The Cybertruck is another strategic masterclass from Tesla

Sorry.  Here I am writing about Tesla again. I don’t even like Tesla!  But damn they just make for the cleanest strategic case studies, so I can’t help it. Elon Musk’s “secret masterplan” that got the company off the ground in the first place (and pretty much invented the electric car category) is basically the […]

I’ve finally figured out why most strategies are so bad

This idea comes from a Linkedin post I did which seemed to strike a nerve, so I thought I’d expand on it here. What are the ingredients of a great strategy? Data? Insight? Creativity? Skill? Leadership? Knowledge? Clarity? For sure, all that stuff is required.  But there’s one other thing which is just as crucial […]

The ONE word missing from almost every strategy I see

As you can imagine, I get a lot of people sending me strategies for feedback. And thanks to the fact that most of them have followed the steps in my book, they tend to be pretty good.  Definitely not the monstrosities that you normally see under the label of “strategy”. But there is one problem […]

How to 10x your strategy with one conversation

When you’re developing a strategy for your business, you know who the most helpful person is? It’s not your co-founder. It’s not your head of strategy. It’s not your head of marketing. It’s not your consultant. It’s not even your customer. No, the most helpful person – who nobody ever bothers to involve in the […]

Here’s how I know when I’ve found the right strategy

In the past few months I’ve been trying to make my writing more practical and useful. However the thing about strategy is that this approach only ever gets you so far.  You can only boil things down to simple instructions up to a point… after which you have no choice but to leap into the […]

This is a leader’s biggest responsibility – but nobody talks about it…

There’s a simple exercise that you’ve just got to try. Not only try in fact; you must make it a ritual.  Every year, or half year even, you should be doing this, recording the results – and, hopefully, the progress. It will tell you more about the strength of your organisation’s strategy (and thus its […]

If you’re serious about growth, you must drop this delusion

There’s a poisonous assumption you see in business, which goes something like this: I’m the best, but the world’s unfair, so I don’t get the results I deserve. I think we’re pretty much all guilty of it.  Nobody ever admits that they are where they are because they deserve to be.  Nobody ever thinks the […]

To create great strategy, you’ve gotta understand this tension…

The thing about “good advice”, is that you can always be sure that the opposite will also be “good advice” too. Perhaps you’ve heard people say things like this: • Be true to yourself • Follow your heart • Don’t listen to the critics • Be authentic All very good.  But then you’ve probably also […]

Flood your ears with this strategy podcast bonanza.

A special treat this week, with not just one but TWO new podcast strategy-fests for your listening pleasure. Take your pick of which you fancy. Or if you think your synapses can handle it… Who knows… Perhaps even listen to both. Want a brand-focused strat chat? Then listen to this one… First up we have […]

The deep strategic error that keeps you poor

Here I’m going to lay out a fundamental strategic mistake that I’ve been making my whole life.  I expect you have too. It’s a mistake that leads most people into starting businesses, or embarking on careers, where their chances of meaningful success are minimal.  Where their whole lives they will be sweat, struggle, and hustle, […]