The Leadership in Action Series: On Strategic Leadership

Making Strategy Real: Bringing People Together Toward a Common Cause

Katherine Beatty and Laura Quinn

The hardest part of strategic leadership is getting people throughout the organization—from the executive team to the people on the front lines—to think and act similarly when making or carrying out strategy, even as the business environment continually places new demands on the organization. For leaders, closing the gap between strategy and execution requires focusing on clear priorities, creating common understanding through real dialogue, and engendering a learning orientation in the organization.

As a leader facing the increasingly complex challenges of today’s and tomorrow’s business environment, have you ever found yourself thinking like ...