This Is Strategy

1. Strategy is a Philosophy of Becoming, Not a Map

A strategy isn’t a map—it’s a compass.

Direction, not destination. Strategy isn't a rigid plan but a guiding philosophy, a compass that helps us navigate the unknown. It's about choosing what to do today to make tomorrow better, focusing on the direction of travel rather than a fixed destination. This approach allows for flexibility and adaptation as circumstances change.

Hard work of choosing. Strategy is the difficult work of making choices, of deciding what to do and what not to do. It's about prioritizing actions that align with our goals and values, and it requires a willingness to walk away from paths that don't serve our purpose. It's not about following a checklist but about creating a different future.

Better is the goal. The core of strategy is the pursuit of "better," a continuous improvement rather than a fixed state. It's about making progress, learning from our experiences, and constantly refining our approach. This mindset allows us to embrace change and adapt to new challenges.

2. Systems, Seen and Unseen, Shape Our World

Strategy builds systems, but it depends on them as well.

Invisible forces. Systems are the unseen and persistent forces that shape our world, from the solar system to the local coffee shop. They have roles, rules, inputs, outputs, and feedback loops, and they often operate in ways that are invisible to us. Understanding these systems is crucial for effective strategy.

Systems deliver value. Every successful system serves a purpose, even if it's not the purpose it claims to serve. They create productivity, coordinate human effort, and provide consistency. However, they can also create undesirable side effects and impede innovation.

Working with systems. Instead of fighting systems directly, elegant strategies use them as tools to create change. This involves understanding how systems work, identifying leverage points, and creating conditions for change to happen organically. It's about working with the current, not against it.

3. Time, Games, and Empathy: The Strategic Trinity

Time, games, empathy and systems. They’re everywhere we look, and easy to ignore.

Interwoven threads. Strategy is built on the interplay of time, games, empathy, and systems. These four elements are interconnected and mutually supportive, forming a braid that shapes our world. Ignoring any one of them limits our ability to create effective strategies.

Time as a dimension. Strategy plays out over time, like a garden growing. It's about planting seeds today for a harvest in the future. Understanding the long-term implications of our actions is crucial for creating lasting change.

Games and interactions. Life is a series of games with multiple players, rules, and possible outcomes. Recognizing the game we're playing helps us make better choices and navigate complex interactions. It's about understanding the rules, the players, and the potential outcomes.

Empathy as a guide. People don't see what we see or want what we want. Empathy is about understanding the perspectives and desires of others, and planting our seeds in places where the conditions are right. It's about understanding the needs and motivations of those we seek to serve.

4. Elegant Strategies Use Systems, Not Fight Them

Elegant strategies use systems. Even when they set out to change the system, they don’t fight it directly but use the system as a tool to change the system.

Simplicity and efficiency. Elegant strategies are simple, efficient, and effective. They offer leverage in service of the change we seek, reducing waste and avoiding dead ends. They often seem roundabout at first, but they put systems to work for us, instead of against us.

Leverage over effort. Elegant strategies prioritize systemic advantage over heroic effort. They don't rely on miracles but on creating conditions for change to happen organically. They are simple to explain but difficult to stick to, requiring discipline and intent.

Horizontal change. Elegant strategies spread horizontally, building trust and engagement. They rely on the power of networks and word-of-mouth, creating conditions for change to spread from person to person. This approach is more resilient and leveraged than relying on top-down directives.

5. Tension is the Engine of Change

Tension First and Above All

Change creates tension. Change always creates tension, as people grapple with new ideas, new ways of doing things, and the fear of the unknown. This tension is not something to be avoided but something to be harnessed. It's the engine that drives progress.

Tension as a signal. When our work interacts with a system, tension is created or we're ignored. This tension is a signal that we're making an impact, that we're challenging the status quo. It's a sign that we're on the right path.

Creating the conditions for change. The goal is not to eliminate tension but to create the conditions for it to be productive. This involves understanding the fears and desires of those we seek to serve, and creating a path that allows them to move forward despite their discomfort. It's about creating a system that rewards change.

