Bringing Clarity to Strategy

Meet Susan Powell Byrd:

Strategy Champion for Small and Mid-Sized Organizations

“ You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow, by evading it today”.-Abraham Lincoln

>Does your company strategy address your current and future challenges and opportunities?

>Do your mission, vision and strategy inspire team members?

>Do you have confused or frustrated employees working at cross-purposes?

These are some of the questions Susan Powell Byrd asks her potential clients.

The first time I met Susan Powell Byrd, I could tell how committed she is to helping small and mid-sized companies develop a strategic path forward.

The challenge Susan and other experts experience is "getting the word out" to more companies who could benefit from her help. Susan mentioned she could relate to that problem.

When we met for her Champion Interview, I was eager to ask Susan my first question:

Susan, what problem do most small and mid-sized companies ask you to help them solve first?

Leaders and board members in small to mid-sized companies who meet with me, frequently ask: "Can you help us develop a strategic path forward?" I enjoy seeing how leaders and boards get fired up after we collaborate to build or refine a strategy. It's even more exciting when all the employees see how they fit into achieving the company's strategy. -Susan Powell Byrd

Susan's enthusiasm for helping companies inspired me. She spoke so passionately about how grateful she feels when she makes a difference in people's lives. That is what's behind her tagline, "Bringing clarity to strategy”.

I quickly realized that Susan was a Strategy Champion and became increasingly curious about her journey:

Susan, when you decided to start your own business, what motivated you to focus on helping organizations with their strategy?

I’m always inspired by how quickly a good strategy can impact an organization’s team members, customers, and community. -Susan Powell Byrd

Why do you think sharing your story about being a strategy champion for small and mid-sized clients might help more companies know, trust, and want to work with you?

I'm proud of how my business has grown and evolved. Since launching my consulting business, Westover Strategy, Inc. over 10 years ago, clients who choose to work with me keep coming back.

A client CEO wrote recently:
Susan has this incredible talent for simplifying complex ideas into something tangible and motivating for the whole team.  . . She has not only made the process enjoyable, but also deeply effective …Now we’re a team actively engaged and excited about the path we’re on, thanks to Susan.         

Susan, before we dive further into your work with clients, let’s look at how you got here. When do you first recall you were a champion for something?

??I majored in economics in college. It's very theoretical and hard to really put into practice. I realized it made sense to go to business school. During that time, I noticed a common theme for leaders who have successful businesses. They focus on 3 key questions:

?1.?? Do we have a compelling mission and vision?

2.?? Does my team understand what they do, for whom, and how?

3.?? Do our team members align along a clear strategic path, working together to deliver the mission?

When did you start to “connect the dots” about wanting to work with small to mid-sized companies to help them answer these 3 questions?

It happened at my first job after business school. I worked at the New York corporate strategy and development office of an integrated steel company.

What type of work did you focus on while in the corporate strategy and development office?

The company wanted to continue to diversify away from steel and refine their corporate strategy to diversify more effectively.

Our team analyzed current and potential businesses and developed a detailed acquisition strategy. After the executive committee approved the strategy, we analyzed acquisition candidates. Implementing this acquisition strategy equipped me with the knowledge and skills to think and act strategically, and recognize the importance of cultural fit when acquiring organizations.

What an exciting professional development opportunity for your first job! How long did you stay in that role?

I stayed with that company for 12 years! After that job, I worked for several companies in different industries. These experiences helped me realize many issues and opportunities across industries are similar, such as industry disruption, emerging competition, and new technology.?

Susan, we’ve talked about how strategy addresses a lot of a company's concerns. What are the benefits of having a good strategy?

When you have a good strategy, you know who you are, what your company’s mission is, why and how you will achieve that mission, and whom you're going to serve. All team members need to understand and embrace the strategy and appreciate their role in implementing it.

This type of strategy alignment leads to better decision-making, within the guidelines you establish.

A client of Susan's recently said:
“We have enjoyed a successful partnership with Susan Byrd for several years. She has guided us in strategic planning and, importantly, advised us how to better communicate strategic priorities throughout the organization. In particular, the strategy map concept has been an excellent tool to prioritize, communicate, implement, and manage strategic objectives. We believe this is a key differentiator for our company.”         

This client testimonial clearly illustrates how they benefited from working with you on strategies over the years, Susan. To what extent does this comment represent the point of view of the board and senior leaders?

This comment is very similar to those I hear from other senior leaders and board members. They are usually very enthusiastic when we collaboratively build the strategy, then communicate the plan for implementing it. Good leaders feel responsible for taking the organization in a productive direction and the entire team, customers and the community recognizes the value of the strategy.

What is the downside of not having the senior team and all team members, on the same page?

Companies who operate without clear direction may have people working at cross-purposes. Without clear strategic direction, people feel free to choose their own. ?

As Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter says, “A company without a strategy is willing to try anything.” Equally risky is continually delaying, or procrastinating your strategic planning. Three risks to your business include: 1. Missing opportunities. 2. Being forced to change direction under pressure during a crisis. 3. Having confused, frustrated employees working at cross-purposes. -Susan Powell Byrd

What other lessons have you learned after 10 years helping companies with their strategies? ?

Just because the strategy is in the CEO’s or the senior team’s heads, doesn’t mean that all team members know what to do and why. ?Three lessons stand out the most:

1.?? Increase focus by articulating a maximum of 8 -10 objectives for the next 3 years.

2.?? Define the scope of the objectives carefully and develop lead and lag measures for each objective.

3.?? Communicate the strategy across the organization so that team members embrace and support it.

Susan, what do you say when senior leaders and board members in small to mid-sized companies (who don't know you), want to work with you and ask (or insist) on a strategic plan instead of a strategy map?

?This is an interesting question. Sometimes, I work with companies that are well positioned for continued success, and want to refine some aspects of their strategy. In these cases, I recommend we develop a 1-page, 3-year strategy map.

Other companies feel the need to do a deep dive strategic plan for various reasons, such as significant industry disruption. I work with clients to customize their deliverables so they get the strategy map or strategic plan that they need.

Susan, you clearly are a champion for smaller companies who may not realize the importance of collaborating with an expert like you to create and communicate a strategy that will help move the business forward. Why do small and medium-sized organizations engage external experts to help with strategic planning?

Small and medium-sized organizations frequently benefit from engaging a third-party expert to guide them through the process. A strategy consultant such as myself brings resources, expertise, and above all, objectivity.

Final Words of Advice to Companies Interested in Building a Strategy

Susan, do you have any words of advice to board members and leaders who are curious about what it takes to build a strategic path forward?

Ask yourself these questions: Do my company's mission and vision inspire our team members? Do my team members understand and embrace our strategy? Can my team members "find themselves" in the strategy? Many companies struggle to answer these questions. -Susan Powell Byrd

Thank you to Susan Powell Byrd for your stellar work as a strategy champion and sharing your passion for making a difference in small to mid-sized companies.

Susan is a frequent speaker on strategic topics for business and community groups. You can learn more on her website Westover Strategy Inc. and schedule a short consult with her.