Biggest Challenges Faced by a Senior Manager Global Strategy at Fast Food Company
Kristan's biggest challenge as a Senior Manager, Global Strategy, is securing "buy-in across a lot of teams" within the large corporation's established processes, unlike the scrappier environment of a startup. This requires Kristan to act as a "conductor," aligning numerous stakeholders—from executive teams to cross-functional partners—to successfully launch new products and promotions.
Executive/Leadership, Communication, Teamwork, Problem-Solving, Overcoming Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kristan Hannigan
Sr. Manager, Global Strategy
Fast Food Chain Company
University of California, San Diego
MBA from UCLA Anderson
Business Management & Admin
Food, Beverages & Alcohol
Business Strategy
Honors Student
Video Highlights
1. Working in a large organization requires navigating multiple teams and stakeholders to gain buy-in for new ideas and initiatives.
2. Large companies have established processes and practices that can present challenges when trying to implement new strategies.
3. A key skill for success in a large organization is gaining alignment among various stakeholders to ensure everyone is working towards the same goals.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your role as a marketing strategist?
One of the biggest challenges is getting buy-in across many teams when working for a very large organization. This is where I think there's a bit of a difference between the startup world and larger companies.
In startups, you have different challenges, like not necessarily having the resources and needing to be scrappy. However, there aren't as many stakeholders to get things through.
This contrasts with working for a large corporation. There, you have well-established processes, practices, and many stakeholders. This includes the executive team and all the different cross-functional partners.
There are many people who need to gain alignment. So, I think one of the hardest things is definitely getting everyone on the same page. If you want to try something new, you need to make sure you get buy-in for that new way.
There are a lot of people influenced by new products and promotions. You're kind of like the conductor, having to make sure everyone is moving at the same time.