Why Strategy is a story, not a Plan.

No. 001

What is Strategic Design (1 of 3)

Most strategies fail, but not because the people behind them aren’t smart, committed, or resourced. They fail because they aren’t understood. They fail because they’re treated as plans on paper instead of as stories that guide people’s behaviors.

Leaders spend countless hours in planning meetings, creating slide decks, and drafting strategies that look impressive but rarely live beyond a boardroom presentation. Teams nod along, but months later the energy has faded, the initiatives stall, and the organization quietly drifts back into old habits.

Why does this happen? Because people don’t live out of plans — they live out of stories.

Stories give meaning to our work, shape our decisions, and tell us who we are becoming. Stories are what connect the dots between our present reality and the future we long to see.

At Constava, we equip leaders to see strategy through a three-part framework:

1. Origin Story – how we started and how we got here (Marketing - Trust Building)Every organization has an origin story. It might be a decision made just a few days ago, or a founding moment decades in the past. Either way, it matters. Origin stories keep us anchored to our humble beginnings, our first sparks of passion, and the convictions that launched us forward. If we lose sight of our origin story, we risk losing our “why.” Without that grounding, we can’t create lasting change.
2. Driving Narrative – what we are doing now and the guiding values that drive us (Sales & Ops - Value Proposition)Narrative is the present-tense story we live out each day. It answers, “What are we doing now? How are we making decisions? What behavioral values guide us?” A clear narrative keeps teams aligned and ensures today’s actions are consistent with yesterday’s story and tomorrow’s hopes.
3. Lasting Legacy – the long view vision (Branding - Affiliation/Belonging)Legacy is what others will one day say about us — the ripple effect of our story on their lives. Unlike story or narrative, we can’t control legacy. It is shaped by how faithfully we live our values and steward our story in the present. Legacy is less about what we claim for ourselves and more about how people remember the impact we had on them.

When leaders hold these three together — Origin Story, Driving Narrative, Lasting Legacy — strategy comes alive. It is no longer just a plan on paper, but a living story that connects past, present, and future in a way people can believe in and act upon.

Think of the stories that have shaped you personally: a childhood lesson, a mentor’s wisdom, a defining challenge. Chances are, you don’t remember the exact data or bullet points — you remember the story. And from that story, you’re still living out a narrative and building toward a legacy.

Organizations are no different. If your strategy isn’t rooted in origin, guided by a living narrative, and mindful of its legacy, it won’t inspire people, it won’t guide decisions, and it won’t sustain momentum. A plan may direct tasks, but a story carries people forward.

Your organization’s story is already unfolding. The question is: will it be accidental or intentional?