Business Strategy Fundamentals

A roadmap is not a strategy! Yet, most strategy docs are roadmaps + frameworks. This isn't because teams are dumb. It's because they lack predictable steps to follow. This is where I refer them to Ed Biden's 7-step process: — 1. Objective → What problem are we solving? Your objective sets the foundation. If you can’t define this clearly, nothing else matters. A real strategy starts with: → What challenge are we responding to? → Why does this problem matter? → What happens if we don’t solve it? — 2. Users → Who are we serving? Not all users are created equal. A strong strategy answers: · What do they need most? · Who exactly are we solving for? · What problems are they already solving on their own? A strategy without sharp user focus leads to feature bloat. — 3. Superpowers → What makes us different? If you’re competing on the same playing field as everyone else, you’ve already lost. Your strategy must define: · What can we do 10x better than anyone else? · Where can we persistently win? · What should we not do? This is where strategy meets competitive advantage. — 4. Vision → Where are we going? A roadmap tells you what’s next. A vision tells you why it matters. Most PMs confuse vision with strategy. But a vision is long-term. It’s a north star. Your strategy answers: How do we get there? — 5. Pillars → What are our focus areas? If everything is a priority, nothing really is. In my 15 years of experience, great strategy always come with a trade-offs: → What are our big bets? → What do we need to execute to move towards our vision? → What are we intentionally not doing? — 6. Impact → How do we measure success? Most teams obsess over vanity metrics. A great strategy tracks what actually drives business success. What outcomes matter? → How will we track progress? → What signals tell us we’re on the right path? — 7. Roadmap → How do we execute? A roadmap should never be a list of everything you could do. It should be a focus list of what truly matters. Problems and outcomes are the currency here. Not dates and timelines. — For personal examples of how I do this, check out my post: https://lnkd.in/e5F2J6pB — Hate to break it to you, but you might be operating without a strategy. You might have a nicely formatted strategy doc in front of you, but it’s just a… A roadmap? a feature list? a wishlist? If it doesn’t connect vision to execution, prioritize trade-offs, and define competitive edge… It’s not strategy. It’s just noise.

Today's episode will make you better at developing a strategy, and evaluating other people's strategies. Roger Martin is one of the world’s most sought-after experts on strategy, and the author of "Playing to Win", one of the most popular (and most actionable) books on learning the art of strategy. He’s written extensively for the Harvard Business Review; consulted for dozens of Fortune 500 companies, including P&G, Lego, and Ford; and written 11 other books on strategy, leadership, and clear thinking. In our conversation, we cover: 🔸 The five key questions you need to answer to develop an effective strategy 🔸 How most companies get strategy wrong 🔸 How to avoid “playing to play” instead of playing to win 🔸 Real-world strategy examples from Figma, Lego, Procter & Gamble, and Southwest Airlines 🔸 Why you need to either differentiate or be the lowest cost 🔸 Shortcomings of current strategy education 🔸 Much more Listen now 👇 - YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gTyPQZus - Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gKWWm-Fp - Apple: https://lnkd.in/gCing92Q Some key takeaways: 1. Strategy is an integrated set of choices that compels a desired customer action. 2. Great strategists aren’t born; they’re made through practice. Even if you see yourself as more operational than strategic, remember that strategy is a skill that anyone can develop over time. Just like any skill, it improves with practice. 3. To win in business, you must be either a low-cost provider or differentiated. If you’re neither, competitors can “bully” you and take market share. Two questions can help you figure out whether you’re winning in these ways. First, could you match competitor price decreases and remain more profitable than them? If not, you’re not a low-cost provider. Second, could customers essentially flip a coin between you and a competitor? If so, you’re not differentiated enough. 4. Use the Strategy Choice Cascade to define and implement effective business strategies. This framework consists of five essential questions: a. What is our winning aspiration? Clarify what you aim to achieve with your strategy. This guides all subsequent decisions and actions toward a clear objective. b. Where will we play? Select specific markets, segments, or niches where you will compete. Focus is crucial; trying to be everywhere can dilute effectiveness. c. How will we win? Determine your competitive advantage. You must either offer customers superior value or operate at a lower cost than competitors in your chosen areas. d. What capabilities must be in place to win? Identify and build capabilities that are critical for executing your chosen strategy effectively. These should be distinctive strengths that set you apart from competitors. e. What management systems are required to ensure the capabilities are in place?

