Sustaining a strong brand (i.e., navigating long-term goals) feels more complex than ever.
Marketing has splintered as new skills, technologies and media demand attention, giving rise to strategists of all types. Stretch that splintering over a historically siloed and bureaucratic organization, and you end up navigating a fragmented web of directives that compete across varied business goals.
For strategy to reclaim its place at the center of the institution (i.e., defining its north star), it must lead the way in shaping every aspect of success. Institutions must rally around an organizing principle that drives integration, embedding within it emergent properties that naturally inform direction. In a business context, A.G. Lafley argued that integration happens when institutions answer two key questions: “Where will you play, and how will you win there?”
From advancement to advising, institutions must define how they will win, creating a clear throughline where every decision, action, and adaptation builds toward something greater. As organizations decentralize, re-centralize or reorganize, this definition often breaks down or becomes siloed as daily demands take the wheel.
Lafley again: “Strategy is choice. More specifically, strategy is an integrated set of choices that uniquely positions the firm in its industry so as to create sustainable advantage and superior value relative to the competition.”
Every step (e.g., refining messaging, aligning teams, adapting to shifts) contributes to brand growth. When guided by purpose, this evolution designs a future where the brand thrives as a complete and cohesive entity. And that’s just internal pressure.
Externally, higher ed leaders must navigate even more complexity. From policy shifts to rising career pragmatism, strategy must create alignment while reflecting why a customer chooses the category in the first place. Alignment alone isn’t enough; it must hold a sharp, clear point of view.
To build that kind of advantage, institutions must break down the silos that weaken strategy and shift from fragmented solutions to shared understanding. Start with three critical steps.