STRATEGYCOACHING 213
PRACTITIONERS
Niko Canner
S
trategy is the set of ideas that shape the way organizations make choices
and take action. At its very best, strategy both expands the universe of
possibilities that individuals and groups consider, and channels effort behind
a small number of priorities. Great strategies answer the question “ Why?” in
the same moment as the question “ What?” They help narrow and channel
focus, while maintaining sufficient room for creativity about howto achieve
an overarching goal.
Most ofus think about strategy as a concept that applies primarily at the
corporate, business unit and product levels. In fact, there is no level at which
the concept of “the set of ideas that shape the way organizations make choices
and take action” does not apply. Strategy is nested, dynamic, and ubiquitous.
The ubiquity of strategy presents a set of challenges that take us a long
way from Boston Consulting Group’s articulation of the growth-share matrix
as a codification of the notion that some businesses are more worthy of in-
vestment than others. Three principles stand out:- All leaders are both consumers of strategy—as it is defined by cus-
tomers and partners, as well as within their own organization—and
producers ofstrategy. - Strategy is communication. The metaphor of “rolling out” needs to be
replaced with the imperative to give people at all levels the tools to re-
define the ideas that shape their choices and actions. Strategy must
Niko Canner is a founder and Managing Partner of
Katzenbach Partners LLC, a consulting firm with of-
fices in New York and Houston. Niko was also a founder-
member of the McKinsey Change Center and a
cofounder of the Organization Practice at the Mitchell
Madison Group. He has published articles on subjects
ranging from the theory offinancial asset allocation to
the social context for knowledge management, and is
working with Jon Katzenbach on a book regarding how
leaders motivate performance by building pride. He can be reached by e-mail
at [email protected], via the Internet at http://www.katzenbach.com, or
by phone at (212) 340-8282.