Stratsuma

Category: Initiative Teams

  • Building Effective Teams for Strategic Initiatives

    Imagine a hundred cooks vying for space in a cramped kitchen, all trying to stir the same pot. This chaos complicates the task, slows down the work, and is potentially even dangerous. This is exactly what initiative teams need to avoid in order to become successful. Strategic initiatives thrive on smaller, focused groups with clear responsibilities and direct communication.

    The best teams resist the temptation to simply throw bodies at an initiative, and don’t include everyone that raises their hand to be involved. The guiding principle to determining team size should be: “as few as possible, as many as necessary”. Instead of crowds, ensure the right people are involved and empowered to bring their specific skills to the table.

    Just like a well-run kitchen, every team member needs a clearly defined role; outlining specific responsibilities eliminates ambiguity and ensures everyone understands their part in the initiative’s success. This further increases the sense of ownership and prevents confusion. 

    The team should also be empowered with appropriate decision making authority in order for the initiative to progress at speed. Far too often, initiative teams are left waiting for external decision makers to discuss progress and make decisions that could have been entrusted to individuals on the team; either empower your team, staff it with more senior people, or have a responsive sponsor who can escalate questions quickly.

    But even with the right people in the right roles, it is still easy for teams to be out of alignment. Imagine our cooks focusing only on their own work and getting in each other’s way. They shout instructions over each other and as the noise level rises, no one knows if they are being addressed, information is getting lost or distorted, and frustration is building. Initiative teams need a clear flow of information to ensure everyone stays in the loop and works together effectively.

    Regular meetings can be an effective communication tool, but keep them short and to-the-point. Targeted discussions ensure everyone stays aligned and on the same page, without wasting valuable time. The best meetings are like quick kitchen huddles – focused and informative to keep everyone moving towards a shared goal. Tracking mechanisms, such as progress tracking in stratsuma, are a great way to facilitate these meetings. 

    But before any of this, it’s crucial to establish a clear strategic direction. As Stuart Draper, Founder of Stukent points out: “A clear strategy gives aim for tactics. Your team very quickly wants to go after the next thing that’s going to drive sales. If you haven’t given them an overall strategy, they are going to go all over the place in different directions.” Without clarity on which direction to move in, even a team of exceptional chefs will not deliver you the results that you crave.

    stratsuma helps you create your strategy, craft clear initiative charters, and track progress with confidence.

  • The Importance of Strategic Alignment

    Imagine a rowing team where each member paddles in a different direction. Where would the boat go? Your guess is as good as mine – but certainly not toward its intended destination. The same principle applies to strategy and transformation. Without alignment between leadership and initiative teams, even the most brilliant strategies remain just ideas at best – or sources of confusion at worst.

    Getting Aligned: Building a Shared Understanding

    Alignment starts before the strategy is even set. It’s not something handed down from leadership – it’s something built together. Aligned teams share a consistent understanding of their work and how it contributes to the organization’s broader ambition. This clarity not only increases motivation but also accelerates execution.

    Jacqueline Madison of Ticketmaster describes the power of this alignment:

    “The strategy should be so well understood by everyone that each team member makes decisions like any leader would – even smaller micro decisions.”

    To get there, leaders must prioritize collaboration from the start:

    • Before setting your strategy, listen to your teams. Involving team members early creates a shared sense of ownership and ensures you’re incorporating frontline insights. For example, a sales leader shaping a new go-to-market strategy should first engage with sellers to understand their challenges and perspectives.
    • During the strategy-setting process, co-create the vision. Strategy should never be built in isolation. As Jacqueline explains, “Good strategies are ones that are co-created. Leaders don’t do strategy well by sitting in a box and not talking to other people.” In our sales example, a leader might hold a working session with key team members to draft the strategy together, ensuring alignment from day one.

    Staying Aligned: Reinforcing Strategy Over Time

    Alignment isn’t a one-time event – it’s an ongoing discipline. Once the strategy is in place, the real challenge is ensuring teams stay connected to it through execution.

    • Communicate the strategy consistently. Jacqueline shares how she ensures continued alignment at Ticketmaster: “I communicate the strategy regularly to different groups of people, and while it may feel repetitive, it’s really required for everyone to be on the same page.” Leaders should make strategy discussions a regular habit – whether through team meetings, check-ins, or company-wide updates.
    • Maintain progress visibility. For transformational initiatives, teams must regularly share progress with leadership to ensure continued alignment. This not only prevents teams from drifting off course but also reinforces accountability and momentum.

    Too often, organizations invest heavily in setting a strategy, only to let it fade into the background. When leaders stop reinforcing key initiatives, teams lose direction, motivation, and ultimately fail to achieve results. Successful strategies don’t just live in a document – they live in the minds of every team member.

    As Jacqueline puts it, true alignment means each person understands the strategy so well that their confidence “empowers them to show up and be successful.”

    By treating strategy as a living, breathing part of daily work, leaders can ensure their teams aren’t just paddling – but paddling together in the right direction.