Insights From Professor Snell – Transform Strategy Into Action: A Blueprint for HR Leaders to Drive Business Strategy

Leadership isn’t just about vision—it’s about execution.

On February 4, 2025, Professor Scott Snell from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, delivered a transformative online workshop titled “Transforming Strategy into Action.” This high-impact session aimed to equip senior leaders with the critical tools they need to spearhead strategic transformation—a vital endeavor for organizations that require dynamic change. The workshop addressed significant challenges such as organizational inertia, lack of strategic focus, and employee resistance, offering practical insights and actionable strategies from cutting-edge research, managerial practice and more, from Professor Snell’s book The CEO Playbook.

The workshop emphasized that successful CEOs not only think strategically but also master execution. High-performing leaders separate themselves by translating strategy into action. Although Professor Snell’s book targets CEOs, HR leaders equally need these insights as they shape leadership pipelines, align talent with business goals, and drive execution at scale.

For HR Leaders, the Challenge is Clear

HR is no longer a support function. It is a strategic force multiplier. HR must not only enable CEOs to succeed, but anticipate their needs, challenge assumptions, and ensure the right people are in place to execute strategy.

In a recent workshop with global executives, Professor Snell shared a powerful framework for navigating transformation in a VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) world. By focusing on four critical leadership actions, Snell revealed how organizations can turn strategy into execution with precision and impact. These strategies will empower the HR leader to take up a more active role in driving business strategy and ensuring its successful execution.

Four Factors of Strategic Transformation for HR Leaders

Professor Snell’s framework for leadership execution includes four key areas. Here’s how HR leaders can leverage these to drive transformation.

1. Establish Strategic Context: Align Talent with Business Strategy

The foundation of any transformation is understanding the business ecosystem. HR leaders must ensure that talent strategy aligns with the company’s evolving needs. This means identifying and developing leaders who not only understand the current market dynamics but are also ready for future disruptions.

HR in Action:

• Ensure leadership teams are aligned with the business’s strategic intent by anticipating market shifts and evolving customer expectations.
• Clearly define external pressures (market shifts, technological disruptions, and competitive threats).
• Show the gap between where the company is now and where it needs to be.
• Develop a succession plan that doesn’t just focus on the next leader but on leaders who are capable of executing the business strategy of tomorrow.
• Foster a culture where employees understand how their roles drive the company’s success, ensuring a results-driven environment where execution is prioritized.

2. Engage Stakeholders: HR as a Strategic Business Partner

Transformations fail when there’s resistance or misalignment between leadership and the broader organization. As an HR leader, the ability to engage key stakeholders—whether they are internal talent or external partners—will be essential for driving the transformation forward.

HR in Action:

• Identify key influencers within the organization—not just senior executives but those who hold informal influence.
• Actively listen to concerns and address resistance proactively.
• Provide clarity on what’s changing, why it’s changing, and how individuals contribute to success.
• Use data to connect HR initiatives to business outcomes like growth, innovation, and competitive advantage.
• Align leadership development programs with executive priorities to ensure HR’s initiatives are fully supported.
• Actively anticipate challenges and offer solutions to obstacles before they escalate, positioning HR as a proactive, value-adding partner.
• Empower employees with a sense of ownership—transformation isn’t something happening to them, but with them.

3. Orchestrate Mobilization: Drive Execution Through People

A well-thought-out strategy is useless if the organization can’t execute it. HR ensures that the right talent is in place to drive the business forward and empower leaders to make decisions quickly. Mobilizing the organization means ensuring that resources, culture, and operations are fully aligned with transformation goals.

HR in Action:

• Prioritize leadership development programs that focus on execution capabilities—not just technical skills or competencies but the ability to deliver results under pressure.
• Use workforce analytics to identify execution bottlenecks, ensuring that the organization is not slowed down by process inefficiencies or talent gaps.
• Align performance incentives to reward accountability, adaptability, and the ability to take swift action.
• Ensure cross-functional collaboration—transformation isn’t just a leadership initiative; it must be driven across all departments.

4. Cultivate Change Agility: Prepare for What’s Next

In today’s fast-paced environment, organizations must be able to pivot quickly in response to market changes, new technologies, or unexpected disruptions. HR leaders must build a culture of agility that enables the organization to adapt and thrive no matter the circumstances.

HR in Action:

• Shift from rigid career paths to dynamic, skills-based leadership development, allowing leaders to build experience in multiple areas of the business.
• Encourage a bias for action at all levels of the organization, empowering leaders to make decisions and implement changes in real-time.
• Build systems that allow rapid resource reallocation when new opportunities arise.
• Equip teams with real-time data and analytics to make informed decisions quickly.
• Embrace failure as part of the process because learning organizations pivot faster than those that fear making mistakes.

Driving Transformation: HR’s Role in Shaping the Business Agenda

HR leaders who embrace these four strategic transformation factors will be the key to translating business strategy into execution. By aligning talent, engaging teams, and ensuring that the strategy is executed effectively, HR leaders will become indispensable drivers of long-term business success.

Take a Moment to Reflect: Transformation Happens in the Decisions Leaders Make Every Day

The difference between momentum and stagnation lies in how well leaders translate vision into reality. As you think about the factors shaping your organization’s success, ask yourself: Where are the gaps between strategy and execution? What leadership behaviors need to evolve? What bold conversations must take place today to drive meaningful change? The most effective leaders don’t wait for clarity—they create it, one action at a time.

Strengthen Leadership Impact with Emeritus

Driving strategic execution and organizational agility requires more than just vision – it also demands leaders who can align talent, engage stakeholders, and mobilize teams for lasting impact. HR leaders play a pivotal role in shaping this capability within their organizations. Emeritus empowers professionals through high-quality executive education and collaborates with top-ranked business schools to offer customized in-house programs that equip professionals with the skills needed to lead transformation effectively. By strengthening leadership development, organizations can cultivate resilient teams and sustain a competitive advantage in an ever-evolving business environment.