The two most powerful words in business – use them constantly

Your language determines your thoughts. Your thoughts determine your actions. Your actions determine your results. So I guess in a sense those postmodernists were right about something – the way you use language matters. More than you think. Luckily however we don’t need to overthink it too drastically when it comes to business. In fact […]

Struggling with your messaging? It’s easier than you think…

In this newsletter, I’m going to show you the easy way to turn strategy into world class messaging. Not just messaging actually – but world class sales, marketing, and branding; because at the end of the day all of these things are simply messaging applied in different contexts. I appreciate this will sound like heresy […]

The Casino Technique: why some people always seem to win, and others struggle

Do you believe that success comes down to luck? Whether it’s for your business or yourself, do you think that although your own actions are important, it is ultimately circumstance that separates the winners and losers? Clearly this is a tempting and logical conclusion. After all, if you look back on any success story, you […]

How I find market-bending strategies (without even trying)

This is the most powerful strategic technique that exists. So powerful in fact, that it isn’t only responsible for the development of the world’s best businesses —— it actually undergirds the development of every living thing on the planet. Oh, and what’s even better: it’s so easy that you barely have to lift a finger. […]

The only 3 ways to grow

Believe it or not, strategy is meant to make things easy. And the key to making things easy always boils down to this: Transforming an ambition into an act This applies to anything really. “Losing weight” (an ambition) is hard, because you might not know where to begin. But “stop eating sugar” (an act) is […]

Here’s why you struggle to make big moves

I think most of us here probably understand this simple idea: The main difference between the people who achieve extraordinary things, and the rest of us, is the willingness to take massive action. Like everything, this applies to both the personal and professional. The main thing that stops people achieving something – whether its getting […]

Why your company must also be an “idea”.

You’ve probably noticed that a lot of my writing focuses on the importance of communication in strategy. Or, more specifically, making your case. Standing in front of a group of people. Explaining your thinking. Laying out the plan. And getting them to enthusiastically agree. Indeed, I have gone so far as to say that if […]

How do you know when your strategy is “good enough”?

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: You don’t actually need your strategy to be particularly good. Yes, we’d all love to achieve the elegant brilliance of a Southwest, or an IKEA, but being real that’s probably not gonna happen. There’s a reason why people talk about those same case studies over […]

The No Bullshit Strategy Manifesto

As with so many things, the issue with strategy is not so much the information out there – it’s the presentation. There is no grand discovery to be made; no revolutionary process or framework; no groundbreaking new way to think about the discipline. Strategy is strategy. And everything there is to know about it is […]

Three ways to know if you’re lying to yourself in your strategy

I’ve often felt that you can boil strategy down to an attempt to simply be as honest as possible. About your business. About yourself. About the world. The closer you get to absolute truth, the more effective your actions.  With God-like omniscience anything can be done.  You of course know a lot less – but […]