HANNAH BATES: Welcome to HBR On Strategy, case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, hand-selected to help you unlock new ways of doing business.
Imagine this scenario. Your company’s executive team has just announced their new master plan for growing the business. Now it’s your job, as a mid-level manager, to put it into practice. So, where do you start?
Today we bring you a conversation about how to make the most of a plan that you may or may not agree with and that you may or may not have had any input into.
You’ll also learn what questions to ask yourself before taking action, how to handle resistance from people you manage, and what to do if the plan isn’t working well.
This episode originally aired on Women at Work in June 2024, as part of a special series called “How to Manage.” Here it is.
AMY BERNSTEIN: You’re listening to Women at Work from Harvard Business Review. I’m Amy Bernstein. When I think of what I do every single day in my work, it really comes down to moving the teams I oversee toward our strategic goals. I make decisions about priorities and about how people are spending their time, I give guidance on which direction to take on any given project. But everything is really always about making sure everyone knows where we’re going and that we’re all in sync getting there. Getting teams to move in sync, as you probably know, can be super challenging.
ANDREA BELK OLSON: And my personal style was meet with the team weekly and it was a big whiteboard of what’s going right and what’s not, and what do you need?”
AMY BERNSTEIN: Andrea Belk Olson is a strategy consultant who’s written for HBR about the challenges executing a strategy presents for mid-level managers, like when the plan seems vague or uninspired or unattainable. She’s also written about the opportunities carrying out the master plan can present, which she and I will cover from the beginning to the end of our conversation. She’ll advise on how to get clarity when there isn’t enough and how to address employees’ skepticism. She’ll also suggest ways to get people to pay attention to and care about your progress updates. Mid-level managers are the ones who, as Andrea writes, can make or break the plan. So, let’s make the plan, okay? Because being proactive and deliberate instead of simply going through the motions is the right and, frankly, more interesting thing to do. And it’s what the company expects of us.
Andrea, it’s always seemed to me that strategy execution is where mid-level managers can shine. It’s where you can demonstrate that you, as a mid-level leader, really grok the goals and the vision of the organization’s leadership and that you are able to mobilize and inspire a team to achieve those goals. How do you see that particular role in strategy execution? The role of the mid-level manager?
ANDREA BELK OLSON: I think it’s often underutilized, and that strategy execution really is this bigger, greater opportunity, especially for women to elevate their business acumen, diving into actually how the broader business operates on a higher level. And I think this means really learning the economics behind, let’s say any corporate strategy, understanding why certain decisions were made and how they drive that bigger picture success. And oftentimes as a mid-level manager, that longer, bigger arc is hard to see, because you don’t have transparency and insight to some of the details behind those decisions, maybe it’s the macroeconomic climate or competitor inroads or things along those lines. But really successfully understanding strategy and successful strategy execution really requires mid-level managers to start thinking and speaking, I think, in the mindset and language of a business leader. And that’s not just focusing on execution solely and the tactics and initiatives thereof, but taking more of a business decision mindset and thinking strategically yourself on how to drive key choices.
AMY BERNSTEIN: You said that this is an opportunity, especially for women because they get to demonstrate or to hone their business acumen. Is that a particularly troublesome area for women in this role?
ANDREA BELK OLSON: I think it crosses both genders, but I think traditionally it does fall in a women’s camp. Because stereotypes are bound, women tend to execute very, very effectively and efficiently. And that can be a trap, because once you are the one that’s seen as getting it done, you’re not seen as the one that’s thinking strategically. And I think that there’s three big traps that women especially fall into in this arena. And, really, one is hyper-focusing on the deliverables and not the outcomes. We get stuck in tactical mode, and once that strategy is delivered, we immediately devise initiatives and plans, and that just positions us as the doer and not the visionary in the eyes of leadership.
I think number two is really not having an understanding of the strategic goals and objectives within your sphere of influence’s context. Meaning, those objectives are often broad, abstract, obscure, and they don’t really provide direction. And I’ll give you a good example. When I was a mid-level manager back, gosh, 15, 20 years ago now, at a multinational corporation, our organization developed a strategic goal that focused on 15% revenue growth across the board. And so, this goal insinuated that growth could come from anywhere, but growth actually couldn’t come from anywhere. There were some areas of the business that we had great succession, that were quite saturated when there were other areas that were untapped and had bigger potential. And so, we lose sight of that when we want to just jump into action without looking back at the context.
The third thing I think is a trap that we fall into is being stuck in the proverbial, “This is the way we’ve always done it,” mindset. And we’re all susceptible to status quo bias, but a new strategy might require us to have new activities and perspectives that the old strategies or the old approaches really aren’t suitable for this new situation. And it might require a new way of thinking or entirely different approach. And sometimes that fear of change, that fear of the new can really put us in a state of inertia.
