"Our business strategy is solid. We just need the right people to execute it."
I was chatting with a Founder recently when he made this statement. It’s a sentiment I’ve heard countless times over my three decades in the corporate world.
Me: "Does your team know why they are the right people?" Him: "They have the skills. That’s why we hired them."
We often treat Business Strategy and People Strategy as parallel tracks; one for the boardroom and one for HR. But here is the reality I remind my mentees of: Culture eats strategy for breakfast, but it’s the People Strategy that sets the table.
If your business strategy is the destination, your people are the vehicle. But your Employer Brand? That’s the fuel.
It isn't just about cool office perks or a catchy tagline on LinkedIn. Your Employer Brand is the narrative that connects the individual’s purpose to the business’s mission. When a team member can look at a 5-year strategic roadmap and say, "I see exactly where my growth fits into that," you have successfully linked the two.
We spend months crafting the perfect "Go-to-Market" strategy. We need to spend equal energy on the "Stay-and-Grow" strategy.
When the narrative is clear, you don't just get employees who execute tasks; you get ambassadors who own the outcome.
Strategy provides the direction. People provide the momentum. The Narrative provides the meaning.
Don’t just build a strategy. Build a story that your people want to be the heroes of.