The Strategy Gap

This week, hosts Joe Krause (SVP of Strategy Consulting at AchieveIt) and Jonathan Martin (VP of Revenue Operations and Head of Marketing at AchieveIt) have a wide-ranging conversation on how to integrate brainstorming into the strategy process. From dos and don’ts to challenges and benefits, Joe and Jonathan cover how all manner of organizations—especially those looking to pivot or shake things up at the year’s halfway mark—can not only generate great ideas and solicit vital contributions from their entire team, but proceed to put those ideas into game-changing action.

Join as we discuss:

• How diverse perspectives enhance the brainstorming and decision-making processes within organizations
• The role of incentives in aligning strategic plans
• Fostering a more open and effective idea-sharing culture through pre-work and individual brainstorming
• The importance of stress testing when developing and executing strategies

If you want outside-the-box thinking, it pays to spend some time living outside the box that is conventional strategy and corporate structure.

This week’s guest, Daniel Keene, Director of Strategy & Operations, has taken an unconventional route to his current role in healthcare overseeing the operations and strategy of large patient support systems—with stops along the way in aerospace engineering, CPG sales management, and general aviation. Daniel has leveraged these experiences to transform fragmented strategy and operation models into unified and efficiently executed visions. Throughout our conversation, Daniel shares his insights on some of the easily-forgotten project management fundamentals and core strategy principles, along with some high-level learnings he’s discovered during his time in healthcare.

Join us as we discuss:

• Focusing on a select few critical goals rather than spreading resources too thinly across numerous objectives
• The attributes of effective project management offices (PMOs)
• How to enhance project tracking through integrating qualitative and quantitative data for comprehensive progress insight
• The importance of allocating time during meetings to discuss next steps

When we think about strategy, we usually picture two groups: those who come up with high-level vision, and those who execute that vision through a strategy. But how do we actually get from ideation to execution? And who’s responsible for seeing that through?

Shobhna Upadhyaya, BizOps & Strategy Leader, joins the podcast to talk about business operations (aka BizOps), which she explains as the team responsible for that important middle phase between strategy development and implementation. In demystifying BizOps, strategy leaders across industries can find themselves better equipped to cultivate cross-functional collaboration and overcome challenges within corporate structures and strategy.

Join us as we discuss:

• How to maintain objectivity while being embedded in a specific line of business or functional area
• Strategies for building trust and influence without authority
• Balancing one-on-one conversations and group discussions to foster cooperation and resolve conflicts
• The value of clear ownership and definition of roles in the strategy development process

Given how dynamic and complex our world is, there’s no place for rigid and siloed approaches to strategy.

This week, Michael Olaye, SVP and Managing Director of Strategy and Innovation at R/GA, shares his thoughts on developing strategy from a starting-point of flexibility and collaboration. While internal processes and expertise play a vital role in achieving an organization’s goals, too often teams miss out on game-changing solutions and methodologies by refusing to collaborate with outside agencies and industries that provide invaluable perspectives and insights. Michael, Joe, and Jonathan share personal experiences and dissect some useful case studies that illustrate why partnership and agility should be at the core of strategy development.

Join us as we discuss:

• The evolution of strategy over the years
• When it's more advantageous to pursue an internal development versus an external partnership
• Bringing users into the product and strategy development process
• How small companies can have massive impacts on much larger organizations

Notes: Link to Ted Talk discussed during the episode --> https://www.ted.com/talks/knut_haanaes_two_reasons_companies_fail_and_how_to_avoid_them/transcript

Sometimes a strategy fails because it’s a poor strategy. But sometimes it fails because it’s not really a strategy at all.

So what are the attributes of a strategy—and how does it differ from other measures implemented to help an organization achieve its goals? Joining us to answer this question (and many others) is Dr. Alok Tewari, Vice President of Operations Strategy and Execution. Alok has leveraged over 20 years of experience in strategy and global business transformations to cultivate an understanding of organizational goals and the multilayered approach to developing strategy within a variety of industries.

