I've been working with a client on a new multi-year strategy for their function, and during our sessions, they shared their favorite strategy lesson: "What's the most important part of a strategy? Simply having one.”
I love this perspective because, yes, actually having a strategy is a critical first step. But I’m going to up the ante. It’s not just enough to have something that’s great- it has to be executed well to realize the intended results. That's why implementing your strategy is just as crucial as developing it.
With those thoughts in mind, we worked together on a strategy deployment plan for the function. These are our four elements of success and how our client executed each one:
1. Alignment with Culture and Values: A time-stamped strategy guides decision-making, prioritizes objectives, and helps employees understand their roles. But it can’t be developed in isolation. Aligning a functional, team or even individual strategy to the larger whole is the only way to ensure everyone is moving in the right direction together.
How they executed: As part of this new strategy, they aligned their strategic priorities with their core values and their corporate goals, ensuring each element supports the others. As part of that, they assessed roles within projects and held clarity workshops to ensure all employees had a standard understanding of each role’s responsibility in strategic projects. They also set the expectation for each employee to incorporate how they will individually support the strategy in their annual goals.
2. Prioritization: If everything is a priority, then nothing is. By prioritizing activities within the strategy—based on timeline, resources, investment, etc.—they’re giving employees a clear focus, allowing them to make real progress and create meaningful impact.
How they executed: Within the overall strategy, there are priorities identified for each year of the strategy. These priorities are reviewed with the management team on a quarterly basis to confirm commitment, resources and investment.
3. Approach and Delivery: Communication is more than just sending an email. Understanding who you need to communicate to and how to ensure a rollout like this is successful.
How they executed: For this strategy rollout, they reviewed stakeholders and took a tiered approach. An initial rollout and thought exercise were held with people managers which empowered them to share input and be enthusiastic stewards of the strategy when it was presented to their teams. The strategy was then shared to all employees, supported by their managers.
4. Ongoing Integration: A strategy isn't just a buzzword to mention at the beginning and end of the year- it has to be integrated into everything you do.
How they executed: The strategy and core values of the function are now the anchor of every discussion. Every professional development session supports a value or strategic goal, stories of strategic success are shared quarterly, informational videos were created for onboarding new employees, and the strategy map is highlighted at every major meeting acting as the north star to what everyone is working towards.
Having a strategy is essential but engraining it into the realities of your everyday operations is what makes it successful. By prioritizing, aligning with values, thoughtfully delivering, and consistently integrating the strategy, we ensure it doesn't just exist on paper—it drives real results.
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