Strategies don't fail. Execution does.
Learn the frameworks to help colleges move from planning to real results.
 There is a better way.
You Can Move From Talk to Traction
If you’ve ever experienced:
• A strategic plan and other plans with combined 50+ priorities
• A task force that meets but never finishes
• An initiative that fades after year one
• Resistance from “the few” who derail momentum
• Meetings where everyone nods, but nothing changes
You are not alone. And you don't have to be stuck. This mini-course gives you practical tools to:
- Prioritize what actually matters
- Organize work with clear visuals and frameworks
- Translate strategy into executable action plans
- Protect momentum using practical approaches
- Address resistance directlyÂ
Yes, Get Unstuck.
In the coming weeks, you could…
- Narrow a list of 50+ strategies with KPIs down to a few high-impact priorities
- Bring your colleagues into alignment around a shared framework
- Launch a realistic action plan with clear owners, timelines, and anticipated challenges
INTRODUCING
From Strategy to Implementation
Achieving Clarity, Coherence, and Consensus
In this mini-course you'll learn how to:
- Diagnose why execution fails
- Apply the Inputs → Outputs implementation model
- Use the Three Cs to align teams
- Draft visuals that clarify outcomes
- Convert strategy into structured and realistic action plans
- Manage time realistically (Dr. Al’s Three-Month Rule)
- Address political and cultural barriersÂ
This is about execution discipline built for higher education.
What's Included In The Mini-Course...
MODULE 1
The Implementation Challenge
Why do strong ideas rarely turn into campus-wide outcomes? You'll learn:
- The Inputs → Outputs model
- Why initiative overload kills momentum
- How to apply the Three Cs
- How to prioritize strategies that are feasible and aligned
You’ll leave with:
A focused strategy, direction, and prioritization worksheet ready for your team.
MODULE 2
Clarity, Coherence, Consensus in Action
How to organize work so everyone sees the same picture of where we're going. You’ll learn:
- How to draft a professional-grade graphical representation of the work
- How to identify barriers and supports
- The Three-Month Rule (the time reality most colleges ignore)
- How to address “the few” who sabotage progress
You’ll leave with:
A completed or draft visual of the work and structured conversation tools.
MODULE 3
Change Management Through Project Discipline
This is where most colleges fall apart. You’ll learn:
- How to convert a visual representation of the work into an executable action plan
- How to assign realistic ownership, timelines, accountability, and support
- To leverage A.I. wisely as a drafting assistant
- How to structure implementation meetings
You’ll leave with:
A real action plan you can use as your working agenda that builds teamwork.
NICE TO MEET YOU
I'm Dr. Al Solano
I started as a community college student and Marine veteran before transferring to Cornell University and earning my doctorate from UCLA.
For over two decades, I’ve worked alongside nearly 60 institutions as an embedded coach, helping leadership teams:
- Improve student success outcomes
- Significantly reduce disparities, and some cases, reverse them
- Reduce initiative overload
- Strengthen organizational culture
- Execute strategic plans efficiently
These tools aren’t theoretical. They come directly from real campuses navigating real constraints. I also worked inside the system with a strong record of improving outcomes.
My work has been featured by Columbia University’s Community College Research Center for improving outcomes.
I don’t just teach strategy. I help colleges execute it.
GET STARTED TODAY!
From Strategy to Implementation
Contact us to set-up your institution
During our no-cost meeting, we'll discuss your needs and review our simple, user-friendly interface.
How long is the mini-course?
Is this theoretical or practical?
Can this be used with any college team?
Is coaching available?
Dr. Malkiel Choseed, Professor and Lead Faculty on Major Initiatives, Onondaga Community College, NY
Dr. Solano is not a "consultant," he is a coach in all the best ways, and the mini-course he offers is a great way to get the benefits of his coaching. I had the good fortune to first work with him when he coached our college during a multi-million dollar grant initiative. He took the time to get to know us and our specific needs and help us identify evidence-based, practical solutions to our problems and, most importantly, implement them. I recently used his mini-course as a refresher for the principles and practices he taught us as I was working on a new project.
I would say work with Dr. Solano one on one if you get the chance, but the mini-course is a great way to get a strong foundation in the principles and practices he teaches. Now, more than ever, we owe it to our students and the public not to stand still. He can help you solve problems and make progress.
Rhianna Johnson, Director of Guided Pathways & Partnerships, Clark College, WA
Many of us have experienced a phenomenon that is all too common in higher education. We spend months, if not years, perfecting beautifully worded plans with SMART goals, strategies, targets, and deadlines, only to repeat the process over and over again due to various constraints that impact the ability to actually execute. Dr. Solano’s mini-course provides some simple and practical tools for moving a plan from a pretty piece of paper to something that delivers results and improves student equity outcomes.
I found the information to be easily accessible and it covers many of the pitfalls that cause plans to go off track. Dr. Solano’s approach addresses some of the underlying challenges that impact the transformational changes that are needed at many colleges to truly move the needle in a meaningful way.