O’D&Co

Strategy & Planning

Find Direction

We help businesses, organisations, and communities develop strategies that reflect who they are, what they want to achieve and how they will get there.

Whether you’re setting a new direction or reviewing an existing one, we bring people, evidence and ideas together to make informed choices about the future.

Johny O’Donnell mid-explanation beside a whiteboard of strategy themes

A shared direction for your work

A useful strategy gives people a common understanding of what matters and where to focus. It guides decisions, helps direct resources and connects everyday activity to a longer-term purpose.

Developing that strategy means taking time to understand your context and aspirations. It also means asking questions, exploring different possibilities and being clear about priorities.

We lead that process with you, helping turn a broad range of perspectives into a direction people understand and can support.

How we can help

  1. 01Strategy developmentDefine your purpose, long-term direction and priorities.
  2. 02Research and insightBring together evidence, existing knowledge and people’s perspectives to inform the thinking.
  3. 03Strategic workshopsWork through important questions with your board, team, partners or wider community.
  4. 04Planning and prioritisationIdentify where to focus, what needs to change and how to put the strategy into practice.
  5. 05Strategy writing and designExpress the direction in a clear, accessible form that people can use and share.

Our approach

We work closely with you and the people the strategy matters to. We listen, examine what is already known and bring an independent perspective to the questions ahead.

As the thinking develops, we test it together. This helps build confidence in the direction and ensures the strategy reflects your identity, ambitions and practical circumstances.

The result should give you a clear basis for decisions, a shared sense of purpose and a practical way to move forward.

In their words
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“He skilfully transformed a broad range of whakaaro and perspectives into a clear and cohesive strategy that reflected who we are as an Iwi. Most importantly, the process created a strong sense of ownership, resulting in a strategy that is practical, authentic, and provides a meaningful foundation for our future direction.”
Dave JohnstonGeneral Manager, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō Trust

Johny’s ability to meaningfully engage a diverse team and crystallise connecting thoughts from complex discussions made him the perfect facilitator at our recent Strategy Day at Cawthron.

His commitment to ensuring tangible outcomes attests to his impeccable professionalism.

I was astonished at the level of detail of the preparatory work Johny undertook to understand the institute’s history, challenges, opportunities and future pathways under consideration.

His focus was clearly on delivering for Cawthron, before the event, on the day, and afterwards, when he synthesised all insights, including his own, into an actionable plan. A skilful and personable facilitator!

Volker KuntzschCEO, Cawthron Institute

I have had the pleasure of working with Johny on numerous occasions since we first met in 2021. Starting in 2021 Johny facilitated the development of a new economic development strategy for the West Coast region.

We initially worked with Johny to plan the approach to ensure the right people were engaged and had the opportunity to contribute. This was achieved through several large workshops along with smaller group sessions, all facilitated by Johny, which culminated in the adoption of the Te Whanaketanga te tai Poutini 2050 strategy (TW).

TW is unique in that it has formal and unanimous endorsement from all West Coast stakeholders including business, community, iwi and local authorities. This was a hell of an achievement and would not have been possible without Johny’s skill and tenacity.

Heath MilneCEO, Development West Coast

The Nelson Regional Development Agency have had the good fortune of working with Johny and his extraordinary team for the past couple of years. His knowledge, strategic advice and practical application of digital technology and marking is exceptional. But Johny’s ability to develop and lead stakeholder engagement is unrivalled. I have no hesitation in recommending Johny and his team to anyone looking for an extraordinary advisor at a strategic level or a practical delivery partner.

Mark RawsonFormer CEO, Nelson Tasman Regional Development Agency
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