In the latest episode of The Strategy Gap podcast, hosts Jonathan Morgan and Joe Krause sit down with Tino Mantella, an accomplished leader with a unique perspective on bridging the often challenging divide between strategy creation and strategy execution. Mantella’s extensive experience across nonprofits, government, technology, and more gives him a wealth of knowledge on strategic planning, community engagement, and leadership development. Here, we’ll delve into some of the core insights from this conversation, exploring Mantella’s strategies for effective planning, conscious capitalism, and balancing culture with business goals.
The Power of Collective Vision in Strategic Planning
Mantella emphasizes the importance of gathering insights from stakeholders, a practice he describes as fundamental to effective strategic planning. “I always say if I’m going to write a book, my first chapter would be, ‘It’s Not My Vision,’” he shares. His approach focuses on engaging with those involved in the organization—employees, customers, and other stakeholders—before making major decisions. Mantella highlighted his experience at the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), where he held 90 meetings in his first 90 days to gather insights and get buy-in for his initiatives.
One notable example Mantella provides is his work at the YMCA in Chicago. With 35 different branches, each facing unique community needs, the organization needed a strategic plan that allowed for both consistency and flexibility. He brought all 35 branches together for a “full-day strategic effort” where representatives from each branch presented their priorities. “It was a little bit of selflessness,” Mantella explains, as branches in affluent areas chose to direct more resources to those in need. This process fostered a sense of shared purpose, where every branch could contribute to the broader mission while maintaining its specific goals.
Conscious Capitalism: Balancing Purpose with Profit
One concept Mantella introduced during the episode is “conscious capitalism,” which he believes is a growing movement within the business world. He explains, “The bottom line on conscious capitalism is there are two bottom lines. One is you do have the accountability to produce profit and revenue for your stakeholders…but there’s a second bottom line, a purpose that goes beyond that.” Mantella points out that while financial responsibility remains essential, employees and consumers are increasingly drawn to companies that stand for more than profit alone.
The concept aligns with the values of younger generations, such as Millennials and Gen Z, who often seek out work with purpose. Mantella notes that companies can benefit from this shift in mindset, as employees who feel connected to a company’s mission tend to be more engaged and productive. In his own work, Mantella has seen the value of creating “purpose-driven responsibilities” within organizations. For instance, at TAG, junior staff were given opportunities to provide pro bono consulting for nonprofits. This not only helped the community but also enriched employees’ sense of purpose, creating a more motivated and committed workforce.
Jonathan Morgan reflects on this idea, noting that “the purpose of a business, it’s to drive shareholder value, which obviously isn’t the most inspiring thing, especially for everybody that maybe is in the organization.” By embedding purpose-driven initiatives within a company’s strategic plan, Mantella suggests that organizations can sustain long-term growth while also contributing to the community.
Incentivizing Cultural Alignment in Leadership
One of the challenges Mantella addresses in his executive search work is finding leaders who not only possess the technical skills required for the role but also align with the organization’s culture. Citing Peter Drucker’s famous phrase, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” Mantella explains that even a highly skilled leader can falter if they are not a cultural fit.
Mantella recalls his own experiences in executive searches, describing how he prioritizes understanding a company’s culture before recruiting candidates. This approach involves gathering input from various levels within an organization, from board members to frontline employees. “If you could, and some examples at Turknet, again, before we started the process, they were looking for a new managing partner for an accounting firm,” Mantella explains. This process helped to ensure that the person selected was not only capable but also equipped to thrive within the unique dynamics of the organization.
Another key aspect of ensuring cultural alignment, according to Mantella, is transparency between the CEO’s goals and the broader organization. Mantella advocates for leaders to publicly align their objectives with the company’s overall mission, sharing, “I always felt like it was important to have my KPIs, my personal goals, on the same trajectory in the same format…using the same sheets of paper.” This transparency helps prevent a disconnect between the goals of executive leadership and the expectations of the rest of the organization, fostering a cohesive team dynamic.
Embracing Flexibility in Strategic Plans
Mantella emphasizes that even the best-laid strategic plans must remain flexible to adapt to changing circumstances. Joe Krause highlights this point, noting that many organizations feel “immense pressure when they’re creating the plan” to get it exactly right. This mindset, he explains, can lead organizations to resist making changes, even when new information or unexpected events make revisions necessary.
In Mantella’s experience, regular plan review sessions—ideally on a monthly basis—help keep strategies aligned with real-world conditions. “Monthly, at least, because at least it’s taking a look at the environment, how the plan’s coming,” Mantella advises. He cites examples from his own career where adjusting targets up or down based on actual performance kept the organization on track.
Mantella also discusses the importance of creating a living document for strategic plans. Rather than treating the plan as static, a living document can change and grow in response to external events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or evolving industry trends. “Gone are the days for the most part…but you know, you hear about the IBMs of the world, how many hours people used to have in training and development before they actually got into their jobs,” Mantella notes. Adjusting to the needs of the moment is a crucial skill for any organization, ensuring that they remain resilient in the face of rapid changes.
Conclusion: The Intersection of Strategy, Culture, and Purpose
Mantella’s insights underscore the complexity of bridging the gap between strategy creation and execution. His approach combines a keen focus on stakeholder engagement, a commitment to conscious capitalism, and a dedication to cultural alignment. By aligning personal and organizational goals, embedding purpose-driven initiatives, and fostering a living strategy, Mantella suggests that leaders can create organizations that are both resilient and purpose-driven.
As Jonathan Morgan reflects, “You can certainly tell a CEO, hey, you should do this. But the inherent fact of it is that has to be an internal aspect that that leader and that CEO wants to do on their own.” In this way, Mantella’s approach to leadership transcends traditional planning models, offering a roadmap for those who wish to lead with both vision and empathy.
Listen to The Strategy Gap
A podcast about the space between savvy strategy and practical execution, including everything that can go wrong on the way.
