A strategy rarely dies in a meeting. It dies in the third month, when nobody can remember what it said and everyone is busy.
01 — The ownership gap
In 40 diagnostics we have run since 2021, the most common failure was not a bad plan. It was a plan with no named owner per line item. When accountability is collective, it is absent — and the first busy quarter reverts the team to whatever they did last year.
The fix is unglamorous: one name, one number, one review date next to every initiative. If a line cannot get an owner, it should not be in the plan.
If accountability is collective, it is absent.
02 — Metrics nobody defends
Dashboards grow faster than understanding. We ask every client to name the three numbers their board actually asks about, then delete the rest from the monthly review. Reporting time drops by half and arguments get sharper.
03 — Channel drift
New channels get added because a competitor launched there, not because the audience moved. Each addition dilutes the message and the budget. A channel should earn its place with a stated role — reach, conversion, or retention — and be removed when it stops playing it.
04 — What to change
Write the strategy in one page. Assign owners. Pick three metrics. Review monthly and reallocate ruthlessly. It is less exciting than a rebrand and considerably more effective.
Managing partner. Fifteen years between in-house leadership and consulting. Writes about positioning every second Tuesday.