$7M CEO: “we’re not hitting revenue targets.” me: “are your GTM teams aligned?” $7M CEO: “i think so…everyone’s working hard.” me: “sure, but are they solving the same problem?” $7M CEO: “honestly? i’m not sure.” me: “here’s where I’d start:” 1. ask the 8 questions (as a team) not in silos. not in strategy docs, no one reads. - who is your most relevant customer right now? - what GTM motions are working and why? - where can you grow the most? - what’s the ROI in the customer’s mind? if your team answers differently, that’s your problem. 2. align your leadership before your plan misalignment at the top multiplies everywhere else. - get the CEO, CMO, CS, product in the same room - map the current GTM on one slide - highlight where you’re out of sync (messaging, metrics, motions) GTM isn’t a playbook. it’s a leadership rhythm. 3. focus on fixing the system, not the function most teams try to fix GTM by fixing people. - fire the CRO - hire a new head of marketing - shift messaging mid-quarter but the system is what breaks, not the individuals. fix the structure, the sequencing, and the clarity. 4. run GTM like a system, not a reaction once you’re aligned, build the rhythm. - weekly GTM reviews with the full exec team - scorecards tied to motions and outcomes - iterate based on what the system tells you clarity > certainty alignment > being right systems > goals start with clarity. fix the system. then scale. p.s. follow Sangram Vajre for more insights on fixing your GTM and building something that actually scales.

most ceos obsess over strategy, product, and capital—yet ignore the one lever that makes every move stick: strategic communication. i’ve seen brilliant founders pour millions into innovation only to stall because employees, investors, and even customers couldn’t articulate the mission. when communication is treated as a tactical afterthought, momentum leaks out of the system. here’s the simple math i walk leaders through: clarity cuts the noise ↳ if your team can’t repeat your top three priorities on demand, the message hasn’t landed. connection builds capacity ↳ information flows freely when silos are bridged, turning scattered talent into a single powerhouse. momentum fuels drive ↳ stories that make people feel part of something bigger spark energy you can’t buy with perks. alignment reduces friction ↳ psychological safety plus clear decision frameworks keep teams moving in the same direction. invest in the “transmission,” not just the engine. strategic comms turns vision into traction.

"Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point." – Henry Mintzberg Developing a strategy is about creating a clear, actionable roadmap to achieve your most critical goals. It’s not just about what you want to accomplish, but how you’ll get there. Great strategies are focused, adaptable, and grounded in reality. They turn vision into execution and effort into results. Here’s how to develop a winning strategy: 1. Define the End Goal Start with the outcome in mind. What does success look like? Be clear, specific, and measurable. A powerful strategy is built around a compelling goal that aligns with your overall vision. Ask: * What are we trying to achieve, and why does it matter? * How will we know we’ve succeeded? 2. Assess Your Current Reality You need to know where you are to chart the path to where you want to go. Take an honest look at your current situation, strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. Ask: * What resources, skills, and assets do we already have? * What challenges or gaps must we address to move forward? 3. Identify the Key Levers Not everything matters equally. Strategy is about focusing on the critical few actions or decisions that will make the biggest impact. Ask: * What are the 2–3 priorities that will move the needle? * What must we focus on to achieve the greatest return on effort? 4. Anticipate Obstacles Great strategies are proactive. Identify potential roadblocks or risks in advance, and build contingency plans to address them. Ask: * What could get in the way of success? * How can we mitigate these risks or turn them into opportunities? 5. Create an Action Plan A strategy without execution is just a wish. Break your strategy into clear, actionable steps with defined roles, responsibilities, and timelines. Ask: * Who is responsible for what? * What milestones will keep us on track? 6. Measure and Adjust No strategy survives unchanged. Build systems to regularly monitor progress, gather feedback, and adapt as needed. Agility ensures your strategy stays relevant. Ask: * How will we track progress and measure success? * What feedback loops will help us adjust along the way? 7. Communicate Relentlessly A strategy must be understood to be executed. Clearly communicate the goal, the priorities, and the plan to everyone involved. People need to know how their actions connect to the bigger picture. A great strategy doesn’t try to do everything—it prioritizes the right things. It bridges the gap between where you are and where you want to go, providing focus, clarity, and momentum. Ask yourself: What’s the bold move that will drive the greatest impact? Build your strategy around it, take decisive action, and stay committed. Remember: a clear strategy is the first step to extraordinary results.

