- Recruit and retain top talent.
- Increase market share.
- Improve customer satisfaction.
- Expand into new geographic markets.
- Diversity product offerings.
- Reduce operating costs.
- Improve employee satisfaction.
- Develop and launch new technologies.
- Improve supply chain management.
- Increase revenue and profitability.
- Implement sustainability practices.
- Improve efficiency and productivity.
- Develop and maintain strong partnerships.
- Enhance product quality and reliability.
- Increase innovation and creativity.
- Strengthen organizational culture.
- Build a talent pipeline.
- Improve the customer experience.
- Expand into new product categories.
- Invest in research and development.
These are not strategies.
These are goals.
A goal is what a company wants to accomplish.
A strategy is the UNIQUE and DISTINCT WAY by which the goal is achieved.
If, as a leader, you don’t design and effectively articulate the strategy by which you’ll achieve those goals, you’ll never reach them.
If, as a leader, you throw them over the fence to your leadership team and let them “figure it out, but with the freedom to fail,” you’ll still never reach them.
“Human resources will hire five new members of the sales team by the end of September.” is also not a strategy.
“The sales manager will be on proposal calls to secure five in-person meetings with prospects by Thanksgiving.” is also not a strategy.
“Increase the size of our sales staff.” is also not a strategy.
A STRATEGY is much bigger, deeper, and broader.
It is core to who you are as an organization.
Whether you want to grow, stabilize, retrench, or reinvent, it should easily adapt.
It’s your unique value proposition.
It’s your unique position.
It’s your distinct competitive advantage.
That’s it.
About the Author
Andrea Belk Olson is a keynote speaker, author, differentiation strategist, behavioral scientist, and customer-centricity expert.As the CEO of Pragmadik, she helps organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to Fortune 500, and has served as an outside consultant for EY and McKinsey. Andrea is the author of three books, including her most recent, What To Ask: How To Learn What Customers Need but Don’t Tell You, released in June 2022.
She is a 4-time ADDY® award winner and host of the popular Customer Mission podcast. Her thoughts have been continually featured in news sources such as Chief Executive Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, Harvard Business Review, Rotman Magazine, World Economic Forum, and more. Andrea is a sought-after speaker at conferences and corporate events throughout the world. She is a visiting lecturer and startup coach at the University of Iowa, a TEDx presenter, and TEDx speaker coach. She is also an instructor at the University of Iowa Venture School.
More information is also available on www.pragmadik.com and www.andreabelkolson.com.
