ASP Retreat I

Years before Lucy & I attended your Applied Strategic Planning seminar you had been instrumental in helping me change my office from one in which I was a benevolent dictator to one in which everyone played a role in planning and carrying out shared visions and goals. The ASP Series gave Lucy & me the tools to complete the very important transition to retirement. It really took work to achieve our goals as we proceeded into retiring. Your whole process in the seminar truly guided us each step of the way and for this I will always been indebted to you. My office was truly grateful also. I wanted this to be a win-win-win situation for Lucy & me, for my staff (as many had been with me 25 – 30 yrs) and finally, for my patients. Your ASP Series was vital in me achieving these three goals.

The quiet, facilitative environment in a retreat setting coupled with the ability to mastermind with other couples and teams made Applied Strategic Planning a life-transforming experience. Bob is an exceptional mentor who has the expertise and personality to guide individuals through this challenging process. If you commit to the work required, your personal and professional lives will be those of your dreams.

On behalf of myself and the Surlean Foods family of team members, I wanted to thank you for your assistance with the development of our 5 year Applied Strategic Plan. Without your leadership and coaching I do not believe we would have produced such an impactful result.  The inclusive team building approach and collaborative way the material was presented not only allowed us to adequately assess our current state, but put us in a position to envision our desired future.

The Shadow Teams were so insightful and did provide those precious "nuggets" you said they would and continue to provide the checks and balances that we needed to ensure our progress is sound.

You are surrounded by an outstanding team of professionals and we are very appreciative of Bill, Carole and Angela's passion and talents.  Our team is better because we were able to work with your team.

Our team has a common goal and a unified strategy to reach that goal. I am confident that Surlean is on pace to become "the preferred customized food manufacturer passionately serving the food service industry" as our new Mission Statement reads.

We grew as a company, a team, and individuals through the ASP process and I know I speak for the Surlean Family when I say thank you for being an instrumental part of our future of choice.

Very Truly,

Since Retreat I, we have had four staff meetings and the word dentistry has yet to be mentioned! Very powerful meetings! Tears, hugs, the whole nine yards. This Wednesday, I hope to progress to writing our personal mission statements. I can tell that when dentistry is approached by the team, it will have a different angle. They have already, almost unconsciously, begun to see answers to questions through the prism of their closely held values. This path is more difficult than I had imagined. And, I'm not referring to how we practice dentistry. I feel like an ancient sailor who has sailed from port not really understanding what will happen, but sure of our direction!

Written the first year after taking the Applied Strategic Planning Series: Bob, the changes here are truly phenomenal! We are now in our beautiful new office, production and collection has risen over 50% and I swear we are not working as hard. I just stopped to listen the other day, and it is simply wonderful to hear and feel this new energy. People should be standing in line for this experience. Thank you my friend!

Bob, you are a rare individual with a wide array of talents that will prove invaluable to any organization that is fortunate enough to choose to work with you. Although, you knew very little about the laser industry, you quickly came up to speed through your exceptional listening and synthesizing capabilities.

Your passion for the critical importance of vision and strategic planning just radiates from you and is highly contagious. You can certainly prove that by seeing the folks here at Incisive. We always feel better about who we are and what it is we're doing, especially after spending time with you. Simply put, you resonate beautifully.

I wish you continued success as you grow your true calling of Applied Strategic Planning and as you transform organizations and their people into the best they can become. To say you're a dentist who is trained in strategic planning may be the understatement of the decade! You may be a dentist who has and is helping others have an exemplary practice, but you are a born visionary! I firmly believe that any entrepreneurial organization that wants to thrive in today's turbulent times would benefit from Applied Strategic Planning under your capable leadership. Thank you, Bob!

Since I had not experienced the 'vision' aspect (of Applied Strategic Planning) before, I found this to be the most helpful in determining what I want to do with the next 40 years. Articulating and writing down vision then mission really helped me get balance into my life which was one of my original reasons for attending the retreats. Vision, personal mission, and leadership information was most meaningful. The team enjoyed the visualization process and symbols and their meaning. For the office, getting a clear mission statement done and being able to refer back to it and hire new people was most helpful.

Bob, once again during your presentation you could have heard a pin drop in the audience. Every doctor and dental nurse was riveted on your every word. I received countless comments on how interesting and useful everything you have shared during each of your presentations over the last four years has been. Thank you.

Great news!!! The Applied Strategic Plan passed unanimously and without debate!!! Your address and support played a major part of our success. The delegates were truly impressed and excited after your speech. As I ventured through the Caucuses, I could feel the energy and excitement. The Delegates got it. Change can and will take place. The most rewarding part for me was the acknowledgment by the Delegates that a certain amount of trust was needed on their part in order to take the next steps.