Something I talk about a lot when doing strategy is the “judo move.” A principle of judo is using your opponent’s size and strength against them. You might use a judo move in strategy when you’re differentiating from a competitor (whether that competitor is identified or not).

Doing great strategy work - becoming more fluent in the practice of strategy, demonstrating this growing expertise on projects, consistently making the client happy - seems like it should be enough to get you to the next level, yes? And yet it’s not sometimes. It turns out that strategists need to offer something more than being good at strategy.

If you’ve ever scoped a strategy project, then you’re familiar with the challenge of figuring out what deliverables to include, on what timeline, in which order, and from how many hours a strategist is resourced. Let me make it a little easier for you with this convenient checklist of every deliverable you should always include each time in every strategy project without fail.*

*some exceptions may apply

I saw a job description for a Strategy Director recently that included “Quick on your feet” as a desired skill. I can see why someone might think that’s helpful for a strategist. But it’s not a skill - it’s the way brains are wired. Some processes quickly, some slowly. Do you know which brain you have?

Let’s talk about neurodivergence. If using your brain to solve your client’s problems is the essence of strategy, then a strategist needs to know how their brain works.