Strategy As Sinek (2010) explains, “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” What this means for leaders in an organization is that vision is what matters most. Giving people a reason to understand why an organization is operating is paramount to fostering a connection with them. People act according to reason and when they are given a “why” they are given that reason upon which they can act. An organization that simply approaches people and tells them what they do and how they do it is an organization that’s intended strategy will not match its realized strategy. In order to have one’s realized strategy correlated with one’s intended strategy, the organization must communicate to stakeholders from the inside-out rather than from the outside-in. In other words, it must explain the “why” before it explains the “what” and the “how.”

In my own life I can see that in different times I have engaged in both types of approaches: when I have been inspired by an idea and felt motivated to act on it and to share it with others, I have always begun the conversation...

I would be empowered by the reason within myself and would communicate that reason to others. They could then get on board with it and give me the support I needed to make the change effectively. I did this when I made up my mind to go to school. I recognized the need and I understood the “why” and I communicated it to those around me so that they too could understand. Following that, they supported my decision and encouraged me to continue on with my education. My intended strategy (going to school) was the same as my realized strategy (I went to school). Without the support and encouragement that I received from friends and family I would not have been able to make this journey so far. The reason I obtained their support was that I gave them a reason to believe in me: I presented them with the “why” instead of simply the “what.” Had I only told them that I was going to school and that I was going to do it by taking…