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Something Being “Hard” is not a Diagnosis
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal post in two sentences: Difficulty tells us that something requires attention, but it does not tell us what is causing it. Before deciding to persist or change direction, determine whether you are dealing with a constraint, a misalignment or simply a requirement of the path you have chosen. I recently read…
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A Decision Does Not Contain a Predictive Component
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal post in two sentences: A good decision does not tell us what will happen. It simply reflects the quality of the understanding from which the choice was made. What makes one decision better than another? When we make a decision, we are not saying, “I know what will happen.” We are…
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Beware of this Oft Missed Step
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal Post in two sentences: AI tools can help professionals work faster, but a seven-step plan cannot tell you what is actually getting in the way. Without that understanding, you may invest in an excellent solution that addresses the wrong problem. I came across an infographic for a course: Claude for Lawyers…
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Can’t is the Cancer of Happen
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal Post in two sentences: “Can’t” becomes dangerous when it is accepted as a fact before the situation has been properly examined. Strategic alignment requires us to distinguish between a genuine constraint and an untested assumption that prevents anything from happening. Can’t is the cancer of happen. This line is attributed to…
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Urgency Has a Way of Convincing Us That More Activity Is the Answer
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal Post in two sentences: Urgency often convinces us that doing more is the answer, when inconsistent results may actually be asking us to slow down long enough to understand what’s limiting progress. Sometimes the highest-leverage decision isn’t increasing activity, but creating the space to identify the real constraint. Leaders and entrepreneurs alike are…
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The 7-step, “bulletproof” problem-solving process…with a twist
I came across Bulletproof Problem Solving by Charles Conn and Robert McLean… two men shaped by decades inside McKinsey & Company, strategy rooms, and high-stakes decision environments. Their work is built on what they describe as a seven-step, “bulletproof” problem-solving process… a method refined in consulting environments where rigor is non-negotiable and conclusions must hold…
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Building from Brilliance
Some communities have developed recognizable economic signatures. Jewish merchants, shaped by centuries of restrictions on land ownership, mastered literacy and finance, creating networks of trade and professional services. Indian diaspora families, carrying memories of colonial merchant roles and extended kin systems, now own large shares of global hotel and corner-shop markets. Ethnic Chinese networks, long…
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Business turnarounds IRL vs. TV
I’ve always been drawn to transformation shows. There’s something deeply satisfying about watching chaos get clarified in 42 minutes. Give me a struggling restaurant, an outdated house, or a misaligned business — and I’m hooked. Some of my all-time favorites? There’s a rhythm to these shows that keep me in place as I watch: disaster,…
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