Francis Wade argues that comprehensive strategic plans become unworkable wish-lists. He uses Steve Jobs' 1997 Apple turnaround to show the power of focus, then introduces Peter Kompo's Strategy Triad: pick one critical objective, surface the bottlenecks blocking it, and prioritize a few high-impact initiatives to address them.
Hello and welcome back to Chronicles From a Caribbean Kubooka Podcast. This is Francis Wade, and here's an article that is based on a column I published in the Jamaica Gleaner. This one is entitled, "Think You Need a Comprehensive Strategy? Maybe Not." Your company proudly touts its comprehensive strategic plan. But while its creators are satisfied with its depth and detail, perhaps it's time to rethink. Narrowing its focus might just save it from failure. Somewhere in your email inbox, there's a lengthy strategic document waiting to be read. It's so long and so dense that you haven't even glanced at it. No one else has. Reading it would take hours, and your plate is already full. Deep down, you worry that months or even a full year might pass before you carve out time to review it. But while the plan gathers digital dust, you don't question the good intentions behind its creation. You may have even contributed some ideas early on. Yet, because you weren't part of the team that finalized the document, its nuances escape you. The responsibility for crafting the final version fell to a group of well-meaning colleagues who embraced the idea of being comprehensive. And therein lies the potential problem. From strategic plan to wish list. What if the plan is less of a strategy and more of a wish list? Think of a child's letter to Santa, an ambitious catalog of hopes, many of which are unlikely to come true. The issue isn't that the individual ideas in the plan are bad. On the contrary, you probably support most, if not all, of them. The real problem lies in the fallacy that "more is better." In strategy, this belief can be dangerous. It's easy for leaders to fall into the trap of saying "yes" to every new proposal, particularly in the C-suite. But this "yes to everything" mindset often results in an unattainable dream masquerading as a plan. Failing to say no plants the seeds of failure. Perhaps this pattern is familiar. It might even explain your reluctance to engage with the document. After all, a strategy overloaded with too many good ideas often adds up to a bad one. Case in point: Apple's comeback. Consider Steve Jobs' return to Apple in 1997. One of his first moves was to cut most of the company's product lines. By focusing on a single ecosystem, Apple transformed itself into the world's most valuable company. This example highlights the power of focus. Now, how should you respond to your own bloated strategic plan? Announce: The process is not finished. Reject the current wish list and restart the planning process with a fresh approach. A helpful tool to guide this next phase is Peter Kompo's Strategy Triad, which comprises three components: 1. An aspiration—your primary objective. 2. Bottlenecks—the key obstacles standing in the way. 3. Tasks and policies—the actions needed to address the bottlenecks. Use this framework in your next strategy session to sharpen your focus. Here's how: Start by selecting your single most critical objective. Identify the bottlenecks preventing success and narrow down to the few actions required to overcome them. Move on to the next objective, applying the same process. Eliminate wish list items that don't directly address the bottlenecks. Prioritize, a small number of high-impact initiatives that fit your resources and budget. While this streamlined approach seems logical, expect— Handling pushback. Objection 1: This will be too difficult. Narrowing the plan means forcing tough choices. Colleagues with conflicting priorities will have to confront their differences in open discussions, which can create tension. The solution: Use a neutral facilitator. A skilled, impartial moderator can help navigate disagreements, ensuring the group reaches consensus without losing focus or momentum. Objection 2: This will take too long. Don't assume you can resolve these challenges in a quick meeting. Instead, dedicate a full day to an offsite session with your top 20 leaders, Away from daily distractions, work together to identify the few key initiatives that will bust the bottlenecks and achieve your goals. Time Upfront. It's an investment. Begin by showing how many hours will be wasted trying to execute the original wish list. By narrowing the focus, you will save time overall and boost the odds of success. Why It Works. An overly broad strategic plan is often overwhelming. Your colleagues may avoid engaging with it for the same reasons you do—it feels unrealistic and demotivating. By narrowing the scope, you can create a plan that feels achievable and inspires action. Think of it as a Minimal Viable Strategy. A focused plan speeds up implementation, concentrates energy, and delivers visible results. Success, in turn, builds momentum, paving the way for even greater achievements. When it comes to strategy, less is often more. Tosh the wish list, narrow the focus, and watch your organization thrive. Thanks for listening. Do you have an unsolved problem in your Caribbean company related to strategy, productivity, engagement, or business process improvement? Just visit a searchable listing of all my prior articles and you may be able to help yourself to a fresh line of thinking. Go to blog.fwconsulting.com or see the show notes.
Ep 35 Your Strategic Stagnation Isn't a Framework Problem—It's a Story Problem
The YouTube Strategy School: Why Your MBA Didn’t Teach You Strategic Thinking
