Years ago, one of the most powerful moments in my leadership journey occurred when my second-in-command looked me straight in the eye and said, “Kerry, you are so far ahead with your vision that no one knows where you are going.”

Ouch.

When Vision Outpaces The Team

He was right. I had a bold, vivid picture of where StoneAge was headed, how we would transform our industry, lead through innovation, and create a better experience for our employee-owners and customers alike. But I was not connecting the dots for everyone else. My vision was clear to me, but it was not clear to the team. That moment changed everything.

I realized that having a vision is not enough. You can have the most inspiring, future-focused vision in the world, but if people do not know how to connect their work to it, it becomes just words on a wall. Strategy, real strategy, is what bridges that gap.

I sat down and wrote what I now call our Future Document. It describes what we believe the future of our industry will look like, the role StoneAge will play in shaping it, and the game plan to get there. Every year, we revisit that document and ask: What is still true? What has changed? What assumptions need to be challenged?

It is one of the most powerful exercises we undertake as a leadership team, as it keeps us grounded in reality while still reaching for what is possible. But here is the thing: strategy is not static. It is not something you set and forget. Too many leaders, myself included at times, fall into that trap. We build a strategy deck, present it once at an all-hands meeting, and then dive back into our endless task lists. That is not a strategy. That is a plan.

A plan feels safe. It is linear. It gives us a sense of control. But a true strategy requires courage. It means making bets about the future, testing them, and being willing to be wrong. It is alive, evolving as we evolve, breathing in sync with the business.

Cadence Over Chaos

Recently, I had a conversation on Reflect Forward with Simon Severino, author of Strategy Sprints, that really reinforced this idea. Simon helps leaders keep their strategies alive through simple, repeatable systems. He says that if you are not working in short, focused sprints, you are not really doing strategy, you are just managing motion.

That struck me.

Simon’s approach is straightforward and elegant. He uses what he calls a “Focus Card,” one page for your strategy, one tab for weekly metrics. Every Monday, teams set their priorities. Every Friday, they review what worked, what did not, and what they learned. It is not about adding more meetings or structure; it is about creating rhythm, focus, and ownership.

I have not tried his exact methodology yet, but I find it fascinating, mostly because of its simplicity. It is clear, actionable, and human. It turns strategy from something theoretical into something that lives and breathes inside a company.

At StoneAge, we use what we call our Commitments Process. Every month, our executive management team meets to discuss our strategic priorities, and the owners of the projects that align with these initiatives report on their progress. We track our progress, identify roadblocks, pinpoint areas where we are off track, and determine what needs to change. While we meet monthly at the executive level, our teams work on these priorities every single day, actually, every single week. It is a rhythm that keeps our strategy visible, our accountability high, and our teams aligned with where we are headed.

Lead With Love

Over the years, I have come to see that leadership is not just about direction; it is about energy. Vision creates energy. Strategy channels it. Cadence sustains it. But purpose, and yes, love, expands it.

When you lead with love for your mission, your people, and the work you are here to accomplish, strategy becomes more organic. It becomes meaningful. It invites people in. It creates momentum that is not fueled by pressure, but by shared commitment and belief. When one of those elements is missing, vision, strategy, or cadence, everything starts to wobble. Without vision, people lose purpose. Without strategy, they lose direction. Without cadence, they lose momentum.

So if you are leading a team right now, I encourage you to pause and ask yourself:

If the answer to any of those is no, that is your invitation to stop calling it strategy and start bringing it to life.

Great strategy is not about control. It is about clarity, connection, and adaptability. It is about listening deeply to your market, your people, and your intuition, and creating space for evolution. When I lead from that place, when I balance the structure of strategy with the heart of connection, my team feels it. My words land differently. My energy changes the room.

So maybe the real question is not just, “Are we moving closer to our vision this week?”

Maybe it is, “Are we moving toward that vision together, in a way that brings others with us?” Because progress means little if it leaves people behind, the true power of strategy lies in collective movement, where vision meets connection and every person understands their part in shaping what comes next.

Call to Action:
If this message resonates, listen to my conversation with Simon Severino on Reflect Forward. It is a powerful reminder that the best strategies are not built once a year; they are lived every day.