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Have Only One High-Level Strategy
Leadership / Advice · Updated Jun 2026
If you have three strategies, you have none.
The Problem
When organisations have multiple competing priorities, people can't focus. Everything becomes "important" which means nothing is.
What One Strategy Means
- A single, clear direction that everyone understands.
- It tells you what to say no to, not just what to say yes to.
- All teams can trace their work back to it.
- Decisions become easier because there's one thing to optimise for.
How to Get There
- Identify the one thing that, if achieved, makes everything else easier or unnecessary.
- Communicate it simply and repeatedly.
- Resist the urge to add "and also..." priorities.
- Accept that some good ideas will have to wait.
The Hard Part
Saying no to good ideas. A strategy that doesn't exclude anything isn't a strategy.
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