160. Rethink: How to Communicate Your Gameplan

Why organizational strategy can be both top-down and bottom-up.

As Professor Jesper Sørensen sees it, a winning strategy is the result of conversations, not commands, and that strategy can be directed from the C-suite, but it doesn’t have to be. “Lots of great strategies are discovered,” he says, “they’re discovered because the leaders were able to listen to their frontline workers or their frontline managers.” A more iterative approach, says Sørensen, helps companies adapt their strategy to an ever-changing landscape.
In the latest episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Sørensen joins host and lecturer Matt Abrahams to discuss how organizations can use better communication to craft better strategies.

Episode Reference Links:

• Stanford GSB Profile: Jesper B. Sørensen
• Sørensen’s Book: Making Great Strategy
• Original Episode: Ep.71 Strategy Success: How to Communicate Your Gameplan
• Ep.103 Simple is a Superpower: How to Communicate Any Idea to Any Audience
• Ep.41 Speak Like a Founder: How Successful Entrepreneurs Communicate to Their Teams

Connect:

• Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
• Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website
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• Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
• Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (01:38) - Defining Strategy
• (03:21) - Common Misconceptions about Strategy
• (05:07) - The Concept of a Strategy Argument
• (07:04) - Strategy as a Communication Tool
• (10:53) - The Dynamic Nature of Strategy
• (12:29) - Storytelling in Strategy Communication
• (14:55) - Propagating Strategy Through Storytelling
• (17:01) - The Final Three Questions
• (23:39) - Conclusion