Transcript

00:00:01

Stop me if you’ve been in Bob’s position. Every strategist learns the frameworks. Porto five forces, blue ocean strategy, and SWAT analysis. And we assume great strategy comes from great frameworks. So how Schultz of Starbucks fame, he knew all of the frameworks, but he didn’t transform Starbucks or any of them. In 1983, Schulz visited Milan. He walked into an express bar. He saw the ritual, the community, the third place between home and work. And that experience became a story. That story became his northstar.

00:00:34

That story created a hundred billion dollar plus company. Not a framework, a story. But here’s where most strategists get stuck. Baba spent hours preparing for the strategy retreat. He had the perfect framework from his MBA and he was excited because he was going to nail it by explaining this framework. As the conversation progressed, some doubts crept in, but he prepared for hours. So when the moment came he jumped in and as he explained his framework eyes glazed over. So he tried to speed up

00:01:07

that made it worse. Phones came out people started to read and his boss gave him a dark look that was kind of like a cut it out and Bob gave up. But moments later another colleague jumped in. And in that case, she told a story. And Bob suddenly realized she was explaining the same concept that he just tried to describe using a framework. But this time, the heads were nodding. There were some new insights that were emerging as people built on her initial story. There was some buying happening. She was accomplishing the result. And he

00:01:42

thought to himself, why didn’t I try that? Well, here’s what he discovered and what Howard Schultz knew all along. that we’ve been taught that strategic thinking is about mastering frameworks. They give us the illusion of sophistication. But here’s the truth that plays out in every boardroom and every strategy retreat and every presentation given by consultants that there’s a big difference between strategic thinking and strategic fluency. Strategic thinking is all about those frameworks

00:02:09

that you learned in MBA school, ones I mentioned before. Strategic fluency teaches you stories. So when JFK committed America to go to the moon, he didn’t pull out the Gad chart. He didn’t tell a framework. Instead, he went to the future and told a story about the future. So the best strategists actually aren’t searching for which framework applies in which situation. Instead, they’re reaching out for their curated collection of signature stories. So how do you avoid that awkward moment Bob

00:02:38

found himself in? I recommend that you prepare three signature stories. One transformational stories like the one about Schulz in Milan. One about the future like Kennedy’s moonshot. And one story about strategic choice. That’s three stories. Good news is that Strat Cinema helps you to find your three.

Picture two teams in your company, six months apart.

The first team is drowning. They have 47 “strategic initiatives” on their list, no clear way to prioritize, and every meeting devolves into debates about resources. Morale is terrible, and nobody can articulate what they’re really trying to accomplish.

Fast forward six months: the same team, but now they’re energized, focused, and can explain their strategy in three minutes. Projects that don’t serve their core hypothesis get killed quickly. They’re making contingency plans because they understand their strategy is a bet, not a certainty.

What happened in between?

They stopped confusing a strategic plan with actual strategy. Today, I want to walk you through that transformation, because the gap between these two states isn’t about working harder—it’s about thinking differently.

Tune into this episode to join me in tackling this wicked problem.

I’m Francis Wade and welcome to the JumpLeap Long-Term Strategy Podcast

Here is a video of the full episode. You can also follow the podcast on YouTube.

Show Notes

NotebookLM link

https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/6e0f6686-25ff-44b8-a629-54df92dbef7c?authuser=1

Link to Fictional Credit Union Case

https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/33364888-4e5a-4738-80d1-24f2c42c66cd?authuser=1

Roger Martin’s Video

Your organization has 37 brilliant projects. You have bandwidth for maybe 5.

Now what?

This is the reality facing leaders everywhere: expensive master plans that deliver impressive lists of initiatives but zero guidance on which ones to actually pursue. Meanwhile, your CEO expects magic, your budget is maxed out, and that critical board meeting is in two weeks.

Sound familiar?

This episode tackles one of strategy’s most brutal challenges: how do you prioritize when everything seems important and resources are painfully limited?

Joined by Iwona Wilson, founder of Wilson Business Consulting and expert in opportunity framing, Francis Wade and his guest unpack the story of “Stephanie”—a VP of strategic planning stuck with 37 projects from an expensive master plan and no roadmap for execution.

This conversation exposes the hidden traps of poor prioritization and reveals a systematic approach to cutting through the chaos.

