WHERE LEADERS RETHINK HOW STRATEGY WORKS IN THE REAL WORLD
The traditional approach to strategy is broken.
In a world that won’t sit still, leaders can’t rely on outdated models built for stability and control.
Strategy Meets Reality is a podcast for leaders, strategists, and thinkers who want real insight—not theory. Hosted by organisational psychologist and systems thinker Mike Jones, each episode cuts through the noise with honest conversations from people who’ve lived the complexity, made the tough calls, and rethought what strategy means in practice.
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Latest Episode
Ep. 34 No Bullshit Strategy with Alex Smith: Why Strategy Is a Doing Discipline, Not a Thinking Exercise
Host: Alex Smith
“Somehow strategy has become branded as a thinking discipline, when in fact it is a doing discipline.”
In this episode, Alex Smith breaks down why most organisations fail at strategy. He and Mike Jones explore the importance of diagnosing industry level flaws, why sacrifice creates real advantage, and why strategy must be built on bold action rather than frameworks. This is a sharp, practical conversation for leaders who want to create moves that matter and stop treating strategy as an annual thinking ritual.
All Episodes
Ep. 34 No Bullshit Strategy with Alex Smith: Why Strategy Is a Doing Discipline, Not a Thinking Exercise
Strategy is not a thinking exercise. It is a doing discipline.
In this episode, Alex Smith joins Mike Jones to challenge how organisations approach strategy. They explore why most leaders zoom in when they should zoom out, why customer led thinking kills innovation, and why the real work starts with identifying what is wrong with your industry and making a move that competitors cannot copy. From sacrifice to action, this episode strips strategy back to its essentials.
Meet your Host:
Mike Jones
Mike Jones is a systems thinker, organisational psychologist, and former British Army soldier.
He’s worked as a strategy and execution advisor to senior executives across rail, tech, and government to rethink how strategy actually works in complexity.
He founded LBI Consulting and author of the upcoming book When Strategy Meets Reality.
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