From strategy to execution: Helping managers to be successful - with Aaron Byers

In this episode, Andrea Butler interviews Aaron Byers about helping managers to execute strategy. 

The key takeaway from this episode:

• To execute strategy effectively, it’s important that all employees feel that they are valued members of the team and contributing to the work. This is easier said than done! Managers can support this by clearly stating the desired results (e.g., This is where we are going to end up. This is what we want to see happen). Managers can then facilitate conversations with employees, unpacking the desired results, and asking employees what they can do to help achieve those results? When goals or objectives come from the employee and are not handed down from superiors, there will be more buy-in right from day one. This is also how employees can see the value in their work.
• Three skills that are critical for managers to be able to execute strategy are curiosity, trust, and accountability
  • Curiosity is about being able to ask the right questions. Digging into the strategy and exploring how it can be executed. Asking as many questions as possible and getting it all out there.
  • Trust is also critical and can often be earned by showing character and competence.
  • Accountability is about tracking results and progress, embracing mistakes, and viewing mistakes from a learning standpoint so they are not made again.