Strategy that Inspires: From Spreadsheets to Shared Stories

Too many companies look aligned on paper and feel disjointed in practice. Why? Because strategy is often reduced to numbers, while meaning is treated as a side dish.

That doesn’t work anymore.

The most effective leaders today know strategy doesn’t begin in Excel, it begins around a campfire. Not a literal one, but intentional dialogue. Real conversations. The kind that connect purpose to performance.

I’ve seen it firsthand: when CEOs and leadership teams align around why they do what they do, execution becomes magnetic. Teams show up differently. Strategy doesn’t just live in the boardroom, it lives in the culture.

Here are five shifts worth making, from Tony Martignetti’s Strategy Renaissance:

L – Listen beneath the metrics. Ask: what’s not being said?

I – Illuminate the whole cube. Align leadership, culture, customers, and operations.

G – Gather around the campfire. Create space for meaningful dialogue.

H – Harness hidden brilliance. Involve the outliers and truth-tellers.

T – Translate purpose into practice. Let values drive systems, hiring, and time.

If you’re still starting your strategy with spreadsheets, you’re missing the magic. It’s time to evolve. Strategy is no longer just about what’s next, it’s about who we are and why it matters to your customers and teams.

Stop performing purpose and start living it.

#Leadership #StrategyExecution #TeamLedBusiness #CEOLeadership #PurposeDriven #StrategicClarity