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In a world that won’t sit still, leaders can’t rely on outdated models built for stability and control.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. 33 Freedom Within Constraints: Julian Chender on Strategy, Capabilities and Navigating Organisational Reality
Host: Julian Chender
“Strategy is about convergence. Not consensus.”
In this episode, Julian Chender—organisational design expert, strategy advisor, and founder of 11A Collaborative—joins Mike Jones to explore how structure, capabilities, and leadership shape real strategy execution. They discuss how generalists strengthen adaptability, why trust and feedback loops are essential, and how to build clarity and convergence in organisations facing complexity.
This is a clear, grounded conversation on making strategy work—not just in theory, but in practice.
All Episodes
Ep. 15 Diagnosing the Real Problem: Michael Negendahl on Risk, Control, and Leading in Complexity
Control is comforting, but often a trap. In this episode, Michael Negendahl joins Mike Jones to explore why so much strategy and safety work is performative, how leaders confuse the perception of control with real progress, and why diagnosing problems comes before declaring solutions. From risk management to distributed intelligence, this is a candid look at leading in complexity.
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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