6. The Power of "First, Ten" and the Smallest Viable Audience

Find ten people. Ten people who trust you/respect you/need you/listen to you…

Focus on the few. Instead of trying to reach everyone, focus on finding ten people who trust you, respect you, need you, and listen to you. These are the early adopters who will become the foundation of your project. If they love it, they'll each find ten more people.

Gradual build. Effective marketing isn't about hype or hustle but about engaging with people who seek to engage with us. It's about a gradual build that turns into a tidal wave, organizing for it and spending money appropriately. The traditional curve of money spent is precisely backward to what you actually need.

The smallest viable audience. By serving the smallest viable audience, your idea spreads. Your business grows. Not as fast as you want, but faster than you could ever imagine. This approach changes the posture and timing of everything you do.

7. Choose Your Customers, Competition, and Validation

Choose Your Customers and Choose Your Future.

Customers as a choice. We have the power to choose our customers, and by doing so, we choose our future. The customers we serve dictate our prices, support, service, and the status we bring. It's about finding people who already want to go where we'd like to take them.

Competition as a choice. We also have the power to choose our competition. If we choose a competition where the most successful path is a race to the bottom, we've decided how we'll spend our time. It's about finding a competition where we can thrive.

Validation as a choice. We get to choose who has the power to judge us. It's about aligning our source of validation with our goals and values, and ignoring those who don't align with our vision. It's about choosing the judges we're prepared to be judged by.

8. The Blueprint is an Assertion, Not a Guarantee

A blueprint is an assertion.

Actionable strategy. A blueprint is an actionable strategy, a commitment to a path forward. It's not simply a drawing of what we hope for but a plan that includes time and interactions. It's a chance to live in a future that hasn't happened yet.

Truth, assertions, and alternatives. A modern business plan should include a section on truth, describing the world as it is; assertions, describing how we're going to change things; and alternatives, describing what we'll do if our assertions don't pan out. It's about being honest, clear, and flexible.

Show your work. Intuition is strategy without narrative. The discomfort of articulating and altering our strategy pays the biggest dividends. It's about making our thinking visible and open to improvement.

9. Leverage, Resilience, and the Long Game

The fastest way forward might not be the most reliable.

Leverage vs. resilience. Leverage makes us brittle, while resilience allows us to adapt to change. The fastest way forward might not be the most reliable, and sometimes, the turtle does better than anyone expected. It's about balancing speed with sustainability.

Customer traction. The key to success is customer traction, not money raised. If customers stick around and bring their friends, it's likely to be a success. It's about building a community, not just a product.

The long game. Strategy is about the long game, not the short-term win. It's about building something that gets better over time, that can adapt to change, and that can create lasting impact. It's about playing the infinite game.

10. The System Wants What It Wants, Not What You Want

The system is what the system does.

Systemic desires. Systems have their own desires, and they often act in ways that are unexpected or even undesirable. Understanding what a system wants is crucial for navigating it effectively. It's about seeing the system instead of merely being part of it.

The illusion of choice. Systems often fool us into believing that our choices are actually our choices. They limit our options and create conditions that make it difficult to deviate from the status quo. It's about recognizing the illusion and finding our agency.

Use, be used, or change it. We can use the system to push our work forward, subvert it by exploiting its feedback loops, or allow ourselves to be used by it. The choice is ours, but it requires awareness and intent.

11. Strategy is the Partner of Freedom, Not a Constraint

Strategy is the partner of freedom.

Freedom to choose. Strategy is not a constraint but a partner of freedom. It gives us the power to choose our path, to create, to connect, to learn, and to make a difference. It's about embracing our agency and using it to create a better future.

Freedom with responsibility. Freedom comes with responsibility. It's about making choices that align with our goals and values, and taking ownership of the outcomes. It's about being on the hook and with nowhere to hide.

The future is counting on us. We are all time travelers, and we are all farmers. The seeds we plant today won't grow for weeks or months. The systems we support, the people we dance with, the ruckus we create—it's not for today, it's for tomorrow. The future is counting on us to make it better.

Last updated: February 3, 2025