The Thing Most Strategic Plans Get Wrong

Most strategic plans are too long, too detailed and too focused on the plan. That might sound like a strange criticism.

But in my experience, the organisations that execute strategy best are rarely the ones with the most comprehensive plans. They're the ones with the clearest intent.

A simple, honest answer to the question: where are we going, and why does it matter? Everything else — the milestones, the KPIs, the detailed initiatives — those are useful. But they're the map, not the destination.

When the intent is clear, people can navigate. When an unexpected problem arrives — and it will — they know what matters most and can make a decision without waiting for permission.

When the intent isn't clear, even a detailed plan falls apart the moment reality diverges from the spreadsheet. Which, in my experience, is usually within the first few weeks.

Clarity of intent isn't a nice-to-have. It's the thing that determines whether the rest of the plan is worth anything at all.