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 […]
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, […]
The skill behind all strategy
Let’s try something. I want to give you a feeling of what happens to your brain when you think strategically. Ready to go? Let’s begin with imagining some menial task in your day job. Writing an email. Filing an invoice. That sort of thing. Now, zoom out. Zoom out so you can see that task […]
How to get people to actually give a damn about your strategy
As you may recall, I believe strategy has two jobs: 1. To decide what to do 2. To motivate people to actually do it The first is well understood, the second, not so much. People believe that good ideas should speak for themselves, and that energy will build behind a solid plan – but this […]