You don’t know if a strategy will work until it is released into the wild.
Even if it ‘works’, you’ll never know if it’s ‘working.’ Why?
You’ll never be able to differentiate the strategy and the one million other things that are potentially carrying you to success.
Don’t kill yourself over rightness.
Instead, the strategy should lead to more confidence, excitement, and action-readiness.
These are actually controllable factors. It could also be looked at as a motivational tool, like Tony Robbins says:
“Triggering massive action is the name of the game here, not simply directing that action.”
If nobody does anything, what is the point? Inspire first, direct second.
From my personal experience, many executives DO NOT take the first part seriously.
Senior leaders of all shapes and size are notorious for snooze-inducing strategies but then demand red-hot devotion in their execution. It doesn’t make much sense.
If you’re nodding your head along to all of this, you may want to consider something else:
To arrive at a worthwhile strategy, it requires going to a new place psychologically and physically.
That’s why I try to break down barriers of professionalism, structured ‘work time’, and detailed agendas.
Has anyone felt a burst of creativity in such an environment? Absolutely not.
This means humor, controversy, candor, time wasting, relaxing, bonding, moving—anything to provoke penetrating and unpredictable thought.
My clients are free to say whatever they want to say, I’m free to express my own sentiments.
It’s a beautiful back and forth. (that’s the goal, anyway) This process can be rapid and happen anywhere.
The real work of strategy is embracing the truth—and in my opinion, best done over tacos.
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Looking for a creative boost today? Listen to John Cleese and Rory Sutherland in your car.