This is the moment in your business where you MUST think about strategy.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how distressed brands really shouldn’t be thinking about strategy. Seems counterintuitive, but the fact is that brands looking to stabilise typically need to sort out their basic day-to-day tactics, instead of indulging in some grand vision for a future they probably won’t even live to see. Today, […]
What is the point of “brand” really?
A question I’m often asked goes something like this: “If I have an innovative idea, what do I do when people start copying me?” It’s a fair question. After all, real hard physical competitive advantage never lasts forever. If you’re doing something cool, the competition will always catch up. Back in the 1990s, Apple was […]
How to write your strategy in 4 lines
Some of you might be familiar with my concept I call the “Strategy Sketch”. It’s a method for laying down the key building blocks of any great strategy in the most succinct way possible. I use it in my program, The Strategy Shortcut System, to help people distil their idea for rapid evaluation. And I […]
Strategy will not save you: when tactics matter more
An unhelpful trait of human beings is to attach certain “moral qualities” to concepts which are entirely neutral. The whole “strategy vs. tactics” debate is a good example of this. Strategy is seen as this noble, highbrow, terribly important thing; practiced by the true sophisticates. Tactics on the other hand are seen as being a […]
Strategy is not a team sport
Recently, I have completely reversed my methodology with clients – a move I’m sure most people would disagree with. When I first started out, and for many years after, my process went something like this: Research Wide-ranging interviews with the team Sessions with the founder Strategy The rationale behind this was twofold. First, I thought […]
Value-based pricing is a lie
Right, this one needs to be said. It especially needs to be said for those in the “consultant-o-sphere”, who see value-based pricing as some sort of holy sacrament (despite very few of them actually managing to pull it off). In case you’re not familiar, the idea is simply that price should be set based on […]
How AI can (and can’t) help with strategy
If I had to use one word for the advent of AI: It wouldn’t be “exciting”. It wouldn’t be “scary”. It wouldn’t be “revolutionary”. No, it would be “annoying”. As in, I find it extremely annoying to have to learn this whole new thing and adapt my processes and systems just to stand still. Yes, […]
Most business programs don’t work – here’s why
Let me tell you an important story. It’s about the time I was at a conference with Donald Miller – creator of the Storybrand system, and someone I deeply admire. For those of you who don’t know, Storybrand is basically a technique for writing your brand copy in the format of a story – with […]
What to do when sh*t hits the fan
When you break up with someone, have you ever noticed something weird? The next person you get together with – mysteriously – somehow ends up being the exact opposite of the person you broke up with. Funny that. It’s almost like us humans have a tendency to over-correct when things go wrong. And to over-value […]
The 10 greatest strategic innovations of all time
Innovations are nice and all. But strategic innovations are something different. These small – sometimes even trivial – features aren’t just new. They are symbolic of the organisation’s strategy as a whole. They are instrumental to its unique value offering, and demonstrate the frightening clarity of thought at play behind the scenes. But instead of […]