What is a good strategy

The word “strategy” comes to us from military affairs. Unfortunately, humans have put more effort, over more time, into thinking about war than any other subject. Armies and the authority structures supporting them first arose in the Bronze Age in parallel with complex urban societies. They found that organising and coordinating the actions of fighters greatly magnified their effect. Properly organised and led, ordinary men could defeat skilled warriors who fought as individuals or as small bands.

Good Strategy/Bad Strategy

I love strategy. The book “Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The difference and why it matters” is often mentioned, so I decided to give it a whack. I am glad I did. Richard Rumelt has a refreshing take on strategy and, more important, what is not a strategy. There is an enormous amount of BS and a glib approach to strategy. Strategy is about discovering the critical factors in a situation and designing a way of coordinating and focusing actions to deal with those factors.

Many things are not a strategy

Announcing ambitious revenue or profit goal is not a strategy. Indulging in messianic visions of the future is not a strategy. Ambition is not a strategy. Motivation is not a strategy. Stating an intent is not a strategy. Setting goals is not a strategy. Concepts are not a strategy. Delegation is not a strategy…