Strategic Narratives

Strategic Narratives

Charting strategic direction can be challenging. Getting the right understanding of market dynamics, the competitive landscape and a buyers’ expectations demand research, insight, experience and the right approach.

Creating a strategic narrative not only helps you explain the essence of your plan but also serves as a powerful tool in the planning process to drive consensus and alignment.

Unfortunately, organizations that create the right strategy often cannot articulate it clearly and concisely. When a strategy is not understood, it can result in widely different views regarding what the strategy means. And this can lead to people running in different directions. Miscommunication generates misunderstanding, which leads to misalignment and, eventually, missed results.

Sheffield helps organizations articulate their strategy through engaging Strategic Narrative Mapping sessions. A Strategic Narrative is a story that succinctly explains the business context of a strategy in a way that the organization can easily understand, embrace and act on. It is a critical tool to help senior executives sell their strategy effectively and win the buy-in necessary to turn a strategic vision into measurable success.

Sheffield Strategic Narrative Map

How it works

To create a Strategic Narrative, Sheffield leads a half-day workshop during which a group of key stakeholders openly share the core elements of their strategy. The goal is to answer the questions that an organization will have when they hear the strategy, such as:

What is the essence of the strategy?
How do we understand the market challenge?
What is the opportunity for our customers and our business?
How do we execute and deliver on the opportunity?
Why are we pursuing this approach?
What are the business objectives we are trying to achieve?
What will our success look like?

After the mapping session, the group publishes a Strategic Narrative and Q&A document. Sheffield can also produce a comprehensive Message Guidebook and conduct follow-on training – which can be captured on camera – to ensure executives are fluent in their delivery of the Strategic Narrative.

What it delivers

A Strategic Narrative helps organizations build a better roadmap to achieve the results they envision. Organizations can expect these benefits: