When the Strategic Story Stops Matching the Work
Every organization runs on a strategic story.
“We put members first.”
“We are an innovation leader.”
“We are growing minded.”
That story shows up in town halls, board decks, earnings calls, and strategy off-sites. It explains why you exist and where you are going. It also decides who gets budget and what work gets done.
In that sense, story is a form of strategy.
The Gap Between Strategic Story and Execution
Trouble starts when the strategic story and the execution drift apart.
You see small signs:
- Projects that look nothing like the stated strategy
- “Member experience first” language paired with chronic service problems
- “We move fast” on slides while approvals take months
- “Our growth is in M&A” while integration stalls and deal value drops
None of this looks fatal on its own. Most of it sounds reasonable. You can explain away each exception.
But each one adds pressure to the system.
Over time, the gap between what you say and what you do becomes its own risk.
How Leaders Can Pull the Story Back to Reality
You do not fix this with a new slogan.
You fix it by bringing story and execution back into contact:
Say the story out loud, then pull up the portfolio.
Line up your top initiatives with your stated strategy. Be honest about the ones that do not fit.
Name the work that belongs to the past.
Some projects exist because they once mattered or because no one wants the fight. Call them out.
Adjust funding to match your story.
Cut or wind down what does not fit. Put real money and real people into what does.
Ask the PMO to keep you honest.
Their job is not just tracking progress. It is to flag when the work no longer matches the story you tell the board, your members, or your customers.
The Happy Ending to Your Strategic Story
This is where a Project Portfolio Management Office (PPMO) earns its keep.
A PPMO’s job is simple to say and hard to do:
- Keep a clear, honest view of all major work in one place
- Show how that work lines up against the story you say you believe
- Surface the projects that belong to the past, not the future
- Make it easy for leaders to move money and capacity toward what matters now
It is less about templates and status, more about structure, scale, and holding the mirror up.
If your story and your execution feel out of sync, do not start with a new tagline.
Start by asking your PPMO for one clean view that answers a basic question:
“If this is the strategic story we tell, does this portfolio make sense?”
If the answer is no, that is the real work.
