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#435 – Davide Sola – Strategy in Action
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Strategy in Action
Davide Sola is Co-founder of Strategy in Action. He is a Professor at ESCP Business School and a listing professor at other leading business schools. He has more than 20 years of experience in strategy consulting at McKinsey and 3H Partners. Davide has written lots of articles, policy papers and his book “How to Think Strategically” can be purchased on Amazon. Now, married with 3 kids, living in London, he hails from Turin.
Summary of the Podcast
Introductions
- Graham and Kevin introduce Davide Sola, a professor at the ESCP business school in London.
- Davide provides background on his career.
- He’s got previous experience in investment banking and private equity, as well as his current roles as a professor and entrepreneur.
The connection between strategy and innovation
- Davide explains that strategy and innovation are closely linked.
- Strategy involves making choices to go from point A to point B, and innovation is the result of those strategic choices.
- He emphasises that strategy without innovation, and innovation without strategy, are both problematic.
- Successful strategy requires making tough choices about where to play, how to win, and what capabilities and systems to put in place.
Aligning the organisation around strategy
- Davide discusses the importance of aligning the entire organisation around a clear strategic vision and set of objectives.
- He notes that often different departments or leaders have divergent views on the company’s strategic priorities.
- Davide addresses this with techniques like the “strategy one-pager” to create a shared understanding.
- Moreover, there is a need for frequent strategic reviews.
- Plus, the courage to make difficult decisions about what to stop doing.
Using technology to enable strategic agility
- Graham asks about the role of technology and AI in enabling more frequent strategic reviews and analysis.
- Davide explains that his company, Strategy in Action, aims to make strategic planning more accessible and iterative.
- This will be done through the use of frameworks, data, and intelligent AI agents that can surface insights and prompt strategic questions.
Recap and next steps
- Graham and Kevin wrap up the discussion, thanking Davide for his insights.
Clips from the Podcast
Click on subheadline for Monty Python staff.
How to Think Strategically For Innovation
Repeat Innovation
More Value than Cost – Segmentation
Testimonial
The Next 100 Days Podcast Co-Hosts
Graham Arrowsmith
Graham is “The High Net Worth Data Guy” who founded Finely Fettled to help business owners and marketers market to affluent and high-net-worth customers. Now get all-inclusive affluent direct mail campaigns combining A lister copy, design, print and postage for £599+vat, without the DIY hassle. Find Graham on LinkedIn.
Kevin Appleby
Kevin specialises in finance transformation and implementing business change. He’s the COO of GrowCFO, which provides both community and CPD-accredited training designed to grow the next generation of finance leaders. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn and at kevinappleby.com
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