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The Strategy Gap A show about the space between savvy strategy and practical execution — and everything that can go wrong on the way. Ever finish out the workday and...
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The Strategy Gap A show about the space between savvy strategy and practical execution — and everything that can go wrong on the way. Ever finish out the workday and realize you were super busy but didn’t actually accomplish what you wanted? A lot of companies operate this way.
Many of us know where we want our organization to go, but struggle to understand how we’re progressing and how to make sure we get there. This is a show about the best-laid plans, properly executing as you scale, and the processes you need to achieve your goals.
In this show, hosted by Jonathan Morgan and Joe Krause, each episode features conversations with strategy and operational leaders on key insights in strategic planning, strategy execution, and more.
show less
Many of us know where we want our organization to go, but struggle to understand how we’re progressing and how to make sure we get there. This is a show about the best-laid plans, properly executing as you scale, and the processes you need to achieve your goals.
In this show, hosted by Jonathan Morgan and Joe Krause, each episode features conversations with strategy and operational leaders on key insights in strategic planning, strategy execution, and more.
The Strategy Gap
The Strategy Gap
18 SEP 2024 · Jonathan and Joe sit down with Cheryl Farr, founder of Signal Brand Innovation, for a powerful deep dive into what makes or breaks a brand. Drawing from her work with giants like Nike and Coca-Cola, Cheryl reveals why true brand leadership goes far beyond logos and slogans—it’s about staying authentic to your core values.
From Minnetonka Moccasins’ rebranding success to Allbirds’ missteps, and a conversation about Southwest Airlines, this episode uncovers the real challenges and triumphs in brand strategy. Cheryl’s bold insights on brand filters and leadership-driven authenticity will have you rethinking how strategy and branding intertwine. If you care about brand loyalty and leadership, you won’t want to miss this one!
In this episode:
- 00:00 - Apple's Brand Strategy: Consistent Perception Management
- 6:05 - How Consistent Brand Connection Cultivates Customer Loyalty
- 10:16 - Balancing Brand Loyalty with Leadership Decisions in Organizations
- 12:38 - Employee Engagement: Key to External Brand Success
- 15:04 - Starbucks CEO's Daily Commute by Private Jet
- 18:13 - The Crucial Role of CEO Integrity in Brand Longevity and Reinvention
- 23:27 - Finding Your Brand's True, Meaningful, and Different Filters
- 24:45 - Company Reassesses Identity to Innovate Future Strategy
- 29:02 - Using Brand as a Vision Tool for Future Commitment
- 32:24 - Advice for Your Younger Strategy Practitioner Self
4 SEP 2024 · In this episode of "The Strategy Gap", hosts Jonathan Morgan and Joe Krause engage in a robust conversation with Marc Mertz, the Chief Strategy Officer at Kaweah Health. Marc, who has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry, delves into the significant role of a Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). He explains that a CSO is pivotal in leading the development of the strategic plan, engaging various teams in the process, and overseeing the plan’s execution throughout the year. Marc highlights that his position allows him to focus on conceptual strategic thinking, such as developing new services and market positioning, as opposed to being absorbed by day-to-day operational responsibilities.
The discussion further explores the challenge of balancing immediate operational pressures with strategic foresight, especially in a high-stakes environment like healthcare. Marc shares his insights on encouraging executives and staff to allocate mental space for strategic thinking by conducting visioning sessions. He also talks about the importance of transforming complex strategic plans into simplified formats, such as a single-page document that includes the organization’s mission, vision, pillars, and measurable outcomes. This approach not only enhances understanding and visibility but also ensures the strategic plan remains a functional tool rather than a neglected document.
Moreover, the episode emphasizes the vital components of execution and accountability in strategic planning. Marc discusses the use of tools like AchieveIt to track progress, ensure timely updates, and maintain visibility across the organization. He also underscores the significance of regular updates and presentations to leadership teams and the board, which fosters continuous engagement and accountability. The conversation touches on the necessity of annual reviews to adjust plans as needed while celebrating milestones and successes to keep the momentum going. By engaging all levels of the organization and maintaining a structured review process, Marc firmly believes that strategic plans can transition from static documents to dynamic guides that drive meaningful progress.
