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In a world that won’t sit still, leaders can’t rely on outdated models built for stability and control.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. 31 Reclaiming Strategy: Mike Jones on Perception, Structure, and the Return to Coherence
Host: Mike Jones
“Strategy doesn’t fail in the field—it fails in the boardroom.”
In this reflective solo episode, Mike Jones unpacks what 30 episodes of Strategy Meets Reality have revealed about the real challenges of strategy today. He explores why perception matters more than planning, how structural inertia undermines execution, and why we must stop treating strategy as performance.
From the OODA Loop to Viable System Models, this is a powerful call to rethink how organisations move, adapt, and survive.
All Episodes
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. 02 Orientation is Everything: Inside Boyd's Thinking with Chet Richards
Chet Richards breaks down Boyd’s thinking, why orientation beats speed, and how decentralised leadership creates real adaptability.
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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