This post features a sequence of four videos about strategy, in which I have a conversation with Mark John Stewart, an entrepreneur of note (Wentworth Strategy, FlyPrint), not-for-profit co-founder (Empowerment Squared) and MCM strategy instructor. We really got into it. Enjoy.
These videos were recorded to serve the community of learners who are seeking Accreditation in Public Relations from the Canadian Public Relations Society. That’s why we are discussing specific books.
In this first video, we do introductions for the first 10 minutes or so. We really get warmed up around the 15 minute mark, that’s where we discuss what strategy means for communicators and marketers first conversation about strategy. Mark also walk me through his favourite strategy books.
In part two, we talk about the culture of strategy as well as how you can define what strategy is — we talk about top strategy articles that have appeared in the Harvard Business Review (e.g., Porter’s Five Forces, Blue Ocean, etc.). We also talk about the strategic importance of communications for organizations, particularly in the emerging work-from-home world.
In this third part, we discuss Mark Carney’s book “Value(s)”. We talk about the importance of values: ethical and moral in business practice. We touch on how we assign value: price vs other ways of deciding that something is valuable. We discuss how this is an opportunity for communicators and marketers.
In this fourth and final part, Mark and I discuss the important of data to the formulation of strategy. What is data-driven decision-making? How does it improve traditional “intuition-based” decision-making?
I hope you enjoyed listening to this conversation. It is a long listen, but we had a lot to talk about.
If you would like to hear more about this from me and Mark, you could apply to the MCM program in which we both teach (I teach data science/analytics and Mark teaches strategy) — the Master of Communications Management program. The MCM is an executive-education style program that you can do while you work full-time. The MCM program is offered in partnership between McMaster University and the Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University.
Another option, if doing your master’s is too great of a commitment right now, you can seek Accreditation in Public Relations from the Canadian Public Relations Society.