Somewhere along the way, COMPLEXITY became a badge of honour:
The longer the mission statement, the more sophisticated the thinking.
The more obscure the wording, the more “strategic” it feels.
Strategy teams must show depth.
Consultants must justify their fees.
Leaders must signal that everything has been thoroughly considered.
So we end up with beautifully crafted… incomprehensible statements.
To be fair, strategy is NOT simple work. Understanding markets, customers, competitors, and disruptions takes time. It requires proper analysis, real debates, and tough decision-making. That part should not be rushed.
BUT here’s the catch: The output of strategy should not reflect the complexity of the work. It should resolve it. A strategic plan is not meant to impress. It is meant to guide. It should synthesise, prioritise, and make choices explicit. It should help leaders decide, align teams, and move forward with clarity.
Yet too often, we confuse effort with value. We produce thicker documents, longer narratives, more sophisticated language… hoping it will elevate the strategy. It doesn’t.
A great strategy is not measured by its weight or the number of pages. It is measured by the CLARITY of its DIRECTION, the STRENGTH of its CHOICES, and its ABILITY to drive ACTION.
Stendhal and Alexandre Dumas wrote masterpieces with thousands of pages. You don’t need to.
Your strategy should fit in the head of your team. And if possible… on ONE PAGE: I refer to the AIM Stratpage:
Author: Anael Granoux | Strategy Advisor, Lecturer, Speaker