Rethink Strategy

At AfricaCom 2025, French and African innovators explored how to thrive in a radically transformed digital and telecom landscape by 2035. This strategy workshop, led by Anael Granoux, highlighted two strategic imperatives: 1. craft a bold 2035 Strategic Moonshot - balancing today’s optimisation with tomorrow’s exploration - and 2. execute simply through a clear, four-page strategy framework that turns ambition into tangible business impact.

I really enjoyed to take the stage at the Fruitstrategy Global Strategy Summit to deliver my keynote “Strategy Leadership Mastery & Lead With Impact.”

It was great to facilitate this new edition of the "Strategy Masterclass", where delegates focused on one thing: turning great ideas into real business impact. In strategy, brilliance on paper means little if it never reaches execution. Together, we explored what it truly takes to move from thinking strategically to acting strategically, from inspiration to implementation.

Great vibe at the G[P]RC Summit 2025 Africa, where I shared a keynote on how can organisations think and act more strategically: “Business 2035: Craft Your Strategic Moonshot – From Operational Compliance to Strategic Advantage.”

What an incredible experience it was to step onto the red circle at TEDx Maude Street ! Sharing ideas that matter is always special, but sharing one that bridges business strategy and personal life strategy felt truly powerful.

I was honoured to facilitate a powerful exchange of ideas and energy at this year’s Africa Energy Indaba CEO Roundtable! The room was buzzing, not just with talk about strategy, but with leaders ready to turn ambition into movement.

Setting Africa’s Strategic Moonshot 2035 Just wrapped up an incredible experience at Manufacturing Indaba 2025, where more than 500 industry leaders, innovators, and change-makers gathered around one powerful question: How do we set an ambitious 2035 moonshot for Africa’s manufacturing industry, and actually execute it?

The Strategy Execution Cockpit is about: 🎯 Craft crystal-clear objectives: Build your strategy on a page and align around what truly matters. 🏃 Prioritise transformative initiatives: Focus your portfolio on the few moves that deliver real impact. ⏱️ Keep a watchful eye on actions: Use a simple dashboard to track execution, not kilos of PPT. 📈 Move the strategic needle: Drive both inputs and outcomes to ensure progress against your goals.

Strategy workshops need more than rational thinking. They are a great place to play with emotional thinking. They’re an opportunity, when necessary, to strengthen bonds and build TRUST.

Strategy Workshop doesn’t have to be dry and boring. Sometimes, the biggest impact comes from spaghetti, tape, and a marshmallow

Quantity in strategy does not equate to quality. Strategy is about making choices. Strategy is about discarding many good, but not great, ideas.

I love these four key words because they highlight, in my opinion, the essence of Strategy: Transformation, Choice, Simplicity, and Action.

Great strategy needs great mentors! Connect with top executive coaches who have helped leaders level up - now it’s your turn. Let’s go!

🌟 Introducing the NO-vember Challenge: A 30-Day Strategic Detox! 🌟 This month, we embark on a journey to sharpen our strategic skills by saying NO to things that distract, dilute, or derail our strategy definition and execution. 📅 Why NO-vember? “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” - Michael Porter. True strategy is about focus. It’s about making tough choices and sticking to them. So, let's use this month to declutter our minds, workflows, and strategies by embracing the power of elimination.

“Stone age didn’t end because it ran out of stone” (Don Huberts). It ended because of strategy minded people willing to transform their lives and their society.

even if the strategy content is inherently complex and sophisticated, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆. Strategists must synthesise a complex situation into crystal clear 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. They must reduce the strategic direction to a handful of strategic 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀. They must convert multiple pieces of solutions into a simple and powerful 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 to tackle the problem(s) faced. They must build a transformation plan so limpid that everybody will 𝗯𝘂𝘆-𝗶𝗻 and contribute to it.

Did you know that The next 10 years will bring more change than the previous 100 years?

Strategy Is Action

𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗚𝗬 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡. 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘. 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗚.

Channeling Bill Gates' strategic mindset! 💡 Did you know that the co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, sets aside dedicated "Think Weeks" to focus on strategy? 🚀 It's a powerful reminder of the importance of strategic reflection.

We all have a natural inclination to dive headfirst into action mode, especially when implementing a new strategy. It's exciting to see your strategy taking shape, and it's tempting to become infatuated with your strategic initiatives, pushing their execution with unwavering enthusiasm. While this drive is essential for executing your strategy, there's a risk of losing sight of the "WHY" behind these initiatives.

New yet obsolete In our VUCA world—Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous—it's common to come across new acronyms like BANI, RUPT, or TUNA, each emphasizing the rapid, unpredictable changes we face. However, regardless of the acronym, one thing is clear: the world is evolving at an unprecedented pace, with more change expected in the next decade than we've seen in the last 50 years. But what about your meticulously crafted strategic plan? Should it change just as rapidly? Some argue for annual strategy shifts, while others advocate for ongoing agile strategies. However, I hold a different perspective.

If philosophy is the art of asking questions, strategy is clearly the art of answering questions and making critical choices. "Strategy is a framework to guide critical choices to achieve a desired future," said Donald Sull in an MIT Sloan Management Review webinar.

The scoop: in strategy, there is not 1 Value Proposition, but 3. Let's delve into these 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 every organization should master: 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 and 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

🔍 Ever considered a different strategy workshop? 🚀 Picture this: Instead of diving straight into spreadsheets and slides, I kick off with a futuristic business magazine. Sounds intriguing, right? It's a playful yet powerful way to transport executives into the distant future of their organisation, industry, and the world.

