The strategy soundbites trap

This is the second last of my strategy trap series – and is a challenge for many leaders. It’s when a team documents a bunch of ideas as their 'strategy' that represent unrealised potential, not resourced intention. This can happen when there is weak accountability, but I’ve covered that previously. Here, I’ll focus on two dynamics – capacity and clarity.

❌ With capacity, unrealised potential is when a strategy demands a level or type of action that exceeds the capacity of an organisation. A classic example is when a strategy talks up innovation but there’s no budget or time to support it. It’s a nice soundbite for certain audiences but is grounded in nothingness.

✅ Resourced intention is when an initiative is possible within the existing capabilities and systems (ie resourcing) of an organisation, or there’s a plan to invest in acquiring the needed capabilities and systems so the initiative has the backing needed to succeed.

❌ With clarity, unrealised potential is when a strategy features initiatives that are vague ideas rather than concrete, actionable ones. No critical thinking has been applied to define them with enough specificity to ensure they can be delivered and will make a difference. The strategy is like a collection of bumper stickers.

✅ Resourced intention is when strategic choices are described with enough specific detail – enough clarity – that a skilled team, bringing each one to life, is positioned to achieve the desired outcome. Clear choices give leaders confidence their strategy is feasible and has legitimate potential to make the desired impact.

💡To avoid the soundbite trap, test each component of your strategy for clarity and capacity. A good set of ‘ready, willing and able’ questions can be useful here. In the Playing to Win strategy framework, clarity is broadly embedded via the where and how choices, and capacity is broadly embedded via the key capability and management system decisions. I’ve included a useful article in the comments on that. Whatever approach you use, being clear about resourced intention is actually a simple exercise. The hard part is skipping savvy soundbites that don't stack up.