Less is more when it comes to your strategy

I’ve spent a good deal of time watching people try to out-plan their problems. Last month, I was with a director who showed me a strategy document so thick it could have propped up a desk. It was full of ambition: new markets, a total digital transformation, and a revamped staff training programme. It was a masterpiece of intent, but as I looked at his face, I could see he was absolutely spent.

He was waiting for me to tell him it was brilliant. Instead, I told him it was impossible. I’ve seen enough sharp, capable people burn out by trying to be everything to everyone and do everything at once. They think that by adding more layers to the plan, they are creating a safety net. In reality, they are just building a cage. When you make every single task a priority, you’ve effectively decided that nothing is actually a priority.

Facing the facts

Often the hardest part of my job isn’t about finding the solution; it’s getting someone to look at the one already staring them in the face. This director knew his systems were wobbling and his outreach was sporadic. He didn’t need twenty new goals. He needed to admit that his current way of working had reached its limit. If you keep walking the same path, you’re always going to end up at the same spot.

We spent time taking a metaphorical sledgehammer to that document. We left three things on the table: looking after the current client base, making the phones ring, and actually writing down the numbers that matter. It felt too simple to him. It felt like he wasn't doing "enough." But simple is what gets finished.

Focus is a discipline

To avoid making the hard calls, we often lean into complexity. We create these massive quarterly plans that look great on a whiteboard but are impossible to manage on the shop floor. It’s a form of hiding. Narrowing your vision is actually much harder than broadening it. It requires the courage to say "not now" to good ideas so you can say "yes" to the vital ones. You do not need a complex roadmap to move the needle. You need a focused one.

Once those three things are moving and the rhythm is established, then you can think about scaling. Until then, stop adding layers before you have even built the base.

Take the first step

Execution beats intention every single time. A simple plan that actually happens is worth ten times more than a perfect plan that sits in a file because the team was too overwhelmed to start it. Trust the instincts you’ve spent years honing and have the courage to simplify. You usually know exactly what needs to go: you’re likely just hoping you don’t have to be the one to cut it.

Stop looking for more data and start making decisions. Pick the three things that keep the lights on and the business moving and let the rest of the noise go.