The strategy appeasement trap

❌ This trap happens when a strategy is trying to be everything to everyone, instead of being focused and clear on its job. It can enter at any stage. Early on, factoring in ‘too many’ audiences distorts thinking. As a strategy takes shape, another distortion is when people try to backdoor broader work into the process, like trying to articulate a new business model or reset new corporate values – wrong time, wrong place. Toward the end of a strategy development process, there can be a moment when people suddenly feel like an omission is an error. “We haven’t covered our functional teams.” “We should say ‘customer centric’ somewhere.” “We need to include safety.” This trap even shows up in delivery, when anything that moves can be attributed to the strategy because anything fits. Everyone wins a prize.

✅ A few hallmarks of a great strategy are when it:

• Responds to and resolves a clear problem or opportunity

• Is cohesive and convincing as a theory of impact

• Stays silent on many things to be loud on the few most critical

• Is explicit or implicit about what’s in and what’s out

• Will influence action and momentum in a specific direction.

💡To avoid the appeasement trap, remind participants early on about what a strategy isn’t meant to be (or do). For example, a strategy does not need to give airplay to every part of your organisation. This simple assurance can clear the decks for tight thinking. If you have a strategy and want to test its strength, see if you can name the top three strategic choices it prioritises. Three isn’t a magic number, but it’s a useful guide. Twenty is definitely the ‘wrong’ number. If you can’t articulate a tight set of priority choices, you know you need to get to work. Finally, you can use your vision or aspiration (that sets your direction) to remind leaders of why some nice ideas aren’t relevant to your strategy.