Join us as we discuss:

• Separating an organization’s operational aspects from its strategic actions
• Implementing technology for strategic ends—even in legacy industries
• How (and when) to recognize and admit when a strategy needs to be abandoned 
• Communication and alignment across departments to effectively implement strategy

When it comes to generative AI, most people are asking the wrong question: Is it good or bad? But the better way to approach this omnipresent topic is by figuring out the RIGHT way to implement the tech into your strategy and processes.

To talk about this, we’re joined by Lisa Esch, Senior Vice President and Chief of Strategy, Innovation, and Industry Solutions at NTT DATA. Lisa provides a crash course on all things generative AI, LLMs, and the risks and calculations any type of organization should be factoring into their decision-making surrounding AI. Lisa’s experiences in healthcare tech—and the lessons she’s learned from witnessing how AI has shifted the industry’s landscape—provide an excellent case study for anyone asking how this game-changing can fit into their operations.

Join us as we discuss:

• The vital role of governance in AI adoption and implementation
• How to think beyond point solutions
• The “build vs. buy” question
• Why leaders need to strive for alignment and prioritization

Negotiations don’t have to lead to one-sided solutions or unfavorable compromises. In fact, when it comes to effective strategy execution and revenue operations, they shouldn’t!

This week, we’re joined by George DeVardo, VP of Revenue Operations and Strategy at Enthusiast Gaming, who shares his belief in the value of trust and understanding when working toward solutions between decision-makers and team members—whether you’re working within an organization or assisting as a third-party. We also explore how third parties can provide valuable perspectives to help a team arrive at a workable and timely solution, rather than making decisions for them as a subject matter expert.

Join us as we discuss:

• The concept of the best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA)
• Why it’s important to be able to say “No” when developing strategy
• Clarity and prioritization in the planning process
• The difference between internal and external negotiations

Today’s episode features an in-person one-on-one conversation between Joe and Jonathan as they trade thoughts on common mistakes that leaders make in strategy execution, as well as the consequences of those mistakes. Using the news of some costly missteps (and even more costly blame-shifting) from entertainment executives as a jumping-off point, the co-hosts cover everything from effective communication to smart prioritization.

Join Jonathan and Joe as they discuss:

• Closing the feedback loop, even if you’re not using the feedback
• Leaders being fully present and participatory whenever possible
• Considering the perspectives of team members at every level of the organization

The Secrets to Building & Maintaining an All-Star team…

Today we get to sit down with Eric Patten, EVP of Operations at Kingstree, as he takes us through his personal approach to team building and increasing productivity. Eric’s 31 years of experience in nursing helps in his unique role to build effective teams and create long-term relationships with clients. Hear more about how Eric strategically builds and assesses teams, handles workplace turnover, responds to feedback, and approaches customer service.

Join as we discuss:

• Assessing Team Fit in Projects
• Team Building and Turnover in the Workplace
• Communication, Feedback, and Teamwork in Customer Service
• Leadership, Positivity, and Mentorship in Healthcare

The healthcare industry is vast and organizations and companies within it are equally as large. Navigating change, especially recent paradigm shifts towards value-based care, can be fraught with challenges for leadership and employees.

Joining our hosts, Jonathan and Joe, for this episode is Teresa Patterson, Strategy and Growth Leader. She has rich experience in navigating the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care, and the critical role leadership plays in fostering a culture of change and effective communication within healthcare organizations. Where do you even start?

Teresa, Joe, and Jonathan walk us through:

• The challenges and strategies in the healthcare industry's transition from a fee-for-service model to value-based care.
• The nuances of change management, including leadership's role, effective communication, and the vital involvement of employees in the change process.
• Insights into the art of balancing empathy and accountability in healthcare leadership, with motivation strategies, organizational behavior considerations, and the connection of frontline employees to broader organizational goals.