AMY BERNSTEIN: One of the questions I always ask myself when I am trying to mobilize a team that I oversee to execute on a strategy, particularly a new strategy, is, “Do I really understand what’s shaping this strategy?” Because I haven’t always, and it has always led to tears. What other questions should a mid-level manager ask herself as she’s thinking about executing on a strategy?
ANDREA BELK OLSON: To your point, and what we alluded to before is, the first thing you shouldn’t do is hit the ground running. After that big town hall presentation where everybody gets excited and they’ve got this elevation and motivation and you want to start going and doing, the first thing you have to understand is, I don’t have enough information. I have a very high-level overview of a bunch of generalities. So, I’d say the first step is to take that strategy and read it in detail many times over. Start thinking about questions you have. Start thinking about gaps that you think are there.
I’d say the next step is to really try to fully understand the motivations and objectives behind the strategy, as you alluded to, not just the numbers, but the why, what is driving this change? And then determine what data and insights you need to provide clarity. For instance, if let’s say going back to, again, the strategy talks about growth in aggregate, where should that growth come from? What would be considered good growth versus bad growth, profitable growth versus growth that might not be profitable? And what information do you need to really determine that? And of course, you need to identify where you can source that information, and that may be research, that might be studies, that might be internal resources or even different departments within the organization.
AMY BERNSTEIN: One thing that I have found, as a mid-level manager, is that, when the strategy is either vague or too high level for me to know exactly how to implement, how to execute on it, I have thought it through, done some of the work that you just described. And then I always play back my plan to my boss before I do anything and ask, “How does this sound?” Because I find that, well, A, my boss is closer to the strategy making than I am often, but also it helps to get that insight from him, honestly. So, I wonder if you have other advice for our listeners who are trying to absorb the strategy, understand what it means for the team and plot a road forward?
ANDREA BELK OLSON: It’s very important to not assume certain things. Your approach of getting a litmus test from your boss of, “This is how I interpret this, what do you think about this? I’m looking for feedback,” is fantastic. I also think it’s very important to start with questions, showing that you’ve read it, you understand it, and that those questions are again, very business minded. You’re looking at the bigger picture – not just solely your department or your department’s position within the organization or even what assumptions you might be making on what the strategy has and how it impacts your department. You’re looking at the bigger picture.
So, for example, you might have questions about what success looks like? And let’s say you’re heading a marketing team and you say, “Okay, great, we could put together a few campaigns. We can do some tactical things and really get growth up.” But a strategic question would be, “How would this impact other departments? If we had a huge influx of new customers, would finance or customer service be able to manage that? Has the strategic team taken a look at that? And give me some insight on how that’s being addressed.” So, you’re looking at it from a broader operational perspective and not solely your own.
AMY BERNSTEIN: We have published – HBR has published – a lot on the importance of buy-in when you’re executing on a strategy, and sometimes I have felt, and I know other mid-level managers have felt, that it’s hard to buy into something that you don’t understand because you weren’t part of it, you weren’t part of the strategy making. How do you advise mid-level managers to get involved if they’re not invited into the conversation? Any thoughts there?
ANDREA BELK OLSON: Yeah. It’s hard because this really all depends on your organizational culture. I’ve worked in environments in the past where mid-level managers were just intentionally left out of the strategic development process. And then there were cases where strategy design was very immersive and collaborative process. So, it’s important to consider what your organizational culture will tolerate. But I think there’s a few things you can do in pretty much any situation. Number one, you can ask to participate as an observer so you can use this as a learning opportunity, especially if there’s certain internal limitations in regards to organizational culture. Two, you could ask to participate and emphasize that you can bring to the table internal, historical and operational insights and help the organization really identify unforeseen risks. So, you’re positioning yourself, again, as looking at the bigger picture. And this could be things that are resource based, infrastructure based, culturally based – it really spreads the gamut.
Thirdly, another way to do it is, you can ask to participate at key times. So, maybe there’s points in the strategic development process where leadership really wants to keep this amongst themselves, but there’s surely certain milestones where they’ve crossed a threshold that maybe you can attend and provide the opportunity to give key observations and insights. But worst case, you could ask your boss, you can ask your superior for a quick meeting debrief on the strategy process at select times, so you can get that feedback maybe indirectly if no other avenues are open.
AMY BERNSTEIN: Right. You’ve got nothing to lose by going to your boss and saying, “I bet the strategy conversations are going to hit this part of the organization or this part of the operation, and I’d be very happy to help you understand it at the ground level if that would be helpful to you.”
ANDREA BELK OLSON: Right.
AMY BERNSTEIN: Articulate the value you think you could bring.
ANDREA BELK OLSON: Exactly. And it has to be at that same strategic level.
