Hakeem Adebiyi, CEO of Hands Associates, wanted to hear my thoughts on whose job it is to build a strategic narrative. He shared my answer on his latest podcast episode in a brief video here on LinkedIn this week.
As I like to say, telling a story for your company is primarily considered an act of literature or communication. But building a strategic narrative is an act of leadership: the company strategy, but in a way that will mobilize people first. Not the way around.
👉 Don’t abdicate this responsibility.
👉 Don’t delegate it.
👉 Do it on your own, but don’t do it alone.
If your company lacks something interesting to say, a clear mission, a different and honest point of view: don’t blame it on your Marketing people.
Blame it on the CEO instead (or yourself if you’re it).
Blame it on the CEO, not because she/he/they should know what the narrative needs to be, but instead because she/he/they are not creating the conditions for the team to co-create the strategic narrative.