Strategy in Motion: Why agility is your competitive advantage

A version of this article first appeared on EideBailly.com.

Mid-market companies face mounting pressure to grow, innovate, and adapt — often with fewer resources and more complexity than larger competitors.  

The truth? Your strategy is only as strong as your ability to pivot. 

Annual plans can become obsolete within months. Market shifts, emerging technologies, and workforce constraints demand faster, smarter decisions. A reactive mindset won’t deliver sustainable success. 

For CEOs: Turn Vision into Action 

Most CEOs know the destination — the challenge is alignment. Miscommunication and unclear ownership can derail progress. 

What helps: 

• Define an execution framework with KPIs and accountability 

• Move from annual reviews to quarterly strategy check-ins 

• Test assumptions regularly — yesterday’s playbook may not fit today 

A recent Olivery Wyman Forum report suggest CEOs who revisit strategic priorities quarterly are more likely to pivot successfully during periods of disruption. Replace static three-year plans with six-month rolling strategies that track against real-time signals — then anchor those near-term actions in a bold, seven-year vision. This dual-horizon approach enables CEOs to stay agile while keeping the bigger picture in focus, leading to more sustainable success. 

For CFOs: Make Finance the Engine of Agility 

CFOs aren’t just budget gatekeepers anymore — they’re navigators steering strategy through data, modeling, and financial foresight. But outdated planning cycles and limited scenario analysis can leave leadership flying blind. 

What helps: 

• Shift to rolling forecasts for real-time adaptability 

• Use scenario planning to guide strategic bets 

• Collaborate across functions to evaluate business value, not just cost 

Our recent survey highlights the importance of scenario planning and dynamic forecasting. Respondents named their top challenges as responding with agility to market changes and regulations and relying on outdated forecasting models. Notably, 50% said that improving cash flow forecasting and budgeting strategies would have the greatest positive impact on performance. 

For Tech Leaders: Align Digital with Business Goals 

Technology isn’t a side project — it’s the backbone of transformation. Yet digital initiatives are too often siloed from broader business goals. CTOs and CIOs are under pressure to modernize systems, deploy AI, and safeguard data — all while proving ROI across the enterprise. 

What helps: 

• Prioritize business impact over technical novelty 

• Address technical debt to free resources for innovation 

• Establish shared governance to keep tech decisions aligned with strategy 

Research shows that aligned IT strategy leads to higher transformation success. Shared governance helps prioritize investments that deliver real business impact, especially as AI, new platforms, and cyber risks accelerate. 

The Bottom Line: Strategy That Moves Wins 

Top-performing organizations treat strategy as a living discipline. They build rhythm, visibility, and cross-functional habits to stay agile without losing purpose. You may not have infinite resources, but with alignment and shared goals, you have something more powerful: agility with intent.