Most Important Skills for a Head of Strategic Planning at Monster Energy Company
Blake, Head of Strategic Planning at Monster Energy, emphasizes three key skills: strong communication to ensure a shared organizational vision ("create that multiplier effect"), robust analytical abilities honed from consulting experience ("taking that more hypothesis-driven approach"), and effective stakeholder management by understanding individual goals and connecting them to the broader organizational strategy. These skills, Blake suggests, are crucial for distilling complex concepts into actionable plans across all levels of the company.
Communication, Data Analysis, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Thinking, Leadership
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Blake Britten
Head of Strategic Planning
Monster Energy Company
University of Michigan, 2006
UCLA Anderson, MBA
Engineering - Industrial
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Food, Beverages & Alcohol
Business Strategy
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Strong communication skills to convey complex information clearly across all levels of an organization
2. Strong analytical skills to interpret data and form meaningful conclusions
3. Effective stakeholder management skills to collaborate with various teams and leaders
Transcript
What sort of skills are most important for a job like yours?
A huge component of my job is taking broad, nebulous concepts and distilling them down into something that we can communicate at all levels of the organization. We're trying to create that multiplier effect, and we want everyone working towards the same common goal.
First and foremost, being able to communicate clearly and making sure the message is absorbed and appreciated by the organization is critically important. To do that, it takes into the second piece: strong analytics chops. This means being able to take disparate data and distill it into something meaningful.
My consulting days really helped me strengthen this muscle. I take a hypothesis-driven approach when I'm diving into data, which keeps me from boiling the ocean and helps me stay focused and on task. So, communication and analytics are key.
The last piece is stakeholder management. I have to work cross-functionally with different leaders and stakeholders across the organization who may be very focused on their own silos. Being able to manage those stakeholders, understand what's in it for them, and what they're trying to achieve, is important. Then, I can translate that and show how it ties into the broader picture for the organization.
To summarize, you need strong communication skills, solid analytics capabilities, and effective stakeholder management with empathy.