Strategy is a mess – here’s how you tidy it up
One of the main reasons strategy is needlessly confusing, is because the word itself is used to describe multiple different “things”. Although when we use the term here we are typically talking about “business strategy” (the responsibility of founders and CEOs), it is often used to mean other forms of strategy which are deceptively similar, but differ […]
Don’t answer a need, create it
When all is said and done, there are only two methods of attracting customers. One of these is obvious, and everyone knows it. The other is secret, and almost nobody knows it. The obvious one represents the assumption that guides the vast majority of brands – probably including yours. It’s the water they swim in, […]
One. Stupid. Thing.
Look, you might be very smart, but that’s not going to help you. The truth is that everyone’s smart. Everyone who you’re in competition with anyway. In the founder game, and the strategy game, intelligence isn’t an edge: it’s a commodity. It’s like being a footballer who’s fit, or an author who can write: sure […]
The “Thingness” of strategy: The mindset shift that changes everything
If there’s one part of my job that really sucks, it’s this: Nobody is shopping for what I’m selling. There are companies out there thinking “we need a lawyer”, so they go shopping for a law firm. There are companies thinking “we need a new website”, so they go shopping for a web developer. There […]
Product is nothing: How to see things the way your customers do
People – especially founders – are fond of saying “product is everything”. Have a great product, and you’ll succeed. Have a poor product, and you’ll fail. That’s the general idea. It’s a nice sentiment, and true enough in a number of ways, but in a bigger way… it’s bullshit. Not just bullshit, but dangerous bullshit, since it […]
Anatomy of a great strategy: Ford
People often ask me to give an example of a strategy I admire, and honestly I struggle. Of course there are the usual suspects – Apple, Nike, blah blah blah – but such answers feel like cop-outs. As a supposed expert, I should have more obscure and surprising examples on the tip of my tongue, […]
Strategic confidence: this is everything
It’s not every day that I come across a new idea in this field which stops me in my tracks, but I heard something recently that did just that. I’m paraphrasing but it was along the lines of: Marketing is the barrier you put up between yourself and the world. This is epic, so let me […]
The secret process of expert thinkers
I’m going to level with you. It’s about how I work. And I’ll admit up front, it makes me look kinda lazy and unprofessional. But through this essay I hope to show that not only is there logic in the laziness – but that it’s actually the only way to do effective intellectual and creative work. First, […]
Chess vs. Ecosystems: What’s strategy really like?
The other day someone sent me a great Twitter thread where a strategy expert explained why he doesn’t do consultancy: namely because, in his view, there is no such thing as strategy consultancy. You should check out the thread as it’s pretty entertaining, but in essence his argument was that strategy and execution aren’t divisible, so you cannot have […]
How to make strategy stick
The other day I stumbled across this Kevin Kelly quote which really sums up something I’ve learned in the past couple of years: “To make something good, just do it. To make something great, just re-do it, re-do it, re-do it. The secret to making fine things is in remaking them.” In some fields this […]