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In a world that won’t sit still, leaders can’t rely on outdated models built for stability and control.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. 19 – Brave Builders of the Future: Louise Le Gat on Shapeshifting Leadership and Navigating System Shifts
Guest: Louise Le Gat
“Stop trying to win at the old game—because the game has changed.”
In this episode, Louise Le Gat—expert in purpose-led leadership—joins Mike Jones to explore what leadership really demands in times of upheaval. They discuss system shifts, inner software upgrades, and why we must create new value, not just manage old systems. A powerful conversation for leaders ready to shape the future.
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Ep. 17 Futures, Fit, and Fragility: Norman Chorn on Strategy, Scenarios, and Organising for Uncertainty
Efficiency can make you fragile. Coherence makes you viable.
In this episode, Norman Chorn—strategist, educator, and scenario thinker—joins Mike Jones to explore why traditional alignment fails in uncertainty, and how strategic coherence can help organisations adapt and thrive. From low-regret bets to common capabilities, they unpack how leaders can design for resilience, not prediction.
Ep. 09 Futures, AI, and the Illusion of Certainty: Rethinking Strategy with Matt Mullan
AI won’t give you certainty—but it can sharpen your imagination.
In this episode, Matt Mullan joins Mike Jones to explore how leaders can use AI and futures thinking not to predict the future, but to expand strategic options, build agency, and challenge outdated decision-making rooted in the past. From human-machine teaming to scenario planning, this is a call for leaders to rethink how they make sense—and take action—in uncertainty.
Ep. 04 From Futures to Action: Collective Sensemaking with Eva Tomas
Eva Tomas explores why strategy in complexity requires more than prediction—it demands presence, participation, and collective sensemaking. She introduces her Banyan model and explains how leaders can expand choices by thinking in futures, not certainties.
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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