The High-Impact Strategy Playbook: What We Took Away from the OKRMentors Webinar
Last month, we attended a webinar hosted by OKRMentors, where Aaron McKenna of McKenna Consultants—someone we work closely with—joined a panel of thought leaders to explore what makes strategy truly high-impact. The discussion centered on OKRMentors’ newly released strategy playbook, and Aaron’s insights added valuable perspective to an already rich conversation. Here’s what we took away.
Start with Strategy. Always.
It’s tempting to jump straight into OKRs. We get it—it feels productive! But as the panelists reminded us, if your strategy isn’t clearly defined, every business unit will make their own assumptions. That’s when you end up with misaligned goals, duplicated efforts, and teams rowing in different directions.
Strong strategy creates a shared understanding of where you’re headed and why—which is what makes OKRs truly powerful. No shortcuts here.
Strategy Isn’t Static—It’s Situational
One of the biggest takeaways for us was using the OKR cycle not just to measure outcomes, but to sense and respond to changing conditions. Market shifts, climate events, new competitors—these should all influence how strategy evolves.
Think of your strategy like a compass. It should always point to your North Star, but you need to keep scanning the horizon and adjusting your path.
The 10 C’s Framework by Thomas Dusart
We loved this simple but powerful framework for crafting strategy. Here are the 10 C’s at a glance:
Correct – Base it on facts, not assumptions.
Co-created – Strategy isn’t a solo sport.
Constrained – Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.
Clear – Keep it tight. 2–3 pages, max.
Consistent – Across teams and time.
Comprehensive – Economic, social, environmental.
Crisis-proof – Resilient plans > perfect plans.
Connectable – Link strategy to action.
Communicated – If people don’t understand it, it doesn’t exist.
Committed – Leadership has to walk the talk.
This one’s a keeper. We’ll be using it in our own strategy conversations (and probably printing it out).
Storytelling Makes Strategy Stick
One of the panelists, Aaron, inspired the group with his thinking on how important storytelling is to communicating strategy. In a sea of tactics and practices, this one stood out, because we can’t forget how our message is received/perceived by those who have implemented it. We need to inspire and make it memorable.
MVP Your Strategy
This was a big one. We often treat strategy like it has to be fully baked before we roll it out. But what if we approached it like we do product development? Test. Learn. Iterate.
Treat your strategy like a living document. Get feedback. Adjust based on real-world signals. It doesn’t belong on a shelf—it belongs in daily decision-making.
Where AI Can Help (and Where It Can’t)
There was some interesting conversation around AI and strategy. TL;DR:
AI can help with drafting ideas, distilling big strategy docs, and clarifying language.
But it can’t replace critical thinking, leadership intuition, or team buy-in.
One cool exercise: Have your leadership team write a 100-word version of your strategy. Then plug it into ChatGPT to get an even more distilled summary. It’s a great way to pressure-test clarity.
Final Takeaways We’re Still Thinking About
Define your strategy well. It’s the foundation of everything.
Involve your people. Don’t rely solely on top-down experts.
Stay flexible. Let go of what’s not working.
Start small. A pilot team can lead big change.
Ask for help. Strategy mentors exist for a reason.
A Final Thought from the Springbach Team
Strategy isn’t about perfection. It’s about direction, clarity, and courage. We loved this session because it reinforced what we believe: the best strategies are co-created, flexible, and tied directly to action.
If you’re looking for a thought partner to help bring your strategy to life—or just want to nerd out with us about OKRs—we’re always up for a conversation.