Why most "strategies" are pointless

It's a simple truth: the most successful companies and individuals have better strategies than the average. Or to put it another way: many of the average companies have no strategy at all, but at best an extrapolation of the past.

How do I know that? Well, quite simply: a strong strategy always needs a strong vision first of all: Where exactly do we want to be in 3 years?

Most companies I see just don’t have that. And there is no point in meeting once a year to define a "strategy". The result is usually, at best, a plan without ambition.

Here are the three crucial questions you need to answer for any true strategy:

1. Vision. What is the ambitious, emotional, relevant, clear and convincing image of our company or our team in 3 years? Test: If the vision does not cause fear or enthusiasm (or both) in you and the people, it is not a vision.
2. Self-image. Who must we become in order to achieve the vision? A true vision (see point 1) can never be achieved with today's ways of thinking, behaving, and working. So: How do these things have to change? What standards do we set ourselves?
3. Momentum. What do we have to do immediately in order to embark on this course with full conviction? What is the most important first action we will take immediately? You have to create facts and small successes before the first self-doubts reach you or your team.

That's just a very rough outline, of course. For more details please check out my strategy packages.