From Strategy To Storytelling: How a simple creative task sparked real team buy-in

Every organisation has strategy documents. They’re printed, presented, and filed away with the best of intentions. Leaders hope they will inspire action and alignment. But for most teams, the effect is fleeting. A new plan is unveiled, the room nods politely, and then everyone returns to the demands of their inbox.

The missing ingredient isn’t intelligence, or effort, or ambition. It’s belief. It’s a shared story. It’s that buzz word we all know of, but don’t always know how to achieve- It’s ‘Buy-In’.

A strategy on its own is abstract. It tells people what needs to be done, but it doesn’t tell them why it matters to them, to their customers, or to the wider world. And, it’s an obvious statement but people can’t truly commit to a project, a strategy, or even a company until they can feel that there is a story that involves them hiding underneath that carefully designed plan somewhere.

Storytelling is such an under-utilised but powerful tool for turning a set of company goals into a shared cause worth striving for.

Our Whare Kea Story

At NewZeal, we experienced this first-hand during a two-night retreat at Whare Kea Chalet in Mount Aspiring National Park. The project sounded simple enough: design a photobook for our luxury travel agents. A nice creative exercise, we thought. But once we began, the process took on a life of its own.

We gathered around a table with thousands of images in front of us: rivers, mountains, moments of joy, small details captured in the wilderness. Every choice seemed to matter. Should the book open with a sweeping mountain panorama, or with a close-up of a guest laughing on the river? Should our contact details be on the back cover, or should the images speak entirely for themselves?

Hours passed, and we found ourselves debating, laughing, questioning, and sharing what each image meant to us. It was no longer about layout. It was about identity. What did we want this book to say about NewZeal? What story did we want to tell the world?

By the time we closed the laptop on the final draft, we realised we hadn’t just built a photobook. We had cemented our buy-in. Every member of our team had contributed their perspective. Every decision reflected shared values. We weren’t just following instructions; we were shaping something bigger together.

That’s the essence of story. It’s not imposed from above. It’s co-authored. 

Bringing Story Into Your Team

Transforming strategy into a shared story requires more than just discussions; it involves immersive, hands-on experiences that engage the team creatively. Drawing from our further research on innovative practices in creative and strategic agencies, here are some activities designed to foster collaboration and deepen understanding that we think could spark some ideas for you, to use on your own team retreats or strategy sessions:

1. Visual Storyboarding

Inspired by the concept of "Gamestorming," teams can create visual storyboards that map out the strategy as a journey. Using sticky notes, markers, and large sheets of paper, each member contributes scenes representing different phases of the strategy. This collaborative process not only clarifies the path forward but also allows for the identification of potential obstacles and opportunities, turning the strategy into a visual narrative that everyone can engage with.

2. Strategy Escape Room

This is a fun one! Agencies have utilized room escape games for team building, adapting them to focus on strategic objectives. In a 'Strategy Escape Room,' teams solve puzzles related to the strategic goals, with each puzzle piece representing a key objective or challenge. This immersive experience reinforces the strategy and fosters teamwork and problem-solving skills. Even the creation process for this one would require a deeper understanding of the strategy from the creators, so works well on two levels.

3. 'Strategy in Motion' Video

Drawing inspiration from dynamic content creation processes, teams can produce a short video illustrating their strategies in action. This could include behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with team members, and visual metaphors representing the goals. Sharing this video internally helps humanise strategy, making it more relatable and engaging for everyone involved.

4. Strategy Hackathon

Organizing a 'Strategy Hackathon' encourages teams to brainstorm innovative ways to achieve strategic objectives. This fast-paced, collaborative environment promotes out-of-the-box thinking and often leads to fresh perspectives and actionable ideas that can be implemented in the strategy.

5. Customer Journey Mapping

Creating detailed customer journey maps illustrates the experiences of clients at each touchpoint. This exercise would work great for a sales team and helps identify pain points, opportunities for improvement, and areas where the strategy can have the most impact, ensuring that the narrative remains customer-centric and meaningful.

By engaging in these creative, hands-on activities, teams can transform abstract strategies into compelling, shared stories that resonate on a more personal level, fostering deeper connection and commitment to a shared cause.

Why Strategy As Story Should Matter For Leaders

When leaders tell strategy as a story, they give people something they can believe in. More importantly, when leaders invite teams to help write that story, the belief becomes shared. Buy-in stops being about compliance, and becomes about contribution.

NewZeal Teams is grounded in this idea. In retreats, off-sites, and workshops, we help teams connect their strategies to stories worth believing in. Because in the end, the story your team tells themselves is the strategy they will follow.

The question isn’t just: Do you have a plan?

It’s: Do you have a story your team wants to be part of?

Get in touch to talk to us about our team retreats- where you can start bringing your story to life

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