You’ll discover:

* Why “let’s start everything and see what works” destroys value faster than doing nothing

* The real cost of scattered execution (spoiler: it’s not just wasted money)

* A proven framework for organizing idea overload into executable strategy

* How to build decision-driven roadmaps that preserve flexibility while driving focus

* The art of strategic sequencing: when to say “not now” to protect “yes” for the right projects

The hard truth: Most organizations fail not because they lack good ideas, but because they try to execute too many at once. The companies that win? They master the discipline of strategic prioritization.

Stop drowning in possibilities. Start executing with purpose.

Here is the video version of the free excerpt.

For a limited time, the full video below the paywall will be available on StratCinema.

Unmasking the Strategy Success Trap: Why Booms Lead to Busts!

How should your company react to amazing success? Join us for a spirited conversation diagnosing the fatal strategic missteps of companies that went through unearned booms during COVID-19.

We reveal why giants like Peloton and Fiverr abandoned their profitable, long-term business models to chase massive, temporary demand.

We explore how this pursuit of tactical success led to impulsive, nearsighted decisions—such as Peloton becoming a capital-intensive manufacturing/logistics operation—which guaranteed a crash and painful layoffs. Discover the critical difference between “structural change” (permanent) and “cyclical noise” (temporary).

Learn the essential discipline of long-term strategy. A sound strategy must act as a risk-management tool during good times, allowing companies like Amazon and Uber to leverage windfalls to build a lasting, sustainable advantage.

True success is measured not by the peak of a boom, but by the depth of a normalization the company can survive. Prepare your company for the threat of a disruption brought about by success beyond its wildest dreams.

You have a hunger for game-changing results. As a CEO, board member, or strategic planner, you aspire to produce big results. While you know methods that work, you still find yourself drifting back into short-term thinking in these tumultuous days. Without daily activities guiding you toward a True North—a preferred long-term destination—you run the risk of being sucked into the 24-hour news cycle or latest drama.

How do you build the strategic muscles necessary to withstand even daily shocks and surprises?

The opposite of conventional strategy is true. Stop chasing short-term survival; outsiders and technology cannot save you from constant disruption. Conventional wisdom demanding “twice the results in half the time” is fundamentally flawed. Real game-changing success requires robust long-term strategic muscle.

We expose the 25 fatal obstacles infecting C-suites with short-term thinking, providing definitive ‘obstacle knowledge’ so you can become a robust, different kind of strategist who can preemptively design for disruption.

Tune in to join me in tackling this wicked problem. I’ll share the approach we took to designing the Long-Term Strategy Conference 2025 held in June.

I’m Francis Wade and welcome to the JumpLeap Long-Term Strategy Podcast.

P.S. Here’s a LLM prompt you can copy and paste into an LLM to deepen your understanding:

Act as a strategic planning consultant. I just listened to a podcast about long-term strategic planning. Here’s the core insight I learned: “Big results need years. Long time frame and big results go together. If you try to commit to big goals on short time frames, it doesn’t work.”

My current strategic planning challenge is: [DESCRIBE IN ONE SENTENCE YOUR BIGGEST STRUGGLE WITH LONG-TERM THINKING IN YOUR ORGANIZATION].

Based on this insight, identify three specific symptoms in my organization that indicate we’re stuck in short-term thinking. Then suggest one concrete conversation starter I can use this week to begin reframing our strategic discussions.

P.P.S. Want more? For subscribers, I have generated at least 5 more prompts, available below the paywall.

Show Notes

https://strategyconf.fwconsulting.com/conference-topics-2025/ - The full list of 25 Obstacles

The full video is available below for subscribers. So are the other LLM Prompts mentioned above.

Tired of staff surveys on company vision and corporate strategy showing disengagement despite your best efforts? You're not alone. Most leaders think they need to be more "motivational" - but that's backwards.

The real breakthrough? Creating systems where people motivate themselves. And AI is making this easier than ever.

Join us for a short presentation where we'll share real experiments from leaders who've transformed their strategy communication from painful struggle to effortless system.

You'll discover why your current approach isn't working and see a completely different way to inspire your team - one that works even if you're not a natural motivational speaker.

Spoiler alert: this has to do with setting up systems that produce profound engagement with the help of AI.

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Amie Devero

You are the champion of a long-term strategic plan. However, you understand some of the disciplines required to make strategic plans implementable - program management and change management.

But as you try to educate others on the importance of these disciplines you find yourself alone. They just don’t get it.

And if they continue to not understand it, the strategic plan could be a failure just because of the way it’s defined, and because it’s missing important perspectives.

Tune into this episode to hear from me and my special guest, Lisa Carlin from The TurboChargers, as we tackle and try to solve this wicked problem together.

