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In a world that won’t sit still, leaders can’t rely on outdated models built for stability and control.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.
🎧 New episodes every Tuesday
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Latest Episode
Ep. 29 Against the Grain: Saul Betmead de Chasteigner on Strategy, Structure, and the Psychology of Change
Guest: Saul Betmead de Chasteigner
“Strategy is often where complacency hides best.”
In this episode, Saul Betmead de Chasteigner—organisational psychologist and transformation advisor—joins Mike Jones to explore how even successful organisations create the very conditions that undermine their long-term viability.
They unpack how strategic clarity gets lost in performance theatre, why autonomy and structure are not opposites but interdependent, and what it takes to repersonalise strategy and make transformation real. This is a sharp and reflective conversation for those navigating real-world change.
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Ep. 30 The Thinking Brain: Dr. Delia McCabe on Neuroplasticity, Nutrition, and the Neuroscience of Leadership
Leadership begins in the brain.
Dr. Delia McCabe—neuroscientist and author—joins Mike Jones to explore how brain function, nutrition, and stress shape our ability to lead, decide, and adapt. They unpack why creativity collapses under pressure, how uncertainty challenges cognition, and how neuroplasticity can be trained like a muscle.
From cognitive resilience and emotion’s role in influence to the neuroscience behind the “feeling of knowing,” this episode offers practical, science-backed insights for leaders ready to think better—because real strategy starts in the mind.
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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