Strategy fails before it reaches the field—because we’ve turned it into a branding exercise.

In this 31st episode of Strategy Meets Reality, Mike Jones reflects on the journey so far. He explores why strategy fails first in perception, how structural inertia breaks execution, and why we must shift from alignment to coherence. This is a grounded call to return strategy to what it always was: the art of movement, not management.

Strategy is not a plan—it’s how you learn fast enough to stay viable.

In this episode, Mick Brian—consultant, former soldier, and strategic thinker—joins Mike Jones to explore how feedback, autonomy, and learning culture shape real organisational resilience. They discuss what bees reveal about decentralised coordination, why after-action reviews matter, and how technology can support—or hinder—emergence.

This is a sharp, practical conversation for leaders who want to build organisations that can adapt and endure.

You can’t plan your way through uncertainty—but you can orient through it.

In this episode, strategist and former Marine Mark McGrath joins Mike Jones to explore how leaders can use John Boyd’s thinking to stay adaptive in a fast-moving world. They unpack the power of orientation, the illusion of prediction, and how small changes ripple through complex systems. From Wall Street to military lessons, this is a grounded conversation about strategy, learning, and the hidden forces that shape organisational survival.

Chet Richards breaks down Boyd’s thinking, why orientation beats speed, and how decentralised leadership creates real adaptability.