Why Care at All?
I love the analogy of the “dead fish”. In essence, the idea is that those who go through life without purpose or intention are akin to a dead fish. They…
Strategy is Dead. Preparation killed it.
So why should you plan?
Because planning is a form of intentional preparation.
When you plan, you are preparing yourself to do the work that will need done, how to do it, where your opponents have positioned themselves, their short comings (and yours), the risks both in the environment and from your competitors, and the resources that will be used.
This preparation can then be further strengthened by considering contingencies. “If this, then that”.
What if the plan fails? And it will, as plans do not survive first contact.
What if your most dangerous risk occurs instead of the most likely?
What if you need to move suddenly? Or your business partner leaves you? Or your spouse?
The list goes on and on, but constraining it to the most dangerous, most likely, and immediately relevant/perceivable allows us to consider alternate paths and tactics to still accomplish the goal that we are planning for in the first place.
But what happens when all of this fails? Or a new opportunity presents itself, that if swiftly assessed and actioned can shorten your path to your goal substantially, but causes significant deviation from the plan?
This is why strategy is dead. At least in the traditional sense of how we have so often thought of it.
Instead, consider strategy your cardinal direction rather than a set of rules. In this way strategy may be:
Field Trip
More powerful still watch the above transform powerfully when stated as beautiful questions:
Questions are catalysts.
End of Field Trip
How then do you action your strategy and actuate your vision? Where do you start? How do you get there?
Preparation.
Preparation in the systems and scaffolding you build so that you are equipped to respond with intention and take decisive action each step of the way.
Preparation to understand that the details, the tactics matter little. That impact and forward movement is the only gain, as it is only when we are moving forward in alignment with our direction, strategy, and purpose that our work matters.
Why?
Because we are creating impact.
At minimum for ourselves, but likely for others as well.
The value then of hiring a strategy consultant is not in the plan that they give you in that it is a set of instructions to follow to accomplish your goals. But a gift of clarity that can further prepare you to move in the direction of your choosing intentionally.
This has never been truer than it is today. Even as I write this, and you read it, the very world is changing in a way that we cannot fathom thanks to extraordinary advancements in technology and the creation of nonbiological sentience. Much less in a month, a quarter, or a year.
This evolution has put to death the overwhelming majority of 1-, 3-, and 5-year plans.
In my opinion this is incredible as it provides us immense opportunity.
Opportunity to hone in on the work that matters, become more prepared, and in our preparation, capable.
From this we can move forward eyes wide open, doing the work that moves us toward our goals in pursuit of our vision and application of our strategy.
What scaffolding can we use then, if plans are simple forms of preparation? How do we aim?
Hold to the vision tightly, but the details loosely.
If you know your strategy, what is the next milestone on the path towards it?
Spend 90 % of your effort on pursuing this. Discarding what does not serve this purpose and replacing it with what does.
The other 10% can be spent on envisioning what your strategy “could” create, if only you get there. This is where planning has its merit as a form of preparation.
Why? Because shifting your focus much further than this from decisive forward action causes you to invest your energy more and more in the seductive, leviathan like hopes, dreams, and fears of the potentialities that form the future.
Or more directly stated, the fiction that is the future.
The recourse then is to bring things closer, and make them immediate, present, and now.
What is the next milestone that, once accomplished, realizes your vision?
What is the action that moves you and your team toward that milestone today?
In strategy, vision and life there are no finish lines. Not even in war is there a finish line, for when the physical fighting stops, the psychological fighting continues as the vying for power, retribution, resources, and punishment for the loser’s discretions will continue.
The true objective then of a nation state could be said to be that of dominance first, and affiliation second. Dominance in that it maintains or moves upward in status and affiliation in the level that as far as it plays nice it helps it to better maintain that position (thank you Seth Godin for the powerfully clear linguistic scaffolding to frame this observation).
Bringing it home.
Do you know where you want to go?
Do you know what the next milestone is that will bring you closer to it?
Invest your time in equipping yourself and your team with the skillsets and mental models to be prepared in the pursuit of your cardinal direction. Invest in the intentional responses to the on the ground truth that will allow you cover ground much more swiftly than you ever imagined possible.
Strategy, planning, stale and slow moving as they have been is dead.
Long live preparation, intentional upward aim, and work that progresses us forward.
If this resonates:
Spread the word. Share it with someone who needs to hear it. And let me know your thoughts!
And remember, Execute, Execute, Execute!
Note! I am actively exploring what my next step will be. If you want to be part of it (either directly, by making an introduction, as a client, or know of an opportunity that you think aligns), please reach out here, on X, or LinkedIn!
