Big River Group

Big River Group We work with businesses, organizations, and school districts, helping their leaders with coaching, t issues.

For the last 30+ years, Big River Group has worked with more than 8,000 participants and 110+ organizations each year in the areas of coaching, training, planning, and H.R. We work with businesses, nonprofit organizations, school districts, and more with consulting services as well as practical training sessions.

06/22/2026

What makes a good worker?

Most strategic plans don’t fail because of bad ideas. They fail because the process takes too long, the plan is too cumb...
04/14/2026

Most strategic plans don’t fail because of bad ideas. They fail because the process takes too long, the plan is too cumbersome, and it is hard to get actions started.

Back in the late 90s, while working as a college professor teaching master’s and doctoral students, Bruce Miles was asked to lead a course on strategic planning.

“I would rather poke a pencil in my eye than teach strategic planning.”

At the time, that wasn’t an exaggeration.

Traditional planning meant:
· endless subcommittee meetings
· months (or years) of process
· wordsmithing instead of decisions
· and a final plan that sat on a shelf

But organizations still needed direction.

That tension is what led Bruce to develop Chainsaw Planning©. A faster, more practical approach to strategic planning focused on clarity, alignment, and plans that people will actually use.

Since then, this approach has been used with 500+ organizations, including schools, nonprofits, businesses, community organizations, monasteries, and hockey teams.

The goal is simple: move from discussion to direction — without getting stuck in the process.

If your organization:

· has been putting off planning because it feels too time-consuming
· has a plan that isn’t being used
· or is struggling to get people aligned

…it might be time for a different approach.

Reach out to start a conversation today!

Stepping into leadership is one of the hardest transitions in any organization.You go from doing the work… to managing p...
04/08/2026

Stepping into leadership is one of the hardest transitions in any organization.

You go from doing the work… to managing people, navigating conflict, and leading conversations you were never trained for.

On April 30–May 1, Bruce Miles be leading Supervisor Advantage, a two-day, in-person workshop with the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce focused on helping supervisors step into leadership with confidence.

This program has been running for over a decade, developed in close partnership with Chamber President Matt Kilian to strengthen leadership capacity across the Brainerd Lakes community. It’s evolved over the years, but the focus remains the same: practical tools leaders can actually use right away.

We’ll cover things like:

• Managing former peers
• Stopping conflict before it spreads
• Holding people accountable without damaging morale
• Handling tough conversations

👉 Learn more and register by April 23: https://business.brainerdlakeschamber.com/events/Details/blue-ox-business-academy-2026-supervisor-advantage-1551176?sourceTypeId=Website

If you have questions about whether this might be a fit for you or someone you know, feel free to reach out.

We hope to see you there!

Took a little break from posting on social media, but the Big River Group has been hard at work:• Strategic "Chainsaw" p...
04/01/2026

Took a little break from posting on social media, but the Big River Group has been hard at work:

• Strategic "Chainsaw" planning & Board
retreats
• Leadership Training (groups & individuals)

Here's a recent job that was exciting to facilitate.
STAR of Coastal Georgia, Inc. Board & key staff updated the strategic plan that we created together in 2022.

Great org, great folks & a great result!

Reach out anytime! Always happy to help!

Bruce Miles, Ed.D.
Big River Group, LLC
(320) 260-2612
[email protected]

Address

Saint Cloud, MN
56302

Telephone

+13202602612

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