Reminder: When I say org strategy, I’m referring collectively to your vision statement, mission statement, core values, etc. — the guiding principles of your organization. Specifically, the articulation of those — what you say and how you say it.
Do want your people to understand — and act on — your organization’s vision, mission, values, and standards? Surely the answer is yes. If so, this post is for you.
Maybe you have an org strategy already, but hardly anyone can speak to it. Or maybe you’ve never actually spelled out your strategic principles, but you’ve grown and realize you must. You have to get everybody on the same page.
Let’s start with the problems you need to solve. I’ve written before about the 3 frustrating failures of org strategy:
If you’re feeling this pain — or you’re anticipating it — please know you can definitely do something about it.
Actually, six somethings. In my experience, there are six keys to making sure your business strategy gets into people’s heads and stays there. They are:
Six is greater than three. So let’s ditch the tragic trio with a dose of the healthy half-dozen.
Simple means easy to understand, easy to remember, easy to follow. Bam! All three goals achieved. That’s why simplicity is first on the list.
In fact, simplification is so important to your strategic message, I gave it a dedicated post: 4 reframes to simplify your organization strategy.
I’ll say no more here. Because you can read much more there.
Ideas should flow. One thought should naturally follow the other. Because that’s what makes sense.
If it makes sense, I’ll understand it. If I understand it, I’m more likely to remember it and follow it.
If you don’t have flow, you have weird:
In a strong strategic architecture, you’ll have connective logic. There’s an order that make sense. This helps people follow your thinking. If they follow your thinking, odds are better that they’ll choose to follow you.
Order is heaven’s first law.
Alexander Pope
This linking of ideas also allows your strategy to become a narrative. And when it’s a narrative, it can more easily be remembered and shared.
Take for example my Single Slide Strategy® framework. I developed it specifically with flow in mind. (Natch. I’m a writer, after all.) It starts with Context — what’s happening in the world you operate in. What follows that is a Belief — your point of view on the Context, your why. Your Belief informs your Mission — what you’re going to do about it, every day. And your Mission is what it takes to achieve your Vision — the long-term goal, your ambition, and the better world you imagine possible. See how all that flows?
Research has got your back on this one. Here’s what ChatGPT found.
Cognitive Load Theory
When information is organized in a logical, sequential way, it reduces “extraneous cognitive load.” Basically, your brain doesn’t waste energy trying to figure out the connections — so it can focus on learning the message instead.
The Storytelling Advantage
Psychologist Jerome Bruner argued that people remember information better when it’s told as a story. Some claim stories make a message 22 times more memorable. Why? Because stories naturally have flow — beginning, middle, end.
The Gestalt Principle of Continuity
In design and perception, we tend to follow lines and paths in the direction they’re going. The same applies to ideas — we look for a natural path forward. When an idea breaks that flow, we lose the thread.
In short: People’s minds want to connect the dots. If you arrange your ideas so each one logically leads to the next, you’re making their job easier.
When your org strategy has flow, you’ll enable:
Check out this idea: Flow is what makes your strategy feel inevitable — as if no other path would make sense.
(Gosh I wish I’d come up with that. Instead, ChatGPT did. But hey, I prompted it!)
Flow is what makes your strategy feel inevitable — as if no other path would make sense.
The right expression can make an idea more clear. And more memorable.
Just like heads, two words can be better than one. Or three words. Or four.
Expressions can feel more genuine and down to earth. They can add layers of meaning that you can unpack. They can convey subtleties in tone and nuances in voice. And this last point can make your strategic principles feel uniquely “you,” and not like those of a million other organizations.
Here’s an example of how a single word feels lukewarm, but an expression adds attitude:
| Single word | Alternative expressions |
|---|---|
| Honesty | Shoot straight |
| Tell it like it is | |
| No filter |
For organization strategy, I prefer expressions in the imperative mood. Now, I know you remember what an imperative is from your high school English class. But I’ll remind you anyway. It’s a command statement. Imperatives are action-oriented. That’s important. After all, your strategic principles exist to be acted on.
Here’s an example. The following are the three core values of my company, Counterpart… all imperatives:
Caveat: Don’t fall for expressions that are clichés. Let’s say for example that you want to communicate “quality.” Here are some awful ways to do that: top notch, best in class, a cut above, second to none. Not only are these well-worn, they’re also vain, which is one of The 4 ways your message works against you™.
