Setting a strategic direction is one thing, but delivering real results is another. To turn strategy into impact requires the buy-in from many stakeholders (leaders, executives, board of directors, investors) and the commitment from teams throughout the organization. That takes more than a polished plan in a slide deck - it demands deep insight, flexible fortitude, and the emotional intelligence to inspire aligned action at every level. Strategic influence can be one of the most important, nuanced, and sometimes elusive factors in amplifying your impact.
In the third part of my Insights from the Field, I’ve curated the real world experiences shared by several innovators, creators, and leaders that I interviewed in my Game Changer Interview Series as part of my work to inspire an elite level of strategic leadership. They share the challenge of amplifying their strategic influence to achieve short-term and long-term objectives within their organization.
First and foremost, trust must be established and actively cultivated. It’s the foundation for securing support - whether from employees, peers, executives or your investors. Strategy is a bet, not a guarantee, and trust determines whether others are willing to place that bet with you and your team.
Develop trust in yourself to strengthen your conviction.
You’ll need that trust in yourself before you can gain buy-in and commitment from others. "A new idea will require demonstrated conviction to convince others that there is really something there. If you don't believe in what you are saying, no one else will,” said Dave Williford in his interview.
Cultivate trust with others - so they are willing to trust in you.
"Having a great track record gives us the reputation required for others to trust our tough decisions. Building up your credibility and forging strong relationships is a precursor to this,” offered Kellie Garrett in her interview.
"The bedrock is trust,” she continued. “When you build relationships based on a sense that you have their back, no matter what, then you can pull people along much quicker than in a climate where people worry about what your agenda is."
Acknowledging missteps builds the trust needed to influence strategic direction.
As you continue to build that trust in your leadership, take responsibility for course correction. “We didn’t always get it right. Accepting these consequences are a part of our learning and getting better is always part of the solution,” said Wayne Woodard in his interview. “I always fall back on our values of Accountability, Self-Initiative, Trust and Operational Excellence when in need of support.”
Be candid about any uncertainty.
As a strategic leader, you may have embraced the discomfort that accompanies volatility in your industry. Acknowledge the unpredictability, and share how the strategic plan will navigate it.
“Be consistent, be transparent and be yourself. We don’t need to change who we are based on the circumstances to succeed. Great leaders are decisive and comfortable not having all the answers immediately,” said Raj Sodhi in his interview.
A key piece of strategic influencing is the ability to be influenced as well. This starts with strategic listening to key stakeholders.
“It is critical to take the time to hear people out and develop a process to enable strategic alignment,” said Adelle Walker in her interview. “Closure to this process is usually the most challenging part, as everyone may have differing views on the direction, so it’s important to find ways to bring people along.”
Strategic listening doesn’t just happen in the strategic planning phase - it will probably occur throughout your initiatives, especially in the face of volatility and uncertainty. “Be part of setting an example about healthy debate, the value of purposefully introducing counter points of view, and the importance of alignment and support for the agreed path forward,” said Raj.
A key to strategic influence is to understand the motivating factors of key stakeholders - the board, the investors, management, partners, or employees. What do they hope to achieve?
Start with inspiration and purpose.
“I believe this boils down to inspiration and communication. I am constantly experimenting with both,” said Anju Ahuja in her interview. “When I find conviction, my immediate goal is to communicate why in a way that inspires others to discover their own sense of conviction.”
“I believe everyone has their own internal conviction engine, and as a leader it is important to motivate people along their journey in this respect,” she continued. “I believe empowering my team and colleagues to pursue the things in which they find meaning and purpose, while giving them the resources to do so, is a deep form of connection to your people and the mission.”
Communicate strategy effectively at all levels.
The high level strategy may be crystal clear to leadership, but does every member of the organization truly understand how their efforts directly impact the overarching objectives? Take the time to make the connection and reinforce the meaning of their work.
"You do this by consistently tying initiatives and solutions back to company strategy and industry direction. Use consistent language,” added Dave. “You will know you are having an impact when you start hearing your words repeated in other settings."
"When the strategy is clear, acting decisively with greater acceptance is easier. Understanding the difference between decisiveness (fast) and inclusiveness (consensus) and the coexistence of the two are critical components to the level of your success,” said Ramin Cyrus in his interview.
Bring your leadership energy.
“Leaders are in the energy business,” said Kristie Burns in her interview. “Every day, every interaction. Leaders can feel the burden of the whole team on their shoulders, demands on their time like no other. Your team’s energy starts with you. Executing boldly, driving strategies that are game-changing - these are hard, exciting, lofty ideas.”
“The best leaders have a contagious, positive energy,” Kristie continued. “And leaders need to recharge - carve out the time to nurture, inspire yourself. Your team will see the difference.”
Naturally, hesitation and concerns may arise, especially when the strategic direction charters into new territory. Strategic leaders embrace change to create distinct value and competitive advantage - but the need for stability or fear of failure by others may challenge your strategic plan.
Re-connect the plan with the overarching strategy.
Spend time re-establishing the connection between short-term activities with the overarching strategic direction. "Start with Why,” said Jessica Woodlins in her interview. “Clear, thoughtful reasoning helps the team understand the logic and context for change."
Or as Dave reminds us: “You need to remember that what is obvious to you is not to others. You will have to repaint your picture over and over before others start to see it clearly.”
In her interview, Jennifer Tankersley agreed and added: ”Slowing down to not only provide clarity but understand where any disconnect lies allows for greater enrollment and empowerment from the people who are ultimately going to make that strategy come alive. It’s the classic ‘slow down to speed up’.”
Pace the organizational change appropriately.
Once you’ve gained the commitment to the strategic direction, align the execution plan to empower your teams to succeed. "Everyone has a different speed when it comes to change. Resistance is normal and can be used to have great conversations, some of which reveal flaws in the implementation that are useful,” said Kellie.
Continue to invite discussion when appropriate.
Getting curious about hesitations can reveal potential pitfalls and blind spots, allowing you to respond with agility. "Resistance is full of potential insight. When we listen for the driver below the resistance, we create better strategies, better implementation, and even better pivots when we realize we made some poor assumptions or missed something critical,” said Jennifer in her interview.
Finally, as a strategic leader, you’ll navigate the nuanced balance of leading with conviction or connection. “Can you work in a “connection” phase to truly get the best thinking on the table and everyone committed efficiently, while shifting into the “conviction” stage when we need action to move us forward. That’s the balance I am striving for as a leader,” said Kevin Stealey in his interview.
Lewis Choi thinks about the role of humility and responsibility in the ability to influence. "I feel that I have been able to approach different situations with a combination of boldness and humility to take the best thoughts forward rather than only my views.”
“This allowed for more alignment and adoption of strategic imperatives and helped to spread the burden of driving impact across multiple people, which has helped to drive stronger outcomes and realization towards strategic goals.”
Strategic influence is an ongoing practice that requires emotional intelligence, flexibility, patience, and resilience. These insights from lived experiences reveal the fluidity and complexity of motivating and managing the efforts of stakeholders at all levels inside (and outside the organization). One thing is for certain: strategic influence is a fluid and highly nuanced factor in creating bold impact and delivering strategic results at scale.
Subscribe to the Game Changer Interview Series to read the original interviews and gain insights each month to how real strategic leaders navigate the challenges to deliver bold results and create lasting impact. If you’re curious about your strengths and stage of leadership development, take the Strategic Impact Quiz.