Chief Exploitation Officer vs Chief Exploration Officer

Did you know? Only 5% of employees truly understand their company's strategy, says Kaplan & Norton. The culprit? Complexity.

Are You Set for Success? Did you know that a staggering 70% of startups face the harsh reality of failure within a decade?

Reflecting on two decades crafting strategic plans (and lecturing 1000+ executives and business managers), here are three take-aways

Stop running after the buzzword. As Abraham Lincoln wisely said, "Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." In this spirit, I champion investing time in crafting a robust strategy, steering clear of the allure of new buzzwords every week!

🚨 Attention, Entrepreneurs! Beware the Agile Pitfall: Steer Clear of Perfectly Wrong Strategic Implementations 🚀

A Simple Approach to Build a Strategy-Focused Performance Management Model. In the realm of performance management, we're challenging the norm. We are designing a new Performance Management Model that is Strategic, Simple, Fair and Trust-based.

Time to kill your "zombie strategy departments"? It's not a secret: too many strategy departments add too little value and create tons of irrelevant red-tape. I have witnessed several of them focusing on irrelevant processes, and missing on their strategic enablement role. I called them zombie strategy departments. Maybe too pejoratively, my apologies. But you get my point. The question is how to bring them back to life.

According to strategy gurus like Osterwalder, Brian, and Heracleous, CEOs play ambidextrous roles — either the "Chief Exploitation Officer," refining the current model, or the "Chief Exploration Officer," envisioning tomorrow's models. When crafting your strategic pinnacle / vision, choose your mindset: Steroids or Asteroid

Our top five tips for massvie strategy failure. Are you ready for value destruction?

Forget those fleeting resolutions / wishful thinking. Instead, let's zoom out and peer into the horizon of the next 10, 20, even 30 years. What will genuinely bring you joy and fulfillment in the future? Imagine it vividly, then let's reverse-engineer a purposeful path to get there.

Where do you see yourself in 10, 20, or even 40 years? I specialise in advising organisations, from small startups to large corporations, on their strategy. And here's the truth: the same principles of strategy apply to individuals like you and me, striving to shape our desired futures.

How to Be a Terrible Strategy Leader Five very efficient tips

Many strategic plans lack true strategic depth. Often, "your strategy needs a strategy," to borrow from Martin Reeves, Claire Love, and Philipp Tillmanns in their Harvard Business Review article of the same name. Strategy should not describe day-to-day operations, no matter how vital they are. It should articulate a profound transformation in both the desired outcomes of the organisation and the methods to achieve them. Let's avoid mixing important or urgent topics with strategic ones.

Because your organisation deserves better! Because your team deserves better! Because you deserve better!

In the world of business, strategy is the compass that guides us towards our goals. But here's the question: Are we truly getting the most out of our strategies?

Strategic Evolution often entails listening to your employees, which is a step in the right direction. Strategic Revolution is a paradigm shift that hands power to your stakeholders to ensure bigger strategic success.

OKR, BSC, MBO, and many more—these acronyms are all too familiar in the world of strategy measurement. But what if I told you there's a simple twist that could revolutionize how you gauge your strategic success?

The problem with your Strategy Map. And how to fix it easily. Revamp Your Strategy Map for Success.

As the fiscal year draws to a close, it's that time again – the annual strategy off-site workshop. Excitement fills the air. But the outcomes is often far from expectations ...

There are numerous strategic blind spots out there, and I'd like to highlight a few of the most prominent ones

The Hidden Pitfalls of Strategy: Are You Caught in the Strategic Bermuda Triangle?

Strategy secret: The boring truth about strategy is that it takes time, it can be complex and there is no shortcut. Three decades ago, crafting a strategic plan was a marathon lasting six to twelve months. Information was scarce, and consultants were a rare breed.

Are you proudly wielding a fancy measurement model like SMART, SMARTER, SMARTTA, SMARRT, CLEAR, PURE, CPQQRT, WTF? While these principles offer structure and guidance, here's the sobering truth: Why is your strategy's performance measurement still falling short?

Strategy empowerment: 5 ways to empower your team (and ensure more strategic impact)

Strategic secret: Stop looking for the right answer. Rather focus on asking the right questions! Want to Unlock the True Power of Strategy? Ask the Right Questions 🚀

We Were Wrong All This Time: It's Not Just One Strategist, But Three. 1. The Strategy Chemist 2. The Strategy Pilot 3. The Strategy Coach #StrategyBlast #Reinvent #Rethink

Dear Strategy Traveler, Prepare to leave Earth's bounds behind and embark on a cosmic escapade that will redefine your strategy. Welcome aboard Strategy Reignited 2050! Buckle up, because this journey is going to be out of this world.

🚀 Ready to Embark on a Strategic Adventure? 🌟 The company launch count down has started: 10, 9, 8 , ... Get ready!

Strategy Reignited is your boutique strategy firm. We offer training and advisory services. Our team combines just the right amount of expertise, energy, and stardust to launch your strategies into orbit!

For too many organisations strategies have unfortunately evolved into a complex process, replete with nonsensical slides and an abundance of jargon. These dysfunctional strategies lead to poor business outcomes. It is time to debunk the most common strategy myths and pitfalls. It is time to fundamentally rethink strategy.