#21—The Four Problems Strategy Leaders Are Really Hired to Solve

Today’s guest is Adam Zalisk, Chief Strategy Officer at Amplify — a pioneer in K–12 education since 2000. Today, Amplify serves more than 10 million students across all 50 U.S. states, delivering next-generation curriculum and formative assessment in ELA, math, and science. 

In this conversation, Adam reflects on what changes when strategy becomes a formal role inside a growing organization. Rather than treating strategy as a static plan, he frames it as a set of clear commitments tied to an explicit end state — and explains why ambiguity around those commitments is often what causes companies to struggle as they scale. He also introduces a practical framework for understanding why strategy offices emerge in the first place, helping leaders distinguish between different strategic needs and translate strategic thinking into real organizational traction. 

Things we’ll cover: 

• How Adam defines strategy in growth-stage companies 
• The four distinct reasons organizations create a strategy office 
• What leaders are actually looking for when they say, “we need strategy” 
• How a strategy office avoids becoming an internal order-taker 
• Where strategy functions most often lose — or earn — credibility 

This episode is a practical guide for CSOs navigating growth, ambiguity, and rising organizational complexity. If you’re wrestling with focus, alignment, or execution as your organization scales, this conversation will sharpen how you think about the role — and the impact — of strategy.

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