OUR SERVICES
STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
Research shows that ~70% of organizational “transformations” fail, and the reason is pretty clear: the ambitious aspirations of the CEO never make it all the way down into the actions and behaviors of front line managers and employees. Our strategy work with teams focuses on closing the gap between where the organization needs to go and what that actually means for the teams and employees involved.
Our approach to defining strategic directions and action plans starts with the end in mind: an aligned and energized workforce that knows what’s important, what’s being measured, where to flex creative muscles, and when to say no. We then work closely with business leaders to dissect the organizational vision and define its application in the context of that team’s specific work. We bring cross-functional leaders around the same table to identify new initiatives and ways of working that unpack the vision at an operational level. Finally, clear metrics, roadmaps, and accountability structures ensure that it’s explicitly clear how a team’s actions are working in support of the CEO’s vision.
Our strategy services help leaders with challenges like:
Cascading company level vision into a cohesive team level strategy
Services and techniques include:
- Current state assessments to map the needs and data of your employees, your leadership, your industry, and inspiring tangential industries
- Visioning workshops to align on a shared outlook for the future
- Current vs. Future State exercises to assess growth gaps opportunities
- Strategy co-creation workshops to assess the market landscape, think creatively about options, and prioritize strategic futures
- Feedback testing with various stakeholders to pressure test directions
Aligning cross-functional leaders on where to go and how to get there
Services and techniques include:
- 1:1 interviews across teams to understand strengths and blockers in current collaboration models
- Problem framing workshops to make sure leaders are using the same language and focused on the right challenge
- Roadmap and Prioritization Workshops
- Collaboration model improvement + pilot definition
- Highly customized and expertly facilitated offsite experiences
Building alignment and learning into your leadership operating model
Services and techniques include:
- Leadership operating principles and mindsets to role model at all levels
- Evaluation and experimentation with new leadership rituals and cadences
- Facilitation of monthly/quarterly strategy sessions to assess progress and pivots
- New metrics definition to appropriately measure initiatives
- Ongoing employee empathy workshops and external inspiration workshops
I presented my strategy to the leadership team and they were all in. My team is really moving and grooving in executing the strategy and has already gone to market with quite a bit. I think this really gelled the team and we have a good plan and amazing execution. I can’t say enough about the experience and I think everyone should build their strategy this way.”
People Team Head of Digital, Fortune 100 Enterprise Technology Client
WHAT MAKES OUR STRATEGY WORK DIFFERENT:
Co-creation for more durable outcomes
Successful strategies reflect the needs of the business and the stakeholders. We use expert facilitation and workshops as a highly strategic stakeholder management tool. When stakeholders see themselves in the outcomes, the outcomes last.
Activated by employees but owned by leadership
Successful strategies hinge on senior leadership alignment. Misalignment amongst leaders quickly turns into misalignment in teams. We bring the data needed to make decisions, but we won’t move forward until senior leaders are aligned.
Cross-functional or bust
Successful strategies are rooted in systems, not silos. We identify dependencies across teams and integrate their leaders and processes into our work.
Plan for the pivot
Successful strategies allow room for change as we learn. It’s not a matter of “if” you will need to pivot, but rather “when” and “how ready.”
Clearly mapped to growth
Successful team level strategies are clearly mapped to the growth goals of the business. We help teams say ‘no’ to the majority, so they can say ‘yes’ to what matters (to your boss…and your boss’s boss).