It's easy to mistake feel-good goals for strategic choices. Let's set the record straight. The attached image of the "Corporate Strategy Map" from the (REDACTED) Company is a perfect illustration of this common pitfall. Goals Are Not Strategy Take, for instance, the objective to "improve customer satisfaction." While this sounds positive, it is not a strategy. It is a goal. The reason it does not qualify as a strategy is simple: Aiming to improve customer satisfaction is a general desire that any organization would espouse – no company intentionally strives for poor customer service. Truisms make for strategy theater, where statements like "be provider of choice" or "increase customer satisfaction" masquerade as strategy. These kinds of statements are undoubtedly agreeable, but they are not strategic. They fail to specify how an organization will create a unique position against competitors. What Does a Strategic Choice Look Like? A strategic choice involves deciding how you will be different in ways that give you an advantage - a way that improves your odds of success. It is about choosing a path that others do not take because you see and believe something that others do not. For example, instead of the broad goal to "improve customer satisfaction," a strategic choice would be to "implement a 24/7 customer service hotline to address the pain point of after-hours support, which competitors have overlooked." Three questions to Test Your Strategy for Truisms: 1. Would a competitor ever logically decide to do the exact opposite? If not, you're probably talking about a truism, not a strategy. 2. Does the choice inherently mean that there are other areas where the company will consciously decide not to focus its efforts? If it doesn't help your people say no to something, it's probably not a strategy. 3. Does it #empower people to prioritize action without seeking permission? A true strategy gives team members the confidence to act independently in line with the company's #goals —without it, you might just have a set of aspirations. In short, strategy should articulate clear strategic choices that empower your team to make coherent decisions that lead to #advantage. Ask the right questions, make the tough calls, and craft #strategy that is a blueprint for action, not just a wish list of goals. Agree? Let me know in the comments below! ---------------- PS. Want to be more strategic? My featured section has the solution.

In a world of constrained capital, companies can't do everything nor be everything to all people. That's a VERY HARD lesson for executives to learn when they're scaling. We need to maintain our strategic focus. We need to choose a small number of things and be great at them. One of the great fallacies I've seen from executives and companies is the idea that to grow they need to start doing something differently than the thing they're currently doing. They need to offer more experiences, more products, etc. In fact, one of the critical mistakes I see companies make as they're scaling is looking to go multi-product or multi-geography too early. They open an office in Europe before they've exploited the office in the US. They open an office in APAC when they can't even get someone on the phone. At this stage, it's important to stay focused and learn to say no. Companies assume that it's easy to do small things. It's easy to build a product and just say... "It's just going to run in the background. We're not going to invest a lot in it." But any product, any source of revenue, any person in charge of that source of revenue becomes like a snowball rolling down a hill. They become a center of gravity. Every new department wants more resources. Every time you charge somebody money, that money can develop into an amount of money that is just big enough that you can't afford to lose it, but not big enough that it can become the main driver of your growth. And all of those resources, all of those priorities, sap your strategic focus. They take you away from the ONE BIG THING that you can do. And that's because most people underestimate the power of doing 2-3 things incredibly well, as opposed to doing 50 things mediocrely. That's why I constantly try to encourage companies to narrow their focus. That's what we're trying to do at Pavilion every day. We're trying to narrow the member journey, narrow the set of experiences we offer, but make those experiences better and better as opposed to trying to do more things and not be great at them. That's a mistake we've made before. And not one we will make again.

Business strategy is, usually, about building better businesses. Companies sometimes rely on committees and marketing experts to develop mission statements and elaborate plans, spending millions and months on research to create a polished growth strategy. In a turnaround (and I would argue in all businesses), time and resources are limited. You don’t have the luxury of waiting months to develop a plan, and speed becomes your greatest competitive advantage. You need clarity, alignment, and fast execution. Moreover, a strategy has to inspire and be distinctively unique to your company and situation. If we go back to basics, strategy is about understanding the choices in front of you – what to do and what not to do – then allocating resources to the activities that will most likely achieve the outcome you want. What I’ve learned in my career is: strategy doesn’t need to be complex; it needs to be based in fact, it needs to be clear and it must be translated in to definitive resource allocation. It needs to be designed for your employees, and your board. Simple, distinctive and clear nearly always beats complex, generic and vague. At Frontier our purpose is to Build Gigabit America and we distilled our strategy down to four fundamentals: 1. Build fiber 2. Sell fiber 3. Improve customer service 4. Operate more efficiently That’s it – four things that our company must do every day to succeed. The simplicity of it made sure everyone, from leadership to the front lines, understood how their work contributed to our bigger goal. What to do, and as importantly, what not to do. And because we are all aligned, we have moved fast. In under four years, we have gone from a company that had never built a strand of fiber to becoming the largest pure-play fiber internet provider in the United States. The lesson: A complex strategy won’t guarantee success. A purpose that inspires and a simple strategy, clearly communicated and relentlessly executed, just might.

