You are the pivot. The connector. The one who must steer everything in the right direction. But you have no formal authority, no budget to threaten with, no promotions to hand out. Yet you are expected to make an entire orchestra play together. While half of the musicians don’t even know there is a concert. Welcome to the wonderful world of the orchestrator.

As we discussed in our earlier blog, there are four key roles that determine whether a strategy succeeds or fails. Today, part 5, the final one: the orchestrator. Paul van Bekkum, co‑founder of Summiteers, and Thijs Venneman, management consultant, on why this role seems impossible—and how to make it work anyway.

The problem with your position

You must lead the process without being the boss. Bring together people who would rather avoid each other. Meet deadlines with people who don’t report to you. Prepare decisions you are not allowed to make.

“The orchestrator is the one who truly drives the trajectory,” Paul explains. “This person steers both content and process, but without the mandate to make the final call.”

You’re in every meeting, you know every detail, you see every connection. But when things heat up, you have to step back. Because making decisions? That’s for others. You’re the director who can’t call ‘cut’. The coach who can’t make substitutions. The pilot without a control stick.

The uncomfortable truth

You are indispensable, yet invisible. Without you nothing happens, yet no one sees what you do. If things go well, others get the credit; if things go wrong, eyes turn to you.

You must get people to collaborate when they don’t want to, lead processes without authority, and deliver results without recognition. In short: it’s thankless work.

But here’s the secret: your influence is greater than you think. Not through power, but through connection. Not through force, but through persuasion. Not by deciding, but by enabling decisions.

Four things to stop doing because they don’t work

1. Stop thinking your plan is sacred

What you do now: “We agreed to do it this way, so this is how we’ll do it.”
What works: “This was the plan, but the situation requires adjustment.”

“When you build a house, the architect creates a detailed blueprint in advance,” Paul says. “But in strategy development, you don’t know beforehand which turns you’ll take along the way. Dare to adjust your plan when circumstances demand it.”

A plan is your starting point, not your final destination. Clinging to an outdated plan because “that’s what we agreed” isn’t professionalism. It’s stubbornness.

2. Stop waiting for the strategy to be perfect

What you do now: “First fully define the ‘what’, then think about the ‘how’.”
What works: “Once the outlines are clear, we start developing the ‘how’.”

Too often you see it: months spent polishing the perfect strategy, and only then thinking about how to execute it. The result? A beautiful plan that turns out to be unworkable.

Start earlier with the ‘how’. Not once the strategy is finished, but as soon as it begins to take shape. A strategy without an execution plan isn’t a strategy. It’s a wish list.

3. Stop blindsiding people

What you do now: “We’ll present it once it’s finished.”
What works: “We involve people from the beginning, even when we know very little.”

Inclusive process management may sound like corporate jargon. But it simply means: bring people along. From day one. Even when you don’t have much to say yet.

“By involving people early, even when the direction isn’t clear, you create support,” Paul stresses. “Yes, it takes more time. But a plan without buy‑in takes far more time in the end.”

People don’t want to be surprised. They want to be included. Big difference.

4. Stop sitting in the decision‑maker’s chair

What you do now: “I’m so deeply involved, I can make this call.”
What works: “I prepare the decision; you make it.”

You know every detail. You see all the connections. You know what the best choice is. So it’s tempting to decide yourself. Don’t.

“An orchestrator is often so deep in the substance that they may feel compelled to make substantive choices,” Paul warns. “But decisions must be made by those with the formal mandate.”

You prepare. They decide. Frustrating? Sometimes. Necessary? Always.

What makes the difference

As orchestrator, you don’t determine what happens. But you do determine whether it happens. You make the difference between:

• a strategy that stalls vs. one that gets executed
• meetings that go nowhere vs. sessions that deliver results
• resistance vs. engagement
• chaos vs. progress

“As orchestrator, you’re the catalyst that turns strategy into action,” Thijs summarises. “Without you, it remains nothing more than fine words.”

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The question isn’t whether your work is seen. The question is whether your impact is felt.
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And it is. By everyone. Every day.
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This was part 5, the final part in our series on the four key roles that determine strategy success—or failure.‍

‍Struggling with the orchestrator role? We are Summiteers. We master the art of leading without power, connecting without pressure, achieving results without taking the credit.

Get in touch. Or follow our LinkedIn page for more honest stories from the strategy field.