New Strategy, Same Old Story: Your Story of Value Needs an Update

The Frustrating Gap between Strategy Definition and Value Capture   

The poly-crisis moment that we (hopefully) are all navigating has generated a nearly ubiquitous reset of corporate strategies. According to Gartner, 79% of CEOs will have revisited their business strategy for the post-crisis environment by the end of 2024. These companies are now shifting attention to strategy activation to capture both productivity gains and growth.  

This is a profound pivot and, not surprisingly, teams are struggling to execute at pace. In our work with CEOs beginning in late 2022 and extending to today, we have seen a sharp increase in dissatisfaction with what you could call “value appreciation”. These laments commonly take one of the following forms:     

The Valuation Gap – “Our topline performance is strong, and we’ve built a superior platform. We’re aligned to long-tail secular trends. But analysts are having to work too hard to find that story line.” – Technology CEO 

The Differentiation Gap – “We have a unique collection of assets, especially our software/hardware stack, but no one, including our sales teams, can articulate a distinctive value proposition.” – Industrial CEO  

The Narrative Gap – “Our balance sheet is strong. Our portfolio matches the market. We have talented teams and everyone is working hard. But our corporate narrative is outdated. Everyone has their own version of what’s going on. We need a new, clearer, more inspiring story to rally around.” – Financial Services CEO   

These sentiments and others like them are being expressed by talented executives that have led global teams through multiple crises. They have successfully updated their strategies to meet the moment. Yet today they are also identifying a missing link between strategy articulation and in-market execution. Gaps that have material impact on share price, sales performance and talent economics.  

The Story of Value 

Working with these leaders Prophet has developed a new leadership tool, The Story of Value. At the highest level, the story of value brings the assets of business – both hard and intangible – into a sharp, distinctive and inspiring narrative. It is a story that crystalizes the value that the business creates for shareholders, customers and employees, defining its unique and essential role in the world. It simplifies a complex business into a compelling statement of value – a common language for executives and teams in words that are proven to win in the market.     

Companies are using Stories of Value to pull business strategy forward into various strategy execution workflows, including: 

• Increasing performance of customer marketing and sales effectiveness through sharper value propositions.
• Aligning corporate communications around a distinctive market narrative focused on core value.
• Updating the employee value proposition and modernizing foundational corporate assets (e.g. purpose statements, values, brand positioning) to create a more cohesive culture.
• Arming finance, corporate development and IR teams with stronger investor day and roadshow presentations. 

Writing Your New Story of Value  

Creating an effective Value Story requires going beyond frameworks and workshops. The Story of Value methodology combines a rigorous focus on asset value with market-back insights on value drivers. This data moves through a process that forces clarity and elevates language, culminating in market testing to refine the work and validate its business impact. The end result is both a practical, execution-ready deliverable and a leadership experience that builds cohesiveness and shared belief.