Strategy Impostors
The things routinely called strategy that are not, Martin is forceful and consistent about each. The list of initiatives.
The list of initiatives. The most common. A "strategic plan" of sensible projects that sum to nothing distinctive. No Integration, no theory of advantage.
The adjective. "Strategic sourcing", "strategic HR", strategic as a synonym for important, describing no choice.
The dream. "Become the best in the world at X." Lafley's line: hope is not a strategy. An unanchored Winning Aspiration, see also BHAGs Through Martins Lens.
Execution-first. "Strategy is easy, execution is everything" presupposes a strategy worth executing; usually there isn't one.
Operational excellence. Real, valuable, and shared by every rival, Operational Excellence Is Not Strategy.
Rapid audit: run Martins Three Laws. Impostors fail on choice (The Opposite Test), on Integration, or on Compelling Customer Action, usually all three.
Our synthesis of Roger Martin’s published work, sources credited. Read the originals: they’re excellent.
Reading about method is not the same as running it. We install this system and build the capability that stays.
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