Dan Bruder argues that strategy fails when it's just data and spreadsheets. It has to connect to how work affects an employee's relationships, wellness, and sense of meaning. Without that personal resonance, a strategy won't gain real traction.
If we give our people the reason to care about the strategy on a personal level, meaning we're connecting an individual's personal life to the benefits of working at this organization. And I think that's— now we can start getting their attention when it's personal. It's personal and it's about the
people.
It's not data. And you mentioned at the beginning they shared a bunch of spreadsheets and graphs. Man, that is like super— that's a great way to get people's attention. Well, you know, not, right? Not. And, you know, so now we're competing for attention. But if we can get underneath that human being and say, why does this matter to you? How is this going to help you with your relationships in all aspects of your life? How is work going to foster better wellness, better well-being? Of course, there's a work element. You have to be successful in work. And how can this play a role in your interest? Now we actually have their attention. If we can help them see where work is meaningful, a meaningful part of their life, because it is the most dominant chunk of time, right? Most people's lives. So why not make it a meaningful chunk of time so that not only does the person grow, but the organization grows through this connection that we have now. This— we're talking about strategy, but if we can't build a strategy that connects to somebody's, their emotions and their reason for being at this organization, it doesn't mean we're going to fail. I don't want to scare people that way. It just means we're not going to be as effective as we could be.
Ep 35 Your Strategic Stagnation Isn't a Framework Problem—It's a Story Problem
The YouTube Strategy School: Why Your MBA Didn’t Teach You Strategic Thinking
