Category Archives: Strategic Narrative

Right-Sizing Strategy Capability and Function for Mid-Size Companies

The nature and practice of strategy in mid-size businesses (say from $20 million revenue to $500 million) is fundamentally different than in both smaller and larger ones. On one hand this sounds obvious, but the practical application is a bit more nuanced, and not always appreciated in my experience. How can leaders in mid-size businessesContinue reading “Right-Sizing Strategy Capability and Function for Mid-Size Companies”

How Strategy Becomes Execution… and the Many Reasons It Doesn’t

Tight linkage between Strategy and Execution can be very challenging for a number of reasons. Sometimes the strategy is based on inaccurate or incomplete assumptions about the business’s capabilities and the opportunity being pursued. In other cases, unexpected developments make execution more challenging or even render the strategy obsolete. But even when the strategy isContinue reading “How Strategy Becomes Execution… and the Many Reasons It Doesn’t”

Strategy Debt

Recently I have co-authored a series of short articles on Strategy Debt with my colleague at INSTEP, Brian Nejmeh. The concept of Strategy Debt arose out of the software industry and the well-established concept of Technical Debt. Our premise is that Strategy Debt can arise from a wider set of organizational circumstances — not justContinue reading “Strategy Debt”

What Does Practicing Strategy Look Like?

Leaders and leadership teams who (1) embrace the opportunity to design a practice of strategy; and (2) develop the discipline to follow it put their organizations at a significant advantage in three ways. First, they create clarity throughout their organization, empowering employees to act with confidence. Second, they readily sense and adapt to both internal and external factors affecting their success. Third, they have a keen understanding of organizational capabilities and limitations, and how these must evolve in relation to their ability to create value for customers.

A Strategy Maturity Model: Substance and Ubiquity

Over the past 18 months I’ve enjoyed teaming with Brian Nejmeh at his consulting firm, INSTEP, to work with tech companies and develop their SaaS product management practices. Brian has developed great frameworks for both SaaS whole product and the SaaS product management life cycle. I’ve been honored to bring forward some critical aspects ofContinue reading “A Strategy Maturity Model: Substance and Ubiquity”

Strategy and Story-Telling: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

I often think of Strategy as an act of leadership in creating and reinforcing shared purpose, direction, and momentum for an organization. In this sense, articulating Strategy is a tremendous creative challenge: how best to persuade stakeholders of all types – employees, investors, partners, customers – to buy in to a shared mission and theContinue reading “Strategy and Story-Telling: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”