#42: Actionable Tactics to Navigate the 'Messy Middle' of Strategy with John Cutler
Mar 6, 2024
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Exploring the challenges of strategy in the 'messy middle' with guest John Cutler. Topics include team alignment, defining solid strategies, and the importance of clear communication. Dive into strategic thinking, making informed decisions, and the impact of product management strategies on company success.
Distinguish between strategy deployment and strategy itself for effective communication.
Cascade the real strategy through leaders to maintain integrity and depth.
Identifying different frames of strategy can enhance understanding and communication.
Deep dives
Strategy Deployment vs. Strategy
One common pitfall is the confusion between strategy deployment and strategy itself. Strategy deployment involves communication, branding, and making the strategy understandable to everyone, whereas strategy focuses on deciding what parts of a complex problem to hold constant. It is crucial to differentiate between the two to ensure clear communication and effective execution.
Cascade the Real Strategy through Leaders
To prevent the strategy from being watered down in all-hands meetings, cascade the real strategy through leaders who can communicate it effectively within their teams. This helps maintain the integrity and depth of the strategy while ensuring that it resonates with different levels of the organization.
Frames of Strategy
Identifying and labeling different frames of strategy can enhance understanding and communication within the organization. By recognizing frames such as ecosystem, technology, customer motion, financial, competitive, and others, leaders can provide a multi-dimensional view of the strategy, catering to various perspectives within the company.
Graceful Simplicity in Strategy Communication
Achieving graceful simplicity in strategy communication is about finding a powerful and simple articulation of the strategy, rather than merely simplifying it. It involves identifying a concise and impactful phrase or set of phrases that can resonate with individuals across different expertise levels, allowing for both depth and clarity in understanding.
Importance of Automated Yeses and Noes
Utilizing automated yeses and noes in strategy execution can reduce cognitive load and guide decision-making. By defining clear priorities and actions to take, teams can streamline their efforts and focus on impactful tasks, ensuring alignment and efficiency in achieving strategic goals.
Strategy is messy. It’s happening simoulteaneously at different levels, with different lenses, different time horizons, among many other stakes at play.
My guest in this episode, John Cutler, has a remarkable ability to bridge the world of theories with what we actually face down the road when executing. Together, we unravel the intricacies of the 'messy middle,' that challenging space between lofty company aspirations and the day-to-day grind of teams.
The conversation was extremely valuable to me, because it brought actionable ideas to complex topics like:
helping team think bigger and wider,
what is important to define to have a solid strategy,
how to (or not to) align,
and many more topics.
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