How to design a strategy with what you already have
Growing up, I really wanted to be a paleontologist. Whether it started with seeing Jurassic Park in theaters or an article I read in American Girl magazine (IYKYK), the idea that I could find treasure just below my feet if I had the patience, skill, and determination to look captivated me.
“It wouldn't be as exciting as you think," my mom was quick to warn me. "They don’t find a new fossil every day. Plus, there will be a lot of sand, and you hate sand.”
She was right about one thing and wrong about another: I do hate sand. But I also think it would have been as exciting as I thought. It wasn’t just about the thrill of the find for me. It was the entire experience; what had to happen before the find and what would happen after.
Paleontologists don't just start digging at random – and neither should we
Paleontologists use their knowledge of geology to identify rock formations of the right type from the right periods. Before they excavate, they do preliminary surveys with extreme attention to detail to see if what they find on the surface might reveal a greater discovery underneath. They rely on institutional knowledge of past digs and successful sites to inform their current strategies. They use technology to support human knowledge and intuition, collaborate with local communities who might understand the landscape better than they do, and embrace serendipity and opportunities.
Whenever I read news stories about paleontology or archaeology finds hidden under strip malls or the lawns of suburban backyards, it always makes me think: What is beneath my own feet? What ancient community or creature? What have we simply covered up or ignored in our society’s fixation with development and growth, with new and next? What would happen if I was able to explore? If I started to dig? How would I study and interpret what I find?
I don't spend my days digging in sandy grids or chiseling away at rocks, but sometimes I feel kind of like a (cushy) archaeologist or anthropologist
When I design strategies with clients, I don't just build whatever I think is best on top of what is already there. That's an ego-driven impulse that's only in the best interest of the builder.
First, I explore. What's happening here? What do I see? What can I learn? What was the original vision? What were the historical decisions and actions? Why? Did they work? No? Why not?
So what can you explore and where could you dig?
What already exists just below the surface that you can use to shape your strategy going forward? Here are a few places to look:
Your organization probably has values, but have you articulated how those values show up as behaviors?
Spend some time there describing how your values express in your employees' everyday work lives.
Have you had case studies on the back burner, while knowing that you need to start communicating your work’s impact with clients, customers, and other stakeholders?
Use one of your scopes, proposals, or notes from a kickoff meeting to outline your case study. What did your client or customer want, what did you originally think would solve their problem, and what unfolded afterward? Did you share updates or metrics on a project internally through meeting notes, Slack, or a company newsletter? Plug those in as well.
As you head into the end of a year, is your organization where you thought it would be back in January of that year?
If it is, what did you do right? Is that replicable or scalable for next year? If your organization isn’t where you thought it would be, what got in the way? It might seem obvious and clear in this moment, but we quickly forget our own histories. It helps to articulate where, when, and how things happened to build a historical record that strategies can grow from.
This work takes time, but the resources it saves are well worth the effort
Knowing how your values show up as behaviors guides aligned decision-making. Framing all engagement communication as an impact story that you are excited to tell gives you insight into which clients, customers, projects, and services light you and your team up. Understanding what works and what hasn’t worked over time and what you can control vs what you cannot can help you prioritize, pivot, and imagine new possibilities.
Actions like these help shape the story of what you do and why you do it. They set the stage for a more strategic culture long-term.
And when you make your discoveries, that is only the beginning
Most of the time, I’m digging and putting together a narrative based on what I find.
The dots you connect, silos you break down, and narrative that you create afterward are the most meaningful parts of the process.
Things probably seem chaotic now, and sometimes our first impulse can be to leave the past in the past and start from scratch. But you have more than you think you do. You have an entire history beneath your fingertips.
When you want to design a strategy, don’t just slap a strip mall on top of buried treasure. Dig a little first in your own backyard. I’d love to know what you find.
And if I can help you figure out where to look, excavate what is most valuable, translate it into a narrative, and develop that narrative into a strategy, get in touch. That’s what I’m here for.
