The Work Between the Work
The most important work on teams rarely happens in the meeting itself. This blog post explores the “work between the work” the pauses, side conversations, and real talk that make or break strategy in an AI-heavy world and why investing there is what truly makes strategy move.
Rachel Taekla is often brought in to help teams clarify strategy or redesign how work gets done. The deliverables are clear: decisions, roles, timelines.
But the moments that matter most don’t show up on the slide.
They happen in the pauses. In the side conversations. In the moment someone finally says, “I don’t think this will work for my team.”
That’s the work between the work.
Rachel has seen teams align perfectly on strategy — on paper — and still struggle to deliver.
Because no one aligned on how they would actually work together.
AI can unintentionally make this harder.
- Summaries replace dialogue.
- Updates replace conversation.
- Alignment is assumed because the document looks complete.
But strategy doesn’t move through org charts. It doesn’t move through tools. It moves through people.
When teams invest in the work between the work, collaboration becomes real. Accountability becomes shared. And work starts to feel connected again.
That’s the human edge — and it’s what makes strategy move.
