Corporate Strategy is a Verb

Why Corporate Strategy is a Verb: Driving Focused Action for Business Success
Some leaders mistakenly think of corporate strategy as a grand plan conceived during a strategy retreat that is locked in place. This static perspective, however, limits the potential of what corporate strategy can and should be. The most effective companies view strategy not as a fixed document or a rigid set of guidelines but as a dynamic, evolving process that creates clear direction and high meaning. In other words, corporate strategy is a verb, not a noun.

Effective corporate strategies are an ongoing series of coordinated and integrated actions, decisions, and adjustments that organizations must constantly engage in to stay aligned with their goals as circumstances change.

Why Corporate Strategy is a Verb
Here is why thinking of corporate strategy as a verb changes the game, and what it means for leaders, teams, and organizations.

1. Things Always Change, and Strategies Must Be Agile Enough to Keep Pace
   By the time most strategies make their way from the board room to the frontline, things have changed. The execution of organizational strategies needs to be flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances, new opportunities, competitive threats, and emerging trends.

   Rapidly shifting markets require companies to treat their strategy not as a static entity but as a series of ongoing actions and adjustments to stay aligned with market conditions.  This fluid approach ensures that businesses do not become complacent or fall behind. Agility in strategy means that companies are always in motion, analyzing performance, making course corrections, and seizing new opportunities as they emerge.

   Have your executives adopted an ownership mindset where strategy is synonymous with adaptability?

2. Strategy Must be Translated into Actions to be Fully Implemented
   Another reason corporate strategy is a verb is the emphasis on execution. A brilliant strategy on paper means little without the concrete actions that bring it to life. Execution is where strategy becomes real.

   Organizations that see strategy as an active, ongoing endeavor invest significant resources in translating strategies into clear goals and accountabilities, cascading those goals across the organization, communicating and measuring progress, holding people accountable, and rewarding execution performance.

   High performing leaders ensure that their teams not only understand the strategic vision but are empowered and equipped to fully execute it. To make strategy actionable, leaders must actively involve key stakeholders in the strategy design process, encourage transparency and two-way communication, build iterative feedback loops, and ensure a clear understanding of roles and goals.

   Do your leaders link strategy to action at every level in the organization?

3. Strategy Communication Does Not Equal Strategy Execution
   Many executives tell us that constantly marketing and communicating strategy is a key to success. But our organizational alignment research found that communications, town halls, and emails do not change the hearts and minds of employees at work. Less than half of the middle managers we survey can accurately describe their company’s strategic priorities. And Gartner found that what leaders communicate about strategy only has a 1% impact on employees.

   If only it was as easy as announcing exciting strategic plans and assuming compliance and follow-through based upon compelling internal communications.  For a strategy to work, goals and accountabilities, roles, interdependencies, and strategy success metrics must be deeply embedded in the company’s culture and aligned with its talent. This alignment of strategy, culture, and talent is not a one-time exercise; it requires ongoing effort.

   Corporate strategy, when viewed as a verb, pushes leaders to think constantly about how well their culture and talent support their business goals.  Leaders should consistently ask:

   — Is our strategy clear enough to begin to take coordinated action?
   — Can everyone describe how our major priorities and initiatives fit together?
   — Do you believe that our strategy will lead to success?
   — Is our strategy implementable in our culture?
   — Can everyone on the team connect the dots between strategic priorities?
   — Is internal and external strategy feedback actively sought out and acted upon?
   — Does the way work gets done and rewarded align with our strategic priorities?
   — Are our people in the right roles with the right capabilities and motivations to execute our strategy?

4. Strategy Implementation Lives and Dies with Difficult Decisions
   From the top to the bottom, how an organization handles difficult decisions — especially around the behaviors and performance levels that they tolerate — goes a long way toward helping or hindering strategy execution. When conflicts and misalignments inevitably arise based upon new strategic directions, leaders must be able to make strategic decisions for the greater good.

   We know from decision making training data that the higher the stakes, the more strategic decision making matters to move strategic initiatives forward in a way that makes sense to the business AND the people. In fact, in the highest performing companies, 88% of respondents reported that company decisions demonstrated a healthy balance of short- and long-term focus.

   Does everyone agree upon who makes what decisions and how tactical, operational, and strategic decisions will be made?

The Bottom Line
Corporate strategy is not a static plan but an ongoing process of action, alignment, execution, and innovation. Thinking of corporate strategy as a verb highlights the need for continuous adjustment, real-time decision-making, and consistent execution. Organizations that embrace a dynamic approach to strategy will be better equipped to navigate change, seize opportunities, and maintain a sustainable competitive edge.

To learn more about effectively implementing corporate strategies, download The 3 Big Mistakes to Avoid When Cascading Your Corporate Strategy