Spark 3 – How to think more strategically: Golden Thread: Example

When looking at implementing the Golden Thread into strategic thinking, there are two levels to consider.

The first is about alignment, and the second is about projection. Let’s start with alignment.

1. Alignment

When you’re about to bid for a new tendered service, chase that stunning merger, diversify, or invest in a new project or opportunity, ask the question: ‘How does this new endeavour align with the golden thread that unifies our activities and mission?’.

Try writing the key inputs to, activities in, and outputs of this new opportunity. Then convince people in your workplace how these three things line up to your purpose and mission AND how you will integrate the inputs, activities and processes into your workplace.
If all that sings, then you have a golden thread narrative and you have passed the alignment level.

2. Projection

The deeper strategic thinker mentally puts themselves in the shoes of an archer, looking down the shaft of the arrow and out onto the range. The arrow is your aligned golden thread narrative (from Step 1). The question now is: ‘What can I see or anticipate because I have this alignment; what is in my new range of vision?’

Let me flesh this out with an example.

Let’s say you’re the CEO of an organisation that is addressing youth homelessness. You build studios to go in families’ backyards, and in doing so address overcrowding at home. The government asks if you would be willing to distribute education vouchers to keep kids at school – a great indicator of keeping them off the streets. How does this fit with the levels of the golden thread in action?

• Level 1 Alignment: Distributing education vouchers complements the accommodation aspect of your mission and purpose, and they can be distributed as part of your routine engagement around the accommodation. Also, the evidence tells you that accommodation and education work well together in this context.
• Level 2 Projection: Now that you are tackling these two elements, what else can you distribute or do? Food? Counselling? Connection?

One of my mottos in strategy is ‘Two benefits for every move.’ This is a great example of tapping into this motto to find your Level 2 benefit.

How to think more strategically: 6 ways to use this Spark

Here are some tools to help build your strategic thinking muscle around the golden thread:

• Narrative workshops: Conduct storytelling workshops to integrate the golden thread into your organisational narratives.

• Digital storyboards: Use tools like Storyboard That or Miro for visualising strategic plans, highlighting the golden thread’s role.
• Case studies: Develop case studies focusing on how the golden thread influenced successes and learnings.
• Role-playing: Implement role-playing to explore the golden thread’s impact in various scenarios.
• Strategic fiction writing: Craft stories projecting your organisation’s future with the golden thread as a key element.
• Interactive story mapping: Blend interactive elements into journey mapping, exploring decisions aligned with the golden thread.

These techniques place storytelling at the heart of strategy, transforming the golden thread from a concept into a practical, visible tool across your organisation.