Praise for ACS business war games and workshops on strategic thinking
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“The war game designed and facilitated by ACS delivered two game-changing results. First, we were able to arrive at a decision on a very tricky and challenging subject where such a decision had eluded us for months. Second, we created a new cross-functional internal experience that is so groundbreaking that it has unleashed new energies in our team.”
C-level executive, multi-billion-dollar global company (names withheld by request for competitive reasons)
“I interacted with Mark Chussil during a war game and strategy workshop he ran for our company in November 2011. I was extremely impressed by his personality, quality of thinking and preparation. This was the first time that he was visiting India and showed a great degree of cultural sensitivity which endeared him to the group. His focus on the task at hand and the outcomes needed were always sharp and he worked tirelessly to keep us all focused. I wish him all the best and hope to interact with him regularly.”
Arunabh Das Sharma, Executive President & Advisor Strategic Initiatives, Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd.
“Mark Chussil conducted a workshop on the strategic planning process at our company in April 2010. The workshop was designed to get participants to realize inherent human biases that have a deep impact on the outcome of strategic planning. Mark used numerous examples and engaged the participants in role-playing. Feedback from my team members was excellent. I recommend Mark’s workshop to anyone interested in improving a strategic planning process.”
Cyrille Michel, Senior Vice President, Blount, Inc.
“This entertaining and thought-provoking workshop will change your strategic thinking in ways you will never expect.”
Bruce Hamilton, Director, Navigant Consulting
“‘A Simple Decision – Taking Strategic Thinking to the Next Level’ was perfect for us! We had high hopes for outcomes as we entered our sessions together, however, you far exceeded our lofty expectations. Content and delivery were superb. Your participation in team building the evening prior was a bonus, too. Thank you for investing all of your efforts in us, Mark!”
Jeff Trafford, CFE, Senior Director Market Development & Branding, Colorado Boxed Beef Co.
“Mark took a unique approach that really grabbed my attention. In addition to enlightening lectures, he made effective use of small group exercises that energized and focused our management group in ways I’ve never seen before. After just one day we made tangible progress planning a new direction for our company. It was a refreshing ‘outside the box’ experience!”
Marketing executive, non-profit organization
“Mark Chussil challenges conventional wisdom, turns the status quo on its head, provokes the best ‘what if’ thinking, and makes sense out of nonsense! Engaging with Mark is evidence of one’s wisdom and commitment to winning.”
Prof. Nancy Kymn Rutigliano, MBA program at Empire State College (The State University of New York)
“One of the best, most informative workshops I have attended.”
Strategist, manufacturing company
“Mark has a rare skill of being able to communicate complex topics clearly and simply. His talk to my MBA class for professionals on pricing strategy was the highlight of the term. These bright and demanding students learned more in one evening from Mark than they could have learned from reading a whole text book on the topic. Mark’s intelligence, experience and wit combined to produce a fun and effective learning experience.”
Ed Warnock, award-winning MBA professor, the Atkinson Graduate School of Management, Willamette University
“Mark was the featured speaker at our PDMA (Product Development and Management Association) Oregon event in July. His presentation on ‘Pricing and Pricing War Games’ was described by attendees as entertaining, very informative, an excellent topic and presenter, and has practical application. One attendee said it ‘opened my eyes to new things / thinking.’
“I recommend Mark to groups looking for an engaging speaker with fresh and insightful perspectives on strategic thinking.”
Miki Tokola, President, PDMA Oregon Chapter
“Mark’s webinar was fantastic. The most interesting part (to me) was the compare/contrast of war gaming with other types of analysis. Many thanks!”
Marc DiPaolo, Policy Advisor at Office of the Secretary of Defense (USA)
“In September 2012, Mark Chussil presented at the SCIP Silicon Valley chapter meeting on ‘Suffering Strategy: What We Don’t Know Hurts Us, and What We Do Know Hurts Us Too.’ It was a thought-provoking, interactive session, where Mark delivered ample examples of strategy successes and failures by Fortune 100 companies. Without being judgmental, he provided evidence of how companies typically use accounting tools when designing corporate strategies — unit and revenue growth projections, price growth estimates, etc. — although those tools lead to strategy choices that prove to be limiting or even wrong. To illustrate this point, Mark ran a simple but impactful war game to give participants a startling perspective on strategy development. He concluded with practical suggestions for creating better strategies. Overall, this was a stimulating session, with discussions and active participation by the audience. We totally enjoyed it!”
Dr. Inga Vailionis, SCIP Silicon Valley
“Mark’s approach is refreshingly different from the infotainment we typically see. Mark takes you right to the core of what strategy is all about. Rather than explaining SWOT, Ansoff, and Blue Ocean for yet another time, he makes you think about how you think. It is about mental models, groupthink, and pre-conceived ideas rather than the tools you already know. His approach is not about him giving you the “right” strategy, it is about ensuring that you choose a strategy option that will achieve what you set out to achieve. As far as I am concerned, that makes much more sense than the mainstream approach. You will have to activate all your brain cells to get the maximum out of this.”
Torsten Dalhöfer, Talent Development, Credit Suisse AG
“We got real insight into how our leaders perform as a team while simulating the pressures and conditions we face on a daily basis.”
Rick Marzolf, Vice President Manufacturing — EMEA, Kennametal Europe GmbH
“I met Mark after reading about his experience in strategy in general and business war-games in particular. Mark is a prolific author and his writings provide great information and insights regarding the manner in which corporations can think strategically. He is by far one of the most prominent practitioners in the field of corporate simulations and war-games.
“I recently asked Mark to conduct a webinar for my students at the Dept. of Information and Knowledge Management in the Graduate School of Management of the University of Haifa. The topic I asked Mark to talk about was business war-games and their effect on corporate strategy. Mark’s webinar was insightful. He gave the group’s members valuable insights on his thinking and methodology, and shared his vast experience with the group (and still remained confidential and discreet).
“I found Mark to be friendly, articulate, and a great person to work with. He is one of the brightest and most talented people I’ve had the pleasure of working with and he has a great ability to “capture” the audience. He has deep understanding of strategy and what it takes for organizations to create an environment that supports thinking ‘out of the box’.”
Dr. Shay Hershkovitz, Lecturer at the Department of Information and Knowledge Management, Graduate School of Management and C.R.I., the University of Haifa