The Value of Crafting a Strategic Narrative for the Enterprise

It’s complicated is not a strategy.

In a time when business is more complex than ever, and employees’ expectations for transparency is at an all-time high, saying it’s complicated is not enough. How do you explain your strategy with enough detail to balance the competing priorities without overloading employees with information they neither need nor want? You must develop a strategic narrative.

Here five advantages of developing a strategic narrative:

1. Developed correctly, it forces alignment among your leaders on what the heck your strategy really is.
2. It forces you to decide why you exist and if that has changed since you last talked about it.
3. It acknowledges the forces at work in the universe that are driving you to have to change.
4. It acknowledges that it is going to be hard.
5. It identifies why it’s worth it to do the hard work and where you will be if you are successful.

A strategic narrative explains who you are as a company – where you’ve been, where you are, where you are going, how you believe value is created and what you value in relationships. It explains why you exist and what makes you unique. It inspires employees, excites partners, attracts customers and engages influencers. It’s complicated but done right, a strategic narrative brings your corporate character to life for employees, reflecting their own values and strengths.