In this episode:
- 0:00 The Role of the Chief Strategy Officer in Healthcare
- 4:19 Strategic Thinking for Executives During Crisis
- 8:34 Community-Informed Strategic Planning for Organizational Success
- 10:17 Including Stakeholders in Plan Execution: Focusing on Benefits
- 15:44 Scorekeeping and Visibility in Strategic Planning
- 17:41 Managing Control and Pressure in Professional Settings
- 20:43 The Power of Consistency in Achieving Change
- 25:41 The Importance of Adhering to One-Year Plans
- 27:35 Navigating the First Year: Patience and Focus
21 AUG 2024 · Curious about how universities are navigating the fast-changing landscape of higher education?
In this episode of The Strategy Gap, Jonathan Morgan and Joe Krause welcome Shawn Daley, the Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer at George Fox University, for a deep dive into the challenges and innovations shaping the future of academia.
Discover how higher ed institutions are borrowing strategies from for-profit sectors to stay competitive, hear firsthand how Shawn is revolutionizing student and parent experiences with ideas borrowed from the hospitality and tech industries, and gain insight into the financial hurdles facing smaller schools. If you're looking to understand the next wave of change in higher education, this episode is a must-listen.
Here's what you'll learn in the episode:
- 00:00 - George Fox: Overcoming FAFSA Challenges and Growing
- 3:07 - Challenges of University Governance in a Changing Market
- 7:46 - Exploring the Influence of Hospitality in Real Estate and Urban Planning
- 13:10 - Monthly Staff Meetings and Initiative Reviews
- 17:04 - Facilitating Faculty Collaboration Through Market Research Team Involvement
- 20:00 - The Chaotic Life of an Administrator
- 23:55 - The Future of Technical and Leadership Training
- 26:06 - Challenges of Higher Education Partnerships
- 29:40 - Enhancing Academic Career Success through Broader Sector Understanding
17 JUL 2024 · In today’s episode, Joe and Jonathan speak with Strategy & Revenue Operations Leader https://www.linkedin.com/in/lester-ang-47921735/ about the crucial balance between big-picture strategy and detailed work in strategy and revenue operations. A seasoned strategy and revenue operations advisor with a robust background in global teams and growth transformation, Lester brings no shortage of insights when it comes to effective leadership transitions and the role of listening, understanding, and adaptability to gain trust and credibility within any organization.
Join us as we discuss:
- How understanding people’s backgrounds helps when transitioning from an analyst role to a manager role
- Striking a balance between considering a variety of opinions with asserting one’s expertise and experience
- What challenges arise when it comes to incentivizing individuals in cost centers
- When to zoom in on the details vs. when to zoom out for a broader view
2 JUL 2024 · When it comes to navigating turbulence and developing strategy in the face of challenges, few industries are more weathered than education. With how quickly education standards and practices are evolving—and how many stakeholders are involved—it’s hard to think of many areas that have more lessons to offer to all manner of strategists.
This week, https://www.linkedin.com/in/larkinbriley/, Assistant Vice President of Strategy and Transformation at https://www.belmont.edu/, speaks with Joe and Jonathan about how higher education is navigating turbulent times, including the looming "enrollment cliff" and the decreasing perceived value of degrees. Larkin shares his insights on strategic planning and adaptation, highlighting the use of the OKR framework to align goals and emphasize impactful outcomes.
Join us as we discuss:
- Effective methodologies for setting priorities and measurable outcomes
- Balancing qualitative and quantitative measurements in strategic planning
- The importance of embracing fast iteration and learning from failure
18 JUN 2024 · For humans, the fear of change is so real and pervasive that there’s a word for it: metathesiophobia. Even if you didn’t know about this clinical term until now, you’re probably aware that organizations and teams of all types suffer from a fear of change—especially because there’s no shortage of examples of change being implemented ineffectively due to poor strategy or leadership.
In today’s episode, Joe and Jonathan are joined by https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-joerger-8b65884a/, Senior Director of Strategy Implementation at https://www.usp.org/, who shares her insights on leading without authority and driving effective change management in the realm of strategy.
Join us as we discuss:
- How to manage change while preserving core organizational values and practices
- The stages of change implementation: storming, forming, and norming
- Crucial elements for building trust within an organization to effectively implement change
- The need to crystallize a shared vision and goal among team members
5 JUN 2024 · This week, hosts https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-w-krause/ (SVP of Strategy Consulting at AchieveIt) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-d-morgan/ (VP of Revenue Operations and Head of Marketing at AchieveIt) have a wide-ranging conversation on how to integrate brainstorming into the strategy process. From dos and don’ts to challenges and benefits, Joe and Jonathan cover how all manner of organizations—especially those looking to pivot or shake things up at the year’s halfway mark—can not only generate great ideas and solicit vital contributions from their entire team, but proceed to put those ideas into game-changing action.
