly rocks, which connect to weekly tactical reviews and daily huddles.
KPIs That Matter – Not 50 metrics, but the vital few: Safety, Quality, Delivery, Inventory, and Productivity. The right 5–10 KPIs make performance visible and enable faster course correction.
Leadership Development – The force multiplier. When leaders practice standard work, run effective meetings, and coach their teams, they create capacity and capability that scales far beyond one person’s effort.
During my keynote, we walked through a real-world case study where aligning these three elements created measurable results: improved on-time delivery, reduced turnover, and faster customer response.
Here’s the lesson: organizations win when strategy, rhythm, metrics, and leadership are all in sync. That’s what turns vision into execution—and execution into freedom.
If your organization would benefit from experiencing this process firsthand, I’d welcome a conversation. Together, we can translate strategy into operating discipline, build stronger leaders, and deliver results you can measure.
Don Vanpool is a business coach, private equity operating partner, and former GE executive. He has led transformations generating over $100M in revenue growth, $40M in cost reduction, and 85% improvement in on-time delivery. As founder of OptaProfit and leader at Freedom Capital Partners, Don helps manufacturing firms and private equity-backed companies align strategy, build leaders, and achieve measurable results.
Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions