the path to strategic impact Archive - The Art of Communicating

3 out of 10

Since launching “The PATH to Strategic Impact,” I’ve been collecting results from the (anonymous) online self-assessment included in the book.

One of the questions is this:

“Can team members (at all levels) articulate the strategy in their own words without losing its essence?”

Less than 3 out of 10 participants answered “yes” to that question (28.6% to be precise).

Think about that. In the vast majority of companies, the team doesn’t know what the strategy really is.

It gets worse. Another question asks:

“Are team members able to independently translate the strategy into actions without having to consult leadership?”

21.4% answered “yes” to that one.

In 4 out of 5 companies, the team doesn’t understand what the strategy means for the everyday choices they need to make.

I bet that’s hardly a surprise for you.

But then again, if the gap is so obvious, why does it persist?

It’s certainly not because leaders don’t care.
Or because teams are incapable.

It’s because communicating a strategy to make it actionable actually takes more effort than most of us realize.

As leaders, we know the strategy inside out. It’s obvious to us. It’s tempting to assume that communicating it will be just as straightforward.

But it’s not. To the team, it isn’t obvious.
The language of the boardroom just doesn’t cut it.

We need to speak their language, make it actionable, and find heartfelt words that transcend the dry & corporate language of most strategy documents.

Here’s the good news: this is solvable.

It’s why I wrote “The PATH to Strategic Impact” … to give you the tools to bridge the gap and turn your team into a strategic force.

If you want 2025 to be the year your strategy finally makes an impact, the holidays might be the perfect time to give it a read. (It’s a short read and very actionable with plenty of case studies and extensive online resources to get you started.)

You’ve already done the hard part—building the strategy. Now it’s time to make it work.

PS: Want to quickly assess how your communication stacks up? Here’s the 2-minute self-assessment.

What’s Your Path Next Year?

Few things matter more in leadership than lighting the path.

It’s what separates teams trapped in endless debates and confusion from those that make bold leaps.

→ Where are we headed?
→ Why there?
→ How do we want to make choices along the way?

Perhaps, like many other leaders you’ll use the time between the years to reflect and gain clarity on your path forward.

Why not use my new book “The PATH to Strategic Impact” as your guide?

Leaders who’ve read it have called it
→ “nothing short of transformative”
→ “a must-read for any leader who wants to turn their strategic vision into daily reality”
→ “I wish I’d had this book years ago”

In fact, I know of teams planning to get a copy for the whole leadership team to align their efforts in the new year.

Did I mention that it’s plain and simple, actionable, transformative, and heartfelt?

Get your copy here!

PS: It’s also a thoughtful gift for your team or your customers.

Cleaning up the mess

Let’s say it straight: The world of strategy can be messy.
But your communication should not reflect that mess.

I mean, organizations of more than a handful of people are inherently complex.

With many balls to juggle, difficult decisions to make, and diverging interests to balance.

On top of that, the world is changing fast, which turns business success into a moving target.

Decisions need to be made swiftly despite incomplete information, competing interests, and uncertain outcomes, considering an arsenal of factors in ever-changing conditions.

Here are four ways to clean up the mess:

Plain and Simple Communication
Strip away the jargon and complexity. Make the message easy to grasp and impossible to misunderstand. If it’s not simple, it won’t spread.

Actionable Focus
A strategy is meaningless without making clear which actions follow from it. Focus on what people can do to move forward, not just the bold vision they should aspire to.

Transformative Resonance
Encourage bold moves. You’re not going to make a difference with baby steps. Your words need to inspire the leaps.

Heartfelt Connection
When your strategy aligns business goals with the personal their goals of the team, it unlocks their full potential.

Or, in short: light the PATH!

PS: If you’ve been curious about The PATH to Strategic Impact, today’s the day to finally give it a read. The Kindle version is on sale for $0.99 in the US, today only.

How 2 Transformative Words Skyrocketed a Business

Who doesn’t love bold success stories?

The leader who inspired a movement.
The team that turned a company around.
The strategy that changed everything.

It seldom works.

But Alcoa’s story is truly remarkable.

It’s the story of how two words turned a struggling company completely around – leading to staggering results.

And it’s absolutely the stuff Hollywood movies are made of: They were laughed at, only to prove everyone wrong.

It’s a bit longer than usual so I put it into a short PDF. Download Alcoa’s story here as a free download. It’s totally worth your time.

PS: This is the final of a series of four case studies, one for each of the four PATH principles. Download all of them here.

The Problem with Business Books Today

Most business books are way too long.

The problem isn’t the number of pages.
It’s the amount of repetition.

The first chapter grabs you, maybe the second adds something new… but soon after, you’re thinking, ‘Thanks, but I’m reading this now for the fifth time!’

Take a look at your book shelf. How many of the books did you finish?

But why does this happen? Why, of all genres, are books that are made for business people (who are short on time and value brevity) often so repetitive?

Simple answer? Publishers.

They insist a book has to be thick enough to look important. They’ll tell you ‘a short book doesn’t look serious,’ or ‘it won’t justify the price tag.’ In fact, most publishers won’t even read book proposals for books below 35k words.

But longer isn’t better. Longer is exhausting.

When you force an idea to stretch beyond its natural length, it loses impact. Instead of sharpening the message, you blunt it.

The value of a book isn’t in how many pages it has. It’s in how much it leaves behind – in your mind, in your work, in your life.

That’s why my new book is short. It’s concise and clear. No fluff. No filler.

Because you’re not paying for the weight of the paper. You’re paying for the impact of the idea.

The international path

Wow, The PATH to Strategic Impact is a truly international phenomenon.

It’s finding its way to leaders across the globe.
And the reception has been incredible:
→ “nothing short of transformative”
→ “a must-read for any leader who wants to turn their strategic vision into daily reality”
→ “stands out for its simplicity and focus on actionable insights”
→ “I wish I’d had this book years ago”

I know for a fact that it’s already been embraced in at least 17 countries, and there may be more I haven’t heard back from.

When I decided to go international four years ago, I faced plenty of pushback from people who felt I should focus on the German market. Even today, I’m sometimes asked why I didn’t write the book in German. But seeing this kind of global feedback confirms that going international was the right choice. Thank you to everyone who’s joined me on this journey!

Here’s the list of countries so far (in alphabetical order):
→ Argentina
→ Brazil
→ Canada
→ France
→ Germany
→ India
→ Ireland
→ Japan
→ Jersey
→ Luxembourg
→ Mexico
→ The Netherlands
→ Poland
→ Spain
→ United Kingdom
→ United States
→ Uruguay

Have you read it? Looks like it’s totally worth it! Just click here to get your copy.

PS: Thanks to everyone who sent me a photo. It’s one of the easiest ways to put a smile on my face! Please keep them coming!

How 11 heartfelt words revolutionized an industry

In 2006, Jos de Blok turned the Dutch healthcare market on its head. With a heartfelt conviction:

We can trust nurses to know what’s best for their patients.

A thought that’s so obvious, but apparently also very frightening to most healthcare leaders. At de Blok’s Buurtzorg community care organization, nurses work together in teams of 12. Without a manager.

Instead of having their work dictated to them, the nurses have enormous freedom in making decisions, big and small.

It’s a revolutionary approach to healthcare, built on a simple idea about how choices should be made in healthcare. But before we get deeper into that, let’s contrast Buurtzorg with what other organizations do.

They build strategy around a very different idea: Control.

No matter
→ how skilled the team is,
→ how motivated they are,
→ or how much they care …
… without strict oversight, management believes the job won’t get done right.

So, their strategies are to
→ “optimize caregiver workflows.”
→ “standardize care plans.”
→ “provide effective healthcare at a reasonable price”

Which sounds professional. But it’s also hugely demotivating for the people doing the actual work.

Caregivers are trained professionals. Yet their decisions are always filtered through layers of management and channeled through strict procedures. As if those working directly with patients can’t be trusted.

There’s no space for freedom.
No room for passion.
No place for trust.

The thinking behind this is clear:
More control means better efficiency.

But does it?

And, perhaps more importantly, does it provide better care?

De Blok said “no, it doesn’t”. Therefore, he used a very – very – different strategy. And he stated the essence of it in just 11 words:

Always start from the patient’s perspective and prioritize their best interests.

De Blok believed that the individuals best positioned to do so, are those who directly interact with them. They can – and should – be trusted to make decisions in the best interest of the patients. Here’s the crucial difference:

Where others bet on directives from the top, de Blok trusted each team member with …
→ feeling,
→ understanding,
→ and most importantly: being passionate about

… the choices that need to be made.

Other businesses essentially (try to) force the team to make the right choices. To them, more rules means more control over the choices.

Micromanaging is the result.

Buurtzorg, however, trusts that the team will make the right choices if they believe in the choices.

Fewer but more heartfelt rules are the result.

It has led Buurtzorg to achieve staggering results. The company boasts the highest satisfaction rates among any healthcare organization in the Netherlands.

And it’s also more efficient: A KPMG study has found that if all home care in the Netherlands was provided using Buurtzorg’s model, it could save the Dutch healthcare system around 40 percent.

But make no mistake! That was only possible because de Blok precisely captured what drives the team: caring for patients! Their nurses don’t show up to follow a corporate mandate. They engage in a mission they deeply believe in.

Caring for patients is why they applied for the job in the first place. With every choice, they’re reminded of the difference they make in their patients’ lives. A continual source of motivation.

Pay attention to what a difference the wording makes. Buurtzorg’s strategy wasn’t to “provide effective healthcare at a reasonable price,” it was to “always start from the patient’s perspective and prioritize their best interests.”

The former is what businesses might care for; the latter is what nurses care for.

It speaks to their heart.

At the same time, it’s
→ plain and simple,
→ actionable,
→ and transformative.

Imagine if your team had that same passion and the impact that enabled. Every team member, in every situation, would be trusted to make choices that make a difference …

Want to learn how the right words can make your strategy heartfelt? Check out my new book, “The PATH to Strategic Impact.”

The spiral of demotivation

In a recent interview, Tim Hughes asked me where the inspiration for my new book came from.

It’s a pretty simple story. About a situation that I bet almost everyone in corporate business has experienced multiple times.

I mean you’ve been to that retreat or had that months long project and you’ve come up with a brilliant strategy. It’s really super smart and it checks all the boxes from all the famous books.

Then, you’ve made that big announcement with a town hall meeting. Everyone was there and left pumped.

But three weeks later? Nothing has changed.
And three months later? Everything’s forgotten.

Which leads into that vicious circle where you repeat it next year. And the year after … And every time you do it, the frustration just grows.

The problem usually isn’t that the strategy isn’t smart. The books have been written. That is not rocket science anymore. The criteria for great strategies are well known.

The problem is much more that leadership somehow doesn’t bridge the gap between what sounds smart in the boardroom and what needs to be done down on the floor where the choices have to be made, where the actions have to be taken.

How does that translate?

That’s what “The PATH to Strategic Impact” is about.

Taking action

Why do some strategies sound brilliant in the boardroom but never take off in the real world?

Well, thinking up the strategy is one thing. But time and again I’ve seen that the real challenge is getting the team to act according to the strategy. That’s a completely different thing.

The idea of a strategy just isn’t enough.
Acting on that idea is what makes the leap happen.

Which means:
Communication makes the difference.

Is it
→ Plain and simple (so everyone understands it)?
→ Actionable (so everyone knows the actions)?
→ Transformative (so it encourages bold moves)?
→ Heartfelt (so everyone embraces it)?

It’s a mistake to think that the course of your organization is shaped by the boardroom resolution. It’s much more the sum of the thousands of tiny choices and actions that follow from it.

Each team member, from yourself making acquisitions to the junior drafting prototypes, contributes to the journey.

And if you want all of these actions aligned, you need to light the PATH!

So, how many of your team members truly understand the essence of your strategy and can act on it with clarity and conviction?

(The “PATH to Strategic Impact” is out now! Click to take a look inside.)

Thank you!

Thank you!
You are amazing!

I’ve been overwhelmed by the messages of support from across the globe—ranging from close friends to people I’ve never met.

I had planned to continue with my regular posts, but I just can’t help but pause and feel deeply grateful for this.

That huge wave of love I’ve seen across platforms felt special. From Argentina to Japan, from the US to Australia, from Africa to Europe, that was just a phenomenal welcome of my new book.

I feel blessed to be surrounded by all of you!

And it got me thinking what is a book without a reader?

A book, no matter how beautifully written, can only make an impact through its readers. Without you, it’s merely ink on paper – a lesson unlearned, an idea unshared.

It’s the reader who brings life to the words, who interprets and feels the meaning behind them, who puts those ideas into action.

I’ve been absolutely blown away by your reactions to “The PATH to Strategic Impact”. So many of you have already ordered a copy or even started to read the eBook.

I began writing this book because I felt it was needed.
I stuck with it because the process was deeply rewarding.
I’ve been joined by incredible people and had fascinating conversations.
I’ve learnt so much along the way.

In short: The journey until the launch has been pure joy.

A reward in itself.

Whatever the launch would bring would be “on top”.

What happened was way beyond my wildest expectations!

Thank you …
and keep lighting the path!

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