Join as we discuss:
- How diverse perspectives enhance the brainstorming and decision-making processes within organizations
- The role of incentives in aligning strategic plans
- Fostering a more open and effective idea-sharing culture through pre-work and individual brainstorming
- The importance of stress testing when developing and executing strategies
15 MAY 2024 · If you want outside-the-box thinking, it pays to spend some time living outside the box that is conventional strategy and corporate structure.
This week’s guest, Daniel Keene, Director of Strategy & Operations, has taken an unconventional route to his current role in healthcare overseeing the operations and strategy of large patient support systems—with stops along the way in aerospace engineering, CPG sales management, and general aviation. Daniel has leveraged these experiences to transform fragmented strategy and operation models into unified and efficiently executed visions. Throughout our conversation, Daniel shares his insights on some of the easily-forgotten project management fundamentals and core strategy principles, along with some high-level learnings he’s discovered during his time in healthcare.
Join us as we discuss:
- Focusing on a select few critical goals rather than spreading resources too thinly across numerous objectives
- The attributes of effective project management offices (PMOs)
- How to enhance project tracking through integrating qualitative and quantitative data for comprehensive progress insight
- The importance of allocating time during meetings to discuss next steps
1 MAY 2024 · When we think about strategy, we usually picture two groups: those who come up with high-level vision, and those who execute that vision through a strategy. But how do we actually get from ideation to execution? And who’s responsible for seeing that through?
Shobhna Upadhyaya, BizOps & Strategy Leader, joins the podcast to talk about business operations (aka BizOps), which she explains as the team responsible for that important middle phase between strategy development and implementation. In demystifying BizOps, strategy leaders across industries can find themselves better equipped to cultivate cross-functional collaboration and overcome challenges within corporate structures and strategy.
Join us as we discuss:
- How to maintain objectivity while being embedded in a specific line of business or functional area
- Strategies for building trust and influence without authority
- Balancing one-on-one conversations and group discussions to foster cooperation and resolve conflicts
- The value of clear ownership and definition of roles in the strategy development process
17 APR 2024 · Given how dynamic and complex our world is, there’s no place for rigid and siloed approaches to strategy.
This week, Michael Olaye, SVP and Managing Director of Strategy and Innovation at R/GA, shares his thoughts on developing strategy from a starting-point of flexibility and collaboration. While internal processes and expertise play a vital role in achieving an organization’s goals, too often teams miss out on game-changing solutions and methodologies by refusing to collaborate with outside agencies and industries that provide invaluable perspectives and insights. Michael, Joe, and Jonathan share personal experiences and dissect some useful case studies that illustrate why partnership and agility should be at the core of strategy development.
Join us as we discuss:
- The evolution of strategy over the years
- When it's more advantageous to pursue an internal development versus an external partnership
- Bringing users into the product and strategy development process
- How small companies can have massive impacts on much larger organizations
Notes: Link to Ted Talk discussed during the episode --> https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ted.com/talks/knut_haanaes_two_reasons_companies_fail_and_how_to_avoid_them/transcript&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1713317489386594&usg=AOvVaw0UT7GCr9O3cYK7Xu5kYCR_
The Strategy Gap A show about the space between savvy strategy and practical execution — and everything that can go wrong on the way. Ever finish out the workday and...
show more
The Strategy Gap A show about the space between savvy strategy and practical execution — and everything that can go wrong on the way. Ever finish out the workday and realize you were super busy but didn’t actually accomplish what you wanted? A lot of companies operate this way.
Many of us know where we want our organization to go, but struggle to understand how we’re progressing and how to make sure we get there. This is a show about the best-laid plans, properly executing as you scale, and the processes you need to achieve your goals.
In this show, hosted by Jonathan Morgan and Joe Krause, each episode features conversations with strategy and operational leaders on key insights in strategic planning, strategy execution, and more.
show less
Many of us know where we want our organization to go, but struggle to understand how we’re progressing and how to make sure we get there. This is a show about the best-laid plans, properly executing as you scale, and the processes you need to achieve your goals.
In this show, hosted by Jonathan Morgan and Joe Krause, each episode features conversations with strategy and operational leaders on key insights in strategic planning, strategy execution, and more.
Information
| Author | LivePerson |
| Organization | Sweet Fish |
| Categories | Management |
| Website | - |
| marketing@achieveit.com |
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