Leaders, your team doesn’t lack strategy. They lack clarity. You’ve got the presentations.  The KPIs.  The quarterly roadmaps. Everyone is busy. Everyone is working hard. But let’s be honest— Why does it still feel like you’re running on a hamster wheel? Because without clarity, strategy is just noise. This powerful visual by Aman Sahota exposes the 5 brutal signs that you don’t have a strategy problem—you have a clarity problem. 1. Busy… but leading nowhere. Symptom: Endless to-do lists, packed calendars, but no real progress to show. Diagnosis: You’ve confused activity with achievement. Clarity gives direction so tasks stack toward a bigger goal. 2. Hard work… but not together. Symptom: Every department is hitting its own numbers, but silos, duplication, and friction keep surfacing. Diagnosis: You have effort without alignment. Clarity ties roles to one purpose, so the entire team pulls in the same direction. 3. Plans… but no ownership. Symptom: You roll out a shiny new strategy. The team nods politely, then quietly goes back to business as usual. Diagnosis: People don’t commit to what they don’t connect with. Clarity makes them see their personal role in the bigger mission. 4. Pivots… but no grounding. Symptom: Every competitor move or market shift sends the team into panic mode and sudden re-direction. Diagnosis: You’re missing a North Star. Clarity anchors you in vision + values, so pivots become smart adjustments, not chaos. 5. Ambition… but no definition of enough. Symptom: Every target you hit feels empty because the goalpost immediately moves again. Diagnosis: You’re chasing “more” without defining “better.” Clarity sets a meaningful end-state so growth feels fulfilling, not endless. Strategy tells you how to climb the mountain. Clarity ensures you’re climbing the right one. Before you chase another big initiative, pause and ask: 👉 What is the single most important thing we must achieve? 👉 Why does it matter? 👉 What does success really look like? That’s where true progress begins. Your Turn → Which of these 5 clarity gaps do you see most in your workplace? #Leadership #Clarity #Strategy #BusinessGrowth #Management #TeamAlignment #FutureOfWork #MumbaiBusiness #PuneBusiness

Strategy vs. Planning :: The Compass vs. The Map In business, the terms "strategy" and "planning" are often thrown around interchangeably. But they are not the same. Think of your business plan as the road map. It lays out the steps, milestones, and resources you’ll need to reach your destination. It’s all about execution and ensuring you cover the necessary ground. But what happens if you don’t know which direction to head in? That’s where strategy comes in. Strategy is your compass - your true north. It guides you through the tough decisions, telling you - where to go, why to choose a given direction, and how to get there; especially when the path isn’t clear. Strategy answers the why, what, how, and your right to win. It is defined based on your business goals. Planning is a breakdown of tasks with timeline, people responsible for the same, resource allocation, and risk management. You cannot do planning without a strategy. But at times, we all do. I have done it for years! This leads to a lot of hard work, chaos, but very little outcome. Because you might be doing a lot, but the wrong things. Strategy is difficult, because it involves making difficult choices. You need to say "no" to lots of things and "yes" to a very few things. The big question haunts us - What if I choose the wrong direction? And this leads to indecision. Indecision can kill a business. You need a lot of data and exposure to be able to make the right choices. Against popular belief, these are not created in boardrooms referring to nice presentations. They’re shaped by real-world engagement, asking questions, piloting ideas, and learning from the market. By staying attuned to the needs of your customers and the realities of your industry, you ensure that your strategy remains relevant and powerful. So, the next time you’re setting out to achieve your business goals, remember: Don’t mistake your map for your compass. A clear, well-defined strategy will guide every step you take, by showing you the direction, ensuring you stay on the right path, no matter how complex the journey. In Indus Net Technologies (INT.) we took conscious choice to focus on regulated industries like financial services and healthcare, because they are risk averse, and hence 🫴 us higher stickiness. It aligns with our core strengths of sustainability. We made another choice way back in 2012 to invest heavily in Indian Enterprises, which paid off. To grow this market, and build enterprise capability in the process, we said "no" to several global opportunities. Today this has given us the ability to consult and drive results for large enterprises, which is helping us land large, retained, multi-year contracts. When you make a choice - you lose something, you gain something. There is no right answer. Please share examples of difficult strategic choices that you have made, and inspire us!