Strategy That Works

Practical strategy tools and sessions that turn ideas into clear choices, next steps, and results.

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Goal Setting Isn’t Strategy: What Leaders Must Decide Before the Targets

Goal setting isn’t strategy, because bigger targets don’t tell your team where to play, how to win, or what to stop—so effort spreads thin and execution drifts. In this article, Jef Menguin explains the three decisions leaders must make before they write a single metric. Apply it, then pass it to your team so meetings end with choices, not pressure.

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The Tuesday Test: Will Your Strategy Still Matter When Real Work Hits?

Run the Tuesday Test before you approve another “priority list,” especially when you know Tuesday will bring escalations, politics, and shiny requests that melt your plan by lunch. Ask one brutal question—will this still matter on Tuesday?—then use the 3 prompts to name what will steal focus, what you’ll say no to, and what you’ll protect even when it costs you. If your strategy can’t survive Tuesday, it’s not strategy yet—it’s just a mood.

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If You Can’t Say What “Winning” Looks Like, You Can’t Choose Anything

Sketch this when your strategy meeting ends with a long “fair” list—and you already feel the quiet panic because nothing got removed. If your team can’t describe what winning looks like, you can’t choose—you can only negotiate, and the calendar will hijack everything by Tuesday. Use the Winning Picture Test: describe the win as a clear picture, then ask which initiatives move that picture closer—anything that can’t answer it isn’t a priority.

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Strategy Rhythm: The Cadence That Protects Your Choices When Monday Hits

Run a 15-minute Bet Protection Check this week—before Monday eats your strategy again. Strategy rhythm isn’t “more meetings”; it’s a simple cadence that forces decisions while the week is still young: what moved, what’s stuck, what decision is needed now, and what you will say no to to protect the bet. Do this weekly, add a monthly decision review, and your bold bets stop living in slides and start living in your calendar.

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