Business Strategy
Direction Over Velocity: Avoid Your Biggest Strategic Risk
Most teams do not fail because they lack effort; they fail because speed outruns direction. As Q3 closes, leaders must distinguish useful progress from frantic motion. Set one clear strategic aim, remove low-value commitments and give people permission to make trade-offs. Use the D.I.R.E.C.T. filter…
Executive Hubris: Lessons from Vasa’s Devastating Shipwreck
On a sunny afternoon in 1628, the Vasa set sail as Sweden’s proudest warship—and sank within minutes. The cause was not a storm but executive hubris. King Gustav II Adolf had demanded a second deck of heavy guns, turning an already ambitious design into a…
The Stockholm Tower: How Unmanaged Scale Breaks Your Systems
Fast growth rarely fails because teams lack effort; it fails when unmanaged fixes become permanent infrastructure. Stockholm’s telephone tower once carried thousands of wires because each new connection was solved locally. Modern organisations do the same with apps, spreadsheets, integrations and manual hand-offs. The result…
Day 90 Strategy Audit: Clearing the Clutter, Finding the Calm
A strategy that is not audited becomes a structural liability. In January, every initiative feels like a gleaming galleon; by March, many have become anchors. Drawing lessons from the shipwreck of the HMS Wager, this post explores why operational drag and strategic inertia compress margins.…
A Bizarre Resilience Story: How 17 Submarines Bought Soda
In 1989, a superpower and a soda giant engineered the most surreal trade in history. Facing a hard currency freeze, the USSR bartered 17 submarines for Pepsi syrup, proving that Strategic Resilience is born from creative constraint. This post deconstructs that naval barter to reveal…
Resilience Strategy: The Capital-Light Growth Blueprint
In a volatile market, cash is a finite resource, but organisational value is infinite. When credit lines freeze, true Resilience emerges not from the balance sheet, but from the factory floor and server racks. This article breaks down the Capital-Light Growth Blueprint, a strategic framework…
Marketing Fine Print: Story of a Pepsi Jet that Never Landed
What happens when a marketing joke meets a literal-minded business student with $700,000? The infamous Leonard v. PepsiCo case is more than just 90s nostalgia. It’s a high-stakes post-mortem on operational silos and contract law. From the roar of a Harrier Jet to the cold…
The $50M Mistake: Why Blockbuster Said No to Netflix
What happens when a billion-dollar empire is too successful to survive? In this deep dive, we revisit the fateful morning in Dallas when Blockbuster dismissed a $50 million offer to buy a struggling startup called Netflix. It wasn’t just a bad deal; it was a…
Strategic Backcasting: Secure 2027 Vision with 2026 Actions
In a volatile market, traditional forecasting is a rearview-mirror strategy. True leadership requires Strategic Backcasting: the disciplined practice of anchoring today’s decisions in tomorrow’s desired outcomes. This tactical guide explores the “successful failure” paradox—where KPIs are green, yet strategic relevance is lost. By conducting a…
The Efficiency Trap: Why 100% Capacity is a Failure
In 2026, the obsession with maximum utilisation has become a trap. When your people and processes are stretched to their limits, your organisation loses its “oxygen”. The capacity to adapt, innovate, and respond to disruption. This Efficiency Trap creates a landscape of fragile systems where…