Case Studies

Client Profile

YouTube, part of Google, is the world’s leading video-sharing platform with billions of users and creators worldwide. The YouTube Partnerships Team plays a critical role in supporting creators, broadcasters, and digital media organisations to maximise content performance and audience engagement.

Operating at the intersection of tech, media, and culture, the Partnerships Team must deliver short-term results in a rapidly evolving market while also contributing to the long-term growth strategy of the platform. The team’s ability to think strategically, despite intense operational pressures, is a key success factor.

Challenge

In today’s demanding economic and digital landscape, the YouTube Partnerships Team was feeling the pressure of balancing operational excellence with long-term strategic thinking. While team members were highly skilled in execution and relationship management, there was less time — and fewer structured opportunities — to step back and engage in deeper, more future-oriented thinking.

Leaders were expected to consistently deliver growth and make high-stakes decisions with limited resources, in a market where change is constant and ambiguity is the norm. The challenge was not a lack of capability, but rather the absence of space, tools, and frameworks to support effective strategic thinking under pressure.

The team recognised the need for an intervention that would provide clarity around what strategic thinking really is, and how to practically apply it in their day-to-day roles.

Solution

Rostrup was engaged to design and deliver a Strategic Thinking programme tailored specifically for the YouTube Partnerships Team. The programme was highly interactive and grounded in real-world challenges faced by the participants.

Delivered in a virtual format to suit global teams, the training focused on the following learning outcomes:

• Clarifying the difference between operational and strategic thinking
• Introducing a structured process for strategic planning
• Providing multiple lenses and models to support future-focused decision-making
• Practising scenario analysis and dealing with complexity and ambiguity
• Applying competitive thinking and exploring strategic responses to market shifts
• Understanding how to evaluate external trends and internal capabilities
• Encouraging an open, opportunity-seeking mindset

The programme included case studies, group discussions, and live application exercises that enabled participants to explore strategic tools.

Outcome

The Strategic Thinking programme had a significant impact on the YouTube Partnerships Team. Participants reported a clear improvement in their ability to:

• Pause and step back from the operational space
• Apply a structured and repeatable approach to long-term planning
• Identify and challenge assumptions in their day-to-day work
• Explore creative, resourceful solutions to current business constraints
• Engage in strategic conversations with senior stakeholders more confidently

The programme not only deepened the team’s understanding of strategic thinking but also created a shared language and mindset across the group. By giving leaders the tools and space to think differently, Rostrup helped unlock greater innovation and alignment — empowering the team to lead with both agility and vision in an increasingly complex environment.