When I was hired to fix a struggling product team, the problems were obvious. Sales teams were frustrated because they couldn’t trust delivery timelines. Engineering teams felt like they were constantly firefighting, reacting instead of planning. The real issue? A lack of clear, actionable strategy.
I started the way I always do—by asking everyone, "What are the top three goals for the next three months?"Most people had no idea. Some said, "Whatever the leader wants." A few just laughed.
When I shared this with the leader, he was stunned. "But I’ve been clear," he insisted. "It’s all in the deck."
The problem is that slide decks don’t work. They’re too abstract and forgettable. A stack of slides might look good in a meeting but doesn’t stick when real decisions need to be made.
What works is a strategy story.A strategy story turns vague objectives into a clear, memorable narrative. It ensures that everyone—from leadership to engineering to sales—understands the direction, priorities, and next steps.
How to Make Your Strategy Actionable with Storytelling
Leaders often assume that because they’ve presented a strategy, their teams understand it. But if people can’t repeat the strategy in their own words, they don’t actually know it. This is where structured storytelling comes in.
During a webinar on influencing decision-makers, I shared a six-question framework that helps move people from confusion to clarity:
Where are we? (What’s the current state?)
What are we trying to accomplish? (Why does this matter?)
What’s the challenge? (What’s standing in our way?)
What are the options? (What choices do we have?)
What do we recommend? (What’s the best path forward?)
What will it take? (What’s the investment or trade-off?)
This sequence builds alignment step by step, making the final decision feel like the natural conclusion. It reduces resistance and ensures that teams feel ownership over the strategy rather than just following orders.
Why Jumping to Solutions Without Context Fails
Many leaders jump straight to solutions without context. This approach fails because teams lack the background to make informed decisions. It’s like asking someone to jump across a river in one leap. Most people hesitate because it feels risky.
Without context, teams often experience:
Indecision: Teams lack context to make informed choices.
Lack of Commitment: Team members feel excluded from decision-making.
Confusion: People fill in gaps with their own biases.
A well-crafted strategy story eliminates these issues by guiding teams through the logic of the decision.
How to Align Your Team with a Strategy Story
Instead of relying on a long strategy document or slide deck, try this approach:
Tell it like a story: Define who you are helping, why it matters now, and what choices you have.
Make it repeatable: If your team can’t summarize the strategy in their own words, it’s too complicated.
Test for alignment: Ask three different people what the strategy is. If you get three different answers, go back to the story.
Teams don’t need more information—they need clarity. A strategy story makes the work feel obvious and urgent.
Leadership, Influence, and Storytelling
Strategy is not just about making decisions—it’s about making decisions stick.
At the leadership level, the ability to influence decisions and align teams is just as important as having the right ideas. In a remote or hybrid work environment, influence doesn’t happen naturally. It has to be intentional.
The best leaders don’t rely on documents and decks. They rely on stories.
A strong strategy story does more than explain—it unites, clarifies, and drives action. Ready to transform how your team understands and executes strategy? Start crafting your strategy story today.
