“The mistake people make is thinking the story is just about marketing. No, the strategy is the story. If you make your story better you make the strategy better.”
— Ben Horowitz, co-founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz
Last week, we explained why business leaders own the story behind the strategy. This week, we want to reinforce the intrinsic connection between the two (strategy and story).
Ben Horowitz is a well-respected, extremely successful business leader and venture capitalist. He has led and funded dozens of successful companies. Horowitz firmly believes that the CEO not only owns the corporate strategy … but also owns the corporate story. In fact, when asked about this topic, Ben said:
“The strategy is the story you tell. It’s the why. If you can’t tell that in a massively compelling way, who’s going to follow you? That’s what makes people get up in the morning and do stuff.”
According to Horowitz, the story must convey what the business does that is uniquely valuable and how that creates a sustainable, competitive advantage in the market.
He firmly believes, “The story should drive the strategy.”
Is your story a true reflection of your strategy?
Does it reflect your “why” and your reason for being?
Does it bring to life what truly makes you different?
Does it represent your company’s strategic priorities?
One last question, when was the last time you really looked at the story your company is sharing internally and in the market?
Your answers to these questions and what you do next — will determine the level of performance that your company achieves this year and for years to come.
Horowitz believes that sharing a clear, compelling and strategically aligned story is what truly separates market leaders from laggards. He goes so far as to say, “When a company goes astray, you talk to employees and they say, We have no strategy. We don’t know where we’re going.”
When this happens, it’s because leadership doesn’t understand — the strategy is the story.
That’s Your OnMessage Minute.
WE CAN HELP.
At OnMessage, we help leadership teams align their go-to-market strategy and story. We help them bring that story to life throughout the employee and customer experience. Speak to one of our experts to learn how we can help your business today.
