Women at Work

How to Manage: Executing Strategy


Listen Later

Your company’s executive team has just announced their new master plan for growing the business. Now it’s your job, as a mid-level manager, to put it into practice. Deep breath. Apart from the inevitable interpersonal and operational drama that change management causes, this is an opportunity to show that you know your stuff.

Strategist Andrea Belk Olson spells out how to make the most of a plan that you may or may not agree with and that you may or may not have had any input into. She suggests important questions to ask yourself before taking action, ways to handle resistance from people you manage, what to do when the plan isn’t working well, and points to include in progress updates.

Then, Amy B and two of her colleagues, Jennifer Long and Gabriella Spatolisano, chat about how they’ve handled skepticism and spoken up about their reservations when leading change initiatives in the past.

Guest expert:

Andrea Belk Olson is a differentiation strategist, speaker, author, and customer-centricity expert.

Resources:

  • Why Isn’t Your Strategy Sticking?” by Andrea Belk Olson
  • 3 Reasons Why Every Department Needs Its Own Strategy,” by Andrea Belk Olson
  • Getting Employee Buy-In for Organizational Change,” by Andrea Belk Olson
  • 4 Common Reasons Strategies Fail,” by Andrea Belk Olson
  • HBR Guides to Building Your Strategic Skills Collection, by Harvard Business Review
  • Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter.

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Women at WorkBy Harvard Business Review

    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    1,364 ratings


    More shows like Women at Work

    View all
    The McKinsey Podcast by McKinsey & Company

    The McKinsey Podcast

    394 Listeners

    The Look & Sound of Leadership by Essential Communications - Tom Henschel

    The Look & Sound of Leadership

    1,165 Listeners

    Coaching for Leaders by Dave Stachowiak

    Coaching for Leaders

    1,462 Listeners

    HBR IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review

    HBR IdeaCast

    1,837 Listeners

    How to Be Awesome at Your Job by How to be Awesome at Your Job

    How to Be Awesome at Your Job

    1,032 Listeners

    TED Business by TED

    TED Business

    1,112 Listeners

    Cold Call by HBR Presents / Brian Kenny

    Cold Call

    195 Listeners

    Dear HBR: by Harvard Business Review

    Dear HBR:

    744 Listeners

    Worklife with Adam Grant by TED

    Worklife with Adam Grant

    9,154 Listeners

    Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style by Laura Camacho

    Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style

    94 Listeners

    HBS Managing the Future of Work by Harvard Business School

    HBS Managing the Future of Work

    105 Listeners

    The Anxious Achiever by Morra Aarons-Mele

    The Anxious Achiever

    572 Listeners

    Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques by Matt Abrahams, Think Fast Talk Smart

    Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

    799 Listeners

    Coaching Real Leaders by Harvard Business Review / Muriel Wilkins

    Coaching Real Leaders

    675 Listeners

    HBR On Strategy by Harvard Business Review

    HBR On Strategy

    81 Listeners

    HBR On Leadership by Harvard Business Review

    HBR On Leadership

    168 Listeners

    New Here by Harvard Business Review

    New Here

    82 Listeners