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In a world that won’t sit still, leaders can’t rely on outdated models built for stability and control.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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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.
All Episodes
Ep. 35 Rethink Risk with Denis Fischbacher Smith: Vulnerabilities, Threats and the Reality of Organisational Failure
Risk is not a number on a matrix. It is an understanding of threats, vulnerabilities and the controls that may or may not work when they are needed most.
In this episode, Professor Denis Fischbacher Smith joins Mike Jones to explore the realities of organisational failure. They discuss why humans will never be fully rational, why decision making depends on perspective, and why most organisations misuse the idea of risk. From degraded controls to bureaucracy, informal networks and the truths hidden in rule violations, this is a deep conversation on navigating uncertainty and building resilience.
Ep. 06 Why Management Isn’t a Dirty Word: Adam Thompson on Sequencing, Overload, and Real Execution
Management isn’t obsolete—it’s essential. In this episode, Adam Thompson joins Mike Jones to explore why real execution depends on sequencing work, reducing overload, and enabling adult conversations. A candid, practical conversation about bringing clarity, courage, and real leadership to complex environments.
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