AMY BERNSTEIN: Mm-hmm. So, what if you’ve attended the town hall and you hear this strategy and you are not wowed by it? It’s not differentiating in your view, it’s not really all that different from the old strategy, whatever, you’re having a little trouble feeling enthusiastic about it. How do you then sell it to your team?
ANDREA BELK OLSON: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve personally and even indirectly faced that challenge of, for proverbially putting lipstick on a pig. They’ve changed the name, they’ve changed the logo or the tagline, and now it’s a new strategy when really it fundamentally is no different than before. But it’s true that some strategies actually aren’t focused on differentiation, and that’s okay. A strategy can be designed for a wide variety of reasons – anything from gaining market share and, let’s say, certain business segments, to maybe shifting organizational focus to certain operational or technical risks within the company. So, even if you think that strategy isn’t all that great, it’s really important to communicate to your team and understand yourself that underlying thought process behind it. So, it’s, what are those specific business challenges that it’s meant to address? What is the why behind it?
AMY BERNSTEIN: And that’s a great conversation to have with someone who was closer to the strategy making. I have been there in the past and I’ve learned that if you’re not super enthusiastic about it, chances are you’ve missed something and it’s up to you to figure it out.
ANDREA BELK OLSON: Right.
AMY BERNSTEIN: I would say, if someone asked me this question, don’t just sit with this dissatisfaction. Get underneath the strategy, talk to someone on your executive committee about it and just ask constructive questions with the assumption that you’ve missed something before you give up on it.
ANDREA BELK OLSON: Right. Because oftentimes that strategy document, whatever form it takes, can be an oversimplification of what the strategy really means. And so, people tend to try to fill in the gaps with their own assumptions. And there were big decisions made behind the scenes because really the best strategy is not just about what you’re choosing to do, but what you’re choosing not to do. And so, it’s very important to understand why those decisions were made and really what those bigger objectives are.
AMY BERNSTEIN: Yeah. A 100%. Now, there’s another thing that I think happens. I’d love to get your view on this. So, you, yourself, the mid-level manager… you’re buying in, you get it, you think it’s right, but you’re having a lot of trouble motivating your team, sparking their enthusiasm. What do you say to that mid-level manager?
ANDREA BELK OLSON: Well, the first thing I would say not to do is tell them to suck it up. Even though you’ve bought in, but you’ve had probably time and commitment to digest it, ask questions, think about it. So, you have this deeper understanding of it much more than they do. And so, the important thing is to identify the historical baggage that probably resides within your team and within the company. And what I mean by this is, there’s been strategies before, things have happened either successfully or unsuccessfully, and this all influences their acceptance of change. So, these are cognitive obstacles that definitely stall any new strategy implementation. So, it’s important, whether you feel they’re illogical or petty, to really identify what those are and proactively address them. It’s important to give those concerns and perceptions legitimacy and not just, “Yep, yep, I understand, I hear you,” because that’s really just lip service. It’s about finding specific things you can do to genuinely address what they perceive as a potential risk concern, and sometimes even a concern for the future of their job if some of these strategies may have a personal impact on them.
AMY BERNSTEIN: It sounds as if you need to have the deeper conversation to understand where the resistance is coming from, if it’s in fact resistance and not simply apathy.
ANDREA BELK OLSON: Right. Or just simply fear of change.
AMY BERNSTEIN: Well, which we all have, we are human beings. I was talking to a colleague a little while ago about her feeling that women feel a particular responsibility to sell, to persuade their teams, their direct reports, that the strategy is sound. Does that comport with your experience?
ANDREA BELK OLSON: Personally, yes. I worked in an environment many years ago – I was the only female on an all-male executive team. So, there was a very different atmosphere to contend with. And I think that the question you pose is really partially driven by this antiquated perception that women are less assertive. I think that there might be a perception that we need to be pressured to ensure our team is backing us. And maybe this ties to the fact that we’re seen as more empathetic, and that can be misconstrued as folding to pushback. But men, at least from my experience, not all their team members were on board sometimes. And what I found was the difference in acceptance, was the confidence your team had in your ability to go to bat for them. They didn’t have to accept the entire strategy, they knew that there were going to be challenges, but they wanted the confidence that if faced with that challenge, you would be the one to say, I’m going to help overcome that for you and clear the roadway. And I believe that that’s really the big difference.
AMY BERNSTEIN: How do you communicate that message, that you’re there as their champion, that you’re going to clear the roadway, whatever is needed in that moment?
ANDREA BELK OLSON: I think the first thing is, you have to prove it through action. And that can start with small wins, things that start building that confidence and trust and move all the way to those big things that maybe seem to be immovable objects. And so, you have to have some creativity on how you approach that. And then have that two-way communication of
