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Andy Raskin helps CEOs align their leadership teams around a strategic narrative\u2014a single story that powers success in sales, marketing, product, fundraising, and recruiting. His clients include Gong, Dropbox, Uber, Salesforce, Square, and IBM. In today\u2019s episode, we discuss:

\u2022 What a strategic narrative is, and how to craft one

\u2022 How having a strategic narrative can bring alignment to your entire company

\u2022 Examples of strategic narratives in action

\u2022 Who needs a strategic narrative and who doesn\u2019t

\u2022 Why Andy thinks about movements instead of categories

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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-power-of-strategic-narrative

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Where to find Andy Raskin:

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyraskin/

\u2022 Website: https://www.andyraskin.com/

\u2022 Podcast: https://andyraskin.com/podcast/

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Where to find Lenny:

\u2022 Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

\u2022 Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Andy\u2019s background

(08:03) What is a strategic narrative?

(10:34) How Salesforce would have pitched the old way

(12:02) Examples of a strategic narrative in action\xa0

(15:23) How one piece of writing skyrocketed Andy\u2019s career

(16:40) The power of writing online

(17:53) Two paths to writing online

(19:27) Naming the old game

(20:59) Naming the stakes\xa0

(23:29) Naming the objective

(25:17) Naming the obstacles

(26:35) Overcoming the obstacles

(26:57) How the strategic narrative parallels the hero\u2019s journey\xa0

(28:25) Telling one story well vs. being a good storyteller

(29:18) The 5-step framework summarized

(31:33) An example of the 5-step framework in action

(36:12) The impact of shifting to the strategic narrative approach\xa0

(39:08) Companies that are nailing their strategic narrative\xa0

(40:36) Why Andy thinks about movements instead of categories

(44:15) Should every company have a strategic narrative?

(46:33) Signs that something is broken in your strategic narrative

(48:53) Steps to get started on your own

(51:36) How to reach Andy

(51:53) Why the second session is the low point in the process

(55:30) Why the CEO needs to be part of the process

(57:40) Lightning round

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Referenced:

\u2022 Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/

\u2022 Marc Benioff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbenioff/

\u2022 Zuora: https://www.zuora.com/

\u2022 The Greatest Sales Deck I\u2019ve Ever Seen: https://medium.com/the-mission/the-greatest-sales-deck-ive-ever-seen-4f4ef3391ba0

\u2022 Gong: https://www.gong.io/

\u2022 Tien Tzuo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tientzuo/

\u2022 Want a Better Pitch? Master the \u201cMove\u201d: https://medium.com/firm-narrative/want-a-better-pitch-master-the-move-5fbee071ca7f

\u2022 Star Wars: https://www.starwars.com/

\u2022 The Hero with a Thousand Faces: https://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Faces-Collected-Joseph-Campbell/dp/1577315936

\u2022 360Learning: https://360learning.com/

\u2022 Nick Hernandez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoconut/

\u2022 Amit Bendov: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitbendov/

\u2022 Drift: https://www.drift.com/

\u2022 OneTrust: https://www.onetrust.com/

\u2022 \u201cShitty First Drafts\u201d by Anne Lamott: https://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/pamela.golden/engl2327/shitty-first-drafts-by-anne-lamott/view

\u2022 Story: https://www.amazon.com/Story-Substance-Structure-Principles-Screenwriting/

\u2022 Out of Sheer Rage: https://www.amazon.com/Out-Sheer-Rage-Wrestling-Lawrence/

\u2022 Station Eleven: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10574236/

\u2022 Fitbit: https://www.fitbit.com/global/us/home

\u2022 Apple Watch: https://www.apple.com/watch

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.