Create a Simple Strategic Principle

Helping employees understand a strategy while simultaneously motivating them to achieve it is a dire challenge for many leaders. Creating and sticking to a pithy, memorable, action-oriented phrase can help. When designed and executed well, a strategic principle gives employees clear direction while inspiring them to be flexible and take risks. A powerful strategic principle forces trade-offs between competing resources and provides a litmus test for decisions. When faced with a choice, an employee should be able to test her options against the strategic principle to make a decision that aligns with the company's objectives.

Source: HBR's 10 Must Reads on Strategy, one of six HBR article collections in the popular 10 Must Reads series