Strategy Execution is Challenging
Even more so at Scale
You have spent countless hours developing your strategy.
Answer this honestly:
What do you have in place to ensure the people in your organization will EXECUTE the strategy you created?
How do you KNOW the daily behaviors necessary are actually happening?
Activation is all about ONE thing - Action
Although business leaders invest significantly in identifying, analyzing, and making the right strategic choices, they often fail to achieve their strategic ambition because their organizations lack the ability and commitment to translate these choices into action.
In a widely quoted survey by Forbes, 82 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs surveyed felt their teams were effective in strategic planning, but a mere 14 percent of the CEOs felt their organizations were effective at implementation.
Activation of strategy is crucial because only top leaders are involved in strategy development while execution involves a large number of people in your organization.
Why Strategy Activation is Important
FOR THE BUSINESS:
Strategy Activation is eliminating the gap between executive strategy and the day-to-day behavior of your people.
It’s a continuous cycle of improvement, incorporating real-time feedback from your people ‘ on the ground’ who are working to accomplish the goals you have set.
Turn the eyes and ears a company has on the ground into thousands of feedback points, guaranteeing your important objectives will be met.
There are multiple steps in the process, and the process is often invisible. It is a reliable system that’s easy to deploy (and flexible to your needs), and visibility into how the change is being adopted.
FOR YOUR PEOPLE:
Strategy activation is about transforming internal communications from monologue to dialogue.
It’s about making a step change in management theory by harnessing the collective genius of teams.
It’s about data-driven leadership. It’s about utilizing human systems around the strengths and limitations of people to create organizational superintelligence and help people live a higher purpose every SINGLE day.
It’s about empowering your people by giving them the agency to do what is most important every day by understanding their place in the larger strategy.
It’s about helping your people feel like they are winning every single day because their measurable contribution makes a meaningful difference.
WHO NEEDS STRATEGY ACTIVATION?
If you can you say ‘YES!’ to at least 50% of the statements below, you are ready:
BUSINESSES THAT ARE:
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50 to 500 people
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Needing a radical shift in strategic execution
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Experiencing rapid growth or attrition
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Need external help to get to the next level
SENIOR LEADERS WHO ARE:
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Growth-minded about business and personally
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Data-driven with a ‘people-first’ mindset
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Willing to embrace change in more than words
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Courageously willing to ‘go first’ and lead the way
We are taking all the experience with these companies,
and bringing it to your small business.
Thousands of clients can't be wrong!
Strategy Activation Case Studies
Increasing Agility Through Values
Background
- A North American project contractor with 4800 employees in 19 countries wanted to significantly improve revenue over the next three years, agility would be a key factor
- Leaders identified a needed mindset shift around how employees overcome on-site obstacles, specifically focused on increasing agility and personal accountability for generating solutions
Program
- Following half-day workshops for 800 managers, participants used Habit Builder to share their progress in building new skills with senior leadership
- Habit change focused on becoming more change-ready and creating a psychologically safe space for their teams to discuss the challenges and opportunities of embracing the new values
Outcomes
- Identified strength of leadership skills regionally through analysis of program outcomes
- Improvements in agility and communications measured through the program; 38% increase in speed of the communications cascade within teams
- “Team cohesiveness that was somewhat lacking before. Everyone now believes that their voice is heard and makes a difference.” – Program Participant
Improving Safety Performance
Background
- Global engineering firm needed to change the mindset of safety—from compliance-oriented to an interdependent safety culture
- Leadership team wanted to shift the mindset of supervisors to stronger leadership overall, combined with an understanding of their ability to influence greater safety on their job sites
Program
- The program focused on building supervisor leadership skills, as well as leveraged behavior science to support change on-the-job; topics included defining safety culture, supervisor skills to influence on-the-job behavior change, as well as understanding safety leadership
- The Habit Builder supported skill and/or mindset shifts via technology “nudges” to rate their progress and create journal entries)
Outcomes
- A significant increase in safety awareness contributed to a 200% improvement in safety performance.
- 56% of participants reported new safety habits were integrated into their work.
- “People are more aware of my safety commitments and act accordingly around me. I feel they respect safety much more.” – Site Safety Supervisor
Improved Operating Efficiencies
Background
- Tanknology is a division of Englobe Corp a nationwide environmental engineering and services company
- Tanknology leadership wanted to improve communications between sales and field teams (to improve customer service and response times), as well as help up-and-coming managers practice their meeting facilitation skills
Program
- Tanknology supervisors ran a series of team conversations on topics ranging from process improvement, listening, personal motivation, and productivity
- Leader-led Conversations were run with intact teams, as well as in mixed teams (field & office)
Outcomes
- In addition to communications improvements between sales and field teams, process improvement conversations led to the launch of a paper reduction initiative, generating an 80% reduction in paper use.
- “Six months later, we are continuing to implement many of the great ideas generated relating to customer service, reporting, office procedures, and quality control. Every minute we save allows us to better serve our customers.” Matthew Field, Manager
Culture Accelerator
Accelerate Agility & Innovation
Background
- Global CPG, $20 billion annual revenue
- Traditional work culture was negatively impacting market share, revenue growth, and employee retention in key roles and markets.
Program
- Required skill development and behavior changes identified included: improving agility, accountability & team dynamics
- Following each Conversation, team members committed to related behavior changes
- Example commitment: “Building Trust”When I’m working today, instead of rushing through my meetings, I’ll take a few minutes to look for issues that may be affecting a sense of safety for the group, and take one small step to help address it.
Outcomes
- Changing behaviors and team dynamics are shifting, with 93% reporting changes in work speed and innovation.
- 93% of participants agreed that “this conversation will help me be more agile and innovative in my work.”
Shifting Culture to Drive Growth
Background
- North America global logistics management firm
- Leadership decision to pursue significantly shifting their culture, in order to remain competitive and grow top-line revenue
- Launch of the new brand promise, plus new behavior and competency definitions; goals to increase innovation, analysis, and implementation skills, as well as encourage a “speak up” culture for greater levels of contribution and engagement
Program
- 6 months of culture-focused conversations & habit building, focused on the new value proposition, plus personal clarity about impact to their work; also focused on process analysis and improvements
Outcomes
- Significant engagement in the program and its outcomes at all levels
- 13% increase to bottom-line revenue in the first year of the program
Building Manager Coach Skills Through 1:1s
Background
- Global retail developer; priority to create a more consistent workplace culture across their global regions
- Traditional work culture was negatively impacting market share, revenue growth and employee retention in key roles and markets
Program
- Pilot 1:1 program (30 managers) focused on leader skill reinforcement and improving the dialogue during 1:1 meetings; supplemented by leader skill-building workshops, on topics such as trust and collaboration
- Materials provided a meeting framework for leaders, and prep questions for the employee, so both parties were coming to the meetings ready for in-depth discussions
Outcomes
- All participants reported improvements in the quality of the 1:1 discussions, and improvements in employee and leader skills (based on focused habit building) following their sessions
- Program also provided L&D visibility to understand where departments are adopting a rapidly-changing set of strategic priorities; what’s resonating and what’s not.
- “These are – without question – the most powerful conversations I’ve ever had with a direct report.”
How we can help you activate YOUR strategy?