Finally, let’s not forget the most powerful form of expression: stories. Plenty has been written about the psychology of storytelling; you can look that up on your own. Of course, you don’t want to force a story into a framework. But you do want to use other means to share anecdotes that show your strategy in action. Nothing explains like example, I like to say.
You put so much thought into your organization’s strategy. The last thing you wanna do is relegate it to a page in the employee handbook. Or to a slide in your new-hire orientation deck. Those are places your strategy goes to die.
Your strategy must be a living thing. An animate object. Because if it’s animated, it can’t gather dust.
How do you bring your business strategy to life? Talk about it live and in person.
If your people see your strategy, that’s good. If they hear it, better. If they feel it? That’s best of all.
How do you get them to feel it? Evangelize. Tell stories with emotional impact. Make your passion a contagion.
Just as important: Constantly remind people of your organization’s strategic principles. Look for them in action, and call them out. If you as a leader talk about something, people will believe it matters. If you keep talking about it, they’ll know it really matters.
And by all means, back your mouth with multiple media: posters and screensavers, mugs and t-shirts, job descriptions and performance reviews. Put your strategic message out there and keep it out there. Make it unavoidable.
I repeat: ChatGPT found some great research.
The Mere Exposure Effect
Psychology tells us that the more often people are exposed to something, the more they tend to like, trust, and remember it — just because it’s familiar. So, the more you promote your strategy, the more it feels “real” and embraced.
Reinforcement Theory
Behavior that gets reinforced (recognized, rewarded, praised) is more likely to be repeated. When you highlight examples of your org strategy in action, you’re reinforcing the behaviors that bring it to life.
Communication Rule of Seven
This isn’t true science, but a rule of thumb. People often need to hear a message seven times before it really sinks in. That’s why one-and-done announcements don’t work. (The exact number of repeats may vary, but you get the idea: Repetition matters.)
Another mighty fine ChatGPT sum-up: “Say it once, they’ll forget. Say it often, they’ll believe.”
Say it once, they’ll forget. Say it often, they’ll believe.
As a company grows, management gets further away from the everyday work. Further away from the employees who make it happen. Further away from the customers your business depends on.
It’s a necessary reality as much as it is a sad inevitability.
On one hand, the loss of one perspective makes room for another. Management has an obligation step outside the trees and see the forest. As my dear old boss Bill Carkeet used to say: “When everybody’s got their head down, somebody’s gotta have their head up.”
On the other hand, management can focus on things that are very distant from what people have on their desks. And that’s when people can’t relate.
There’s a difference between meaning and meaningful. An employee can understand what you mean, but that’s not the same as the idea meaning something to them. When your people see your strategy, they’re asking: How does this affect me? What does this have to do with my job? That’s what they primarily care about.
People need to see themselves in the organization’s strategy. They need to feel connected to it. Ideally, they’ll even take a sense of ownership over it. Because if it’s relevant to their job, it’s inseparable from their job.
It’s incumbent on you as a leader to help every individual — from the top of the org to the bottom — understand how their day-to-day activities relate to the overall strategy. And vice-versa.
If only we all had perfect self-discipline. Then we wouldn’t need diet programs and gym trainers and executive coaches.
Luckily for those businesses, most of us need help to hold ourselves accountable.
If you want your strategic principles to be taken seriously, you have to hold people accountable for them. Business strategy should be the backbone of your evaluations and incentives.
You should hire people based on strategy fit. You should reward people based on strategy performance. You should evaluate people based on strategy adherence. And you should fire people based on strategy neglect or opposition.
Accountability is how you tell everybody, “We’re not joking.”
When people connect your principles to their pocketbook, they’re right where you need ‘em to be.
You’ve got the above list to look out for. Now you’re ready for action.
What’s the right next step for you? You could avail yourself of my Single Slide Strategy framework, which gives you a structured approach to follow. You could hire expert help to guide you through it.
Or maybe you just need a little diagnosis and direction before you decide. I’m here for that. Book some consulting time with me, and we can figure it out together.
Godspeed, my friend.
