Ideas for Strategy You Can Actually Run

Most strategic plans lose momentum after kickoff because ownership, cadence, and executive review are not clear enough. This article explains the execution pitfalls that show up in the first 90 days and how strategy operators can keep progress visible.

AI can help Chiefs of Staff summarize owner updates, surface risks, prepare pre-reads, and focus leadership reviews when strategy has the right operating context: priorities, owners, KPIs, risks, and cadence.

Starting with the fifth-most popular episode, we will be counting down to the top episode and delving back into the wisdom shared by each guest that helped make each episode so popular. 

A practical guide for Chiefs of Staff moving strategy from planning into ownership, operating cadence, executive review, and reporting.

It’s more important than ever for companies and candidates to have a clear understanding of what the Chief of Staff position entails.

We are thrilled to announce season three of Aspiring Ops, and our partnership with the On Deck Chief of Staff Fellowship.

The Chief of Staff position has grown into an essential role to help accelerate growth and amplify the impact of leadership.

Whether it’s your first time stepping into a Chief of Staff role or you have past experience, understanding what’s needed of the role and your fit is critical. 

With the rise in platforms built to help drive efficiency and effectiveness across your business, strategy and ops is quickly becoming one of the key ingredients for finding and replicating areas of growth across your business.

The idea of implementing an operating framework for growth at any company can be overwhelming. From executive level buy-in to rolling out a structure across every team, it can be a tall task for even the best strategy and operations leaders.

Execute and track your strategic plan more effectively with these three tips.

Russell Lester, CFO of Calendly, explains how teams can drive growth and efficiency in SaaS.

After meeting with hundreds of operations leaders, we put together a few key steps to help you successfully build and implement an executive scorecard for your company. 

Company culture. It’s a frequent topic of conversation in the startup scene, but how is it defined? Read more.

Whether you’re a hiring manager looking for validation or an Ops Leader looking for guidance, here are three reasons why companies should look internally for their Chief of Staff. 

Industrial operators have the systems. What's missing is the layer that connects priorities, owners, and metrics into a reviewable operating story.

A practical playbook for credit unions building a governed execution rhythm with exec-ready pre-reads, metric trust, and owner cadence.

A practical nonprofit strategy execution playbook for reducing update chasing and improving board, funder, and mission execution reporting.

Learn how higher education leaders turn strategic plans into ownership, cadence, KPI plus narrative, and cabinet or trustee-ready reporting.

We dive into 6 types of strategic objectives you want to avoid in your strategic plan - and how to course correct them.

Most leaders are quick to share that they need to improve their company's strategic planning processes, but many hesitate on taking action. We dive into the top 4 reasons, and how to overcome those.

What is the OKR Framework and should you be using it? We break down the pros and cons of using OKRs to set your company goals.

Writing good objectives is key to an effective strategic planning process. Follow our 3 step process to create clarity for your team.

Learn how KPIs and key results differ, where each fits, and how leadership teams use both to connect outcomes, owners, and executive reporting.

One of the hottest trends for Strategy & Ops leaders in SaaS has been implementing an OKR goal-setting framework.

As we head into the fall planning season, here are the do's and don'ts for those looking to learn how to set your team up for success in rolling out a platform.

When creating a software engineering OKR, it is important to determine how it will serve the overall company direction and company objectives.

Setting customer success team OKRs can feel a bit overwhelming. Align your team with these customer support goals and objectives.

There are a lot of misconceptions about OKRs, and this has led many companies to experience challenges with OKRs they weren't expecting.

Implementing OKRs requires an understanding of the long-term value and buy-in that the process will continue evolving as your company grows.

Starting with the fifth-most popular episode, we will be counting down to the top episode and delving back into the wisdom shared by each guest that helped make each episode so popular. 

Strategy and Operations Leaders play a key role in the Nonprofit landscape. Hear some key takeaways on how Josh and Keith bring their team members together to unite around common goals.

With strategic plans constantly being adjusted throughout the year, here are three recommendations to ensure your company stays aligned & closes out the year on a high note.

Aspiring Ops Guests share tips on how they optimize strategic initiatives & why the right processes and technology can be just as important as the actual execution of your strategy.

It’s more important than ever for companies and candidates to have a clear understanding of what the Chief of Staff position entails.

Over the course of Season Three on Aspiring Ops, we heard from a number of Chiefs of Staff who have found ways to unlock opportunity and serve as a catalyst for growth by amplifying the impact of their principal. 

Aspiring Ops guests share some expert advice about the strategic planning process and what comes after your leadership team offsite.