Show Notes

In this episode, Francis Wade and Lisa Carlin discuss the complexities of long-term strategic planning, emphasizing the importance of change management and project management in ensuring successful strategy execution. They explore the disconnects often found in organizations between different stakeholders and the need for a collaborative approach to strategy development.

Lisa introduces her framework for effective strategy execution, which includes a focus on community and the integration of various perspectives. The conversation highlights the necessity of transforming strategy into actionable plans while maintaining a long-term vision amidst a rapidly changing environment.

* 2 day strategy execution bootcamp https://theturbochargers.com/strategy-execution-bootcamp/

* CEO Guide: Boost Your Productivity with AI Tools for Strategic Initiatives

* 5 Future Trends in Change Management

* Discover your capability for strategy execution and transformation. Calculate your free Transformation Success Score

* Subscribe to Turbocharge Weekly. Join over 7,000 business leaders and innovators are interested in accelerating their strategic projects with a Culture-Friendly approach.

* https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisacarlin/

* Turbocharge Hub, for frameworks, learning and community to reach your full potential as a change leader.

* The Turbochargers Website

* Lisa Carlin New YouTube channel

Here’s a 20-minute video excerpt.

To view the full video, see below the paywall, available with a subscription.

Let’s imagine for a moment that you are a citizen or resident of the USA. You love the country and especially the vision of the founding fathers.

However, you are distressed by the degree of the political divide. It has hijacked popular attention. People seem to hate each other.

Is there a way to find inspiration beyond the current uncertainty? Can leaders possibly come together if only they took a long-term view of the country, and the world?

Tune into this episode to join me in tackling this wicked problem.

Summary

In this episode of the Jump Leap Long-Term Strategy Podcast, Francis Wade explores the deep political divide in the United States and its implications for the future. He introduces a fictional character, Amanda, who seeks to bridge this divide through a bipartisan approach. Wade discusses the importance of long-term thinking in politics, drawing parallels with Jamaica's Vision 2030 initiative as a model for creating a unified national vision. He emphasizes the need for consensus and a future-back planning approach to address the challenges facing the U.S. and the world.

takeaways

The political divide in the U.S. is a significant issue.

Long-term thinking is essential for political stability.

Bipartisanship can lead to shared goals and outcomes.

Vision 2030 Jamaica serves as a model for national planning.

Consensus building is crucial for effective governance.

Political instability affects global perceptions of the U.S.

Future-back planning can help overcome present challenges.

A unified vision is necessary for the U.S. to thrive.

The process of creating a national vision requires broad consultation.

This is a pivotal moment for the future of democracy.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Political Divide

08:42 The Impact of Political Instability

14:29 Exploring Solutions: Vision 2030 Jamaica

20:35 The Process of National Development Planning

26:41 Lessons from Jamaica's Vision 2030

32:27 The Importance of a Unified Vision

38:38 Future-Back Planning for the U.S.

44:39 Conclusion: A Call to Action

The Long-Term Strategy Conference 2025 - https://strategyconf.fwconsulting.com

You are leading the development of a strategic plan in an organization. The company has a very transactional culture in which staff members are doing the minimum required to get by.

However, the company needs to develop a game-changing strategic plan to stay relevant in its industry. You are concerned that staff members don’t care about the future of the organization, but their buy-in is essential.

How can you get them interested in a shared future vision for the organization, beyond a mere paycheck or bonus?

Tune into this episode to hear from me and my special guest, Debilyn Molineaux, as we tackle this wicked problem together.

I’m Francis Wade and welcome to the JumpLeap Long-Term Strategy Podcast

Debilyn Molineaux serves as the catalyst for the American Future project to help everyday Americans discover and believe in a future that will be "worth it" to work together for the sake of our nation. Debilyn is a serial entrepreneur, co-founding many organizations and transpartisan projects over her 20+ year career in establishing the democracy ecosystem.

Here’s a 20-minute video excerpt.

To watch the full video, see below, under the paywall for subscribers.

You are convinced that your company or client needs a game-changing strategy. But you have also worked with them to see that their thinking is pedestrian. Ordinary. Run of the mill. Business as usual.

You realise that one element which is lacking is a set of powerful insights. Without them, you’ll always be stuck no matter how well they do at implementation.

And if a competitor comes along, like Deep Seek, you’ll be disrupted.

Tune into this episode to join me in tackling this wicked problem.

And here’s a resource I mentioned for scanning future trends:

https://www.futuresplatform.com/

Here is the complimentary video excerpt for free subscribers. The full video is behind the paywall below.