Making It Happen: Lessons from the Frontline of Strategy Execution

“An inspiring and informative read” - Financial Times Shortlisted for the Business Book Awards 2022 In Making It Happen, Rebecca Stephens argues that the successful implementation of strategy often comes down to one individual – an individual with a clear, unswerving commitment to the cause, coupled with excellent leadership and communication skills. We all have the power within us to create change and get things done, even against the odds. With a variety of case studies and an eclectic selection of interviewees, this book champions diversity of thought and the importance of gleaning practical and actionable insights from a broad array of perspectives and experiences. And making things happen is more important now than ever. Virtually every organization, institution and business is in desperate need of a practical and actionable strategy to find their way through these difficult times with minimal disruption. According to the Project Management Institute, 37% of projects fail due to the lack of defined project objectives and milestones. Yet there are rare exceptions to this widespread failure to effectively strategize. This book tells the stories of individuals whose extraordinary efforts and persistence have resulted in successful strategy execution. Interestingly, most have effected change not just to the benefit of themselves or their organization, but to broader society too. And most work in organizations that are typically steeped in tradition and resistant to change: the civil service, the UN, the medical industry, education, financial services, and long-established multi-national corporations. Rebecca Stephens interviews these individuals and uncovers the secrets behind their success, while also drawing upon her own eclectic experiences in implementing strategy – from both her corporate and journalism career and her time as a revered mountaineer. Making it Happen demonstrates that it’s a sense of purpose, conviction and optimism – combined with strong commitment and the ability to influence and persuade – that leads to the successful implementation and execution of strategy.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgements Introduction 1: Fixing the National Health Service Bottom Up 2: Executing Strategy on Behalf of the United Nations 3: A Challenge of Implementing Change in Government 4: Transforming Education for the Better 5: Implementing Strategy in the Arts 6: Employing Artificial Intelligence to Implement a Strategy for Sustainable Energy 7: The Power of Mindset in Making Things Happen 8: A Strategy Executed – Saving a Pottery and Building a Brand 9: Global Strategy Execution in a Multinational Corporation 10: The Challenges and Successes – Making Diversity Happen 11: Executing Strategy Today and Tomorrow – Mission to the Moon, Mars and Beyond Conclusions Index

About the Author :
Rebecca Stephens is a journalist, writer, lecturer, and mountaineer. As a writer she is an observer but, as a mountaineer, she is a doer - she was the first British woman to climb Everest and then executed a bold strategy to become the first British woman to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. As a principal consultant of Skarbek Associates, she works in a team that integrates her experiences with decades of corporate experience and academic modelling to consult on executing strategy in organisations worldwide. She has written various books, including The Seven Summits of Success, which was published by Capstone in 2005.

Review :
Teaches us some profound lessons on how to execute strategy with purpose and agility. I thoroughly enjoyed these heroic case studies of successful strategy from a woman who knows first-hand how hard it is to reach the summit. It’s inspirational and shows us all how, with the right mind-set, we too can take on the mantle and make a difference. This book reminds us what’s possible, it’s compulsive reading if you want to turn dreams to reality. An incredibly valuable read. Making It Happen does just what the title implies – bringing the hard-earned experiences of soldiers, diplomats, educators, and business executives into useful focus for those facing the challenge of translating clever strategies into reality.