We are thrilled to announce season three of Aspiring Ops, and our partnership with the On Deck Chief of Staff Fellowship.

The Chief of Staff position has grown into an essential role to help accelerate growth and amplify the impact of leadership.

Whether it’s your first time stepping into a Chief of Staff role or you have past experience, understanding what’s needed of the role and your fit is critical. 

Russell Lester, CFO of Calendly, explains how teams can drive growth and efficiency in SaaS.

Company culture. It’s a frequent topic of conversation in the startup scene, but how is it defined? Read more.

Emad ElShawa, Chief of Staff at Fundbox, shared how his team views the strategic planning process and offered his advice for other startup leaders on our Aspiring Ops interview series. Listen now.

At this point, we feel pretty confident in saying that the Chief of Staff role is here to stay. But don’t just take our word for it, here's what the pros have to say.

We made sure to ask each Chief of Staff we interviewed for the advice they’d give to anyone getting started in the role. Read on to learn what they had to say.

Every executive names visibility as a priority. Few organizations have the foundation to create it. Brooks Busch on why strategic memory is the piece most strategies are missing.

Most organizations don't need better data. They need more context around the data they already have. Brooks on why perfect data is a fallacy.

Strategy doesn't fail because the mission is unclear. It fails because good intentions don't automatically translate into clear ownership, measurable outcomes, and a system to keep execution visible. In this essay, Brooks Wallace explores three places strategy execution breaks down for education and nonprofit institutions — and how AI is changing what Leaders can do about it.

AI may be driving change, but the bigger shift in 2026 is toward focus, efficiency, and disciplined execution. Here’s what strategy leaders need to understand.

AI is driving a surge of interest from Strategy and Operations Leaders, but the real question isn’t whether AI matters. It’s how to use it to meaningfully improve execution. This edition breaks down three practical applications of AI in strategy execution: automated status updates, AI-powered reporting, and AI-mapped strategic plans. The focus is simple: reduce friction, increase context, and make better decisions.

Most strategies don’t fail at kickoff. They fade over time. As Q1 momentum wears off, leaders must reinforce strategy through disciplined review cadences and decision-focused leadership meetings. This edition of The Pulse explores how consistent leadership behaviors keep strategy relevant and execution on track beyond the new year.

Learn how leadership teams spot execution risk earlier by connecting owners, updates, KPI context, blockers, and executive review cadence.

In this edition of The Pulse, Brooks Busch explores why spreadsheets persist in strategic planning, where they break down, and why static tools are becoming a liability in a faster-moving world. He unpacks the hidden costs of static strategy and explains why more Strategy and Operations leaders are rethinking how strategy is built, tracked, and executed in real time.

In this edition of The Pulse, Brooks Busch shares three ways Strategy and Operations leaders help their CEOs channel energy in a way the organization can absorb. From committing to a clear framework to revisiting Themes and shifting leadership conversations toward real risks, these practices help teams stay aligned during periods of rapid change. A timely perspective for leaders preparing for 2026 planning.

AI is reshaping the way Strategy Leaders define success. In this edition of The Pulse, we explore why measuring ROI as an outcome—not a narrative—is key to better strategy execution, and how AI is becoming a true thought partner for teams preparing for 2026.

In this edition of The Pulse, we get back to the core of strategy execution: the difference between managing projects and driving decisions. As AI accelerates how teams work, Strategy Leaders must build cultures focused on clarity, accountability, and impact — not just motion.

Elate’s co-founders unveil Strategy Advisor, the first domain-specific AI engine built to help Strategy and Operations leaders plan smarter, adapt faster, and execute with clarity. Learn how it reshapes the way strategy gets done.

Reporting has long been a pain point for Strategy Leaders — time-consuming, manual, and often outdated before it’s even shared. In this edition of The Pulse, we explore how AI is transforming reporting from a static process into a dynamic, strategy-driving advantage. Learn how leading teams are using AI to reduce reporting time, surface risks earlier, and take action faster.

In this edition of The Pulse, we explore how Strategy Leaders can use AI to detect early signals of misalignment, identify risks hiding beneath status updates, and move from reactive to proactive decision-making. Plus, get access to an exclusive sneak peek of what’s coming this October.

Strategic planning is broken. For many organizations, the process hasn’t changed in a decade — static slides, siloed documents, and plans that never make it out of the starting gate. In this edition of The Pulse, Brooks Busch explores why it’s time to rethink strategic planning, how AI can serve as a thought partner for Strategy Leaders, and what it means to move from static plans to dynamic execution.