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In a world that won’t sit still, leaders can’t rely on outdated models built for stability and control.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.
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Latest Episode
Ep. 11 No Silver Bullet: Reconnecting Strategy, Change, and Leadership with Steve Hearsum
Guest: Steve Hearsum
"Most of the time in organisations, slide decks are just containers for anxiety. And the prettier they are, the more anxiety they’re holding."
IIn this episode, Steve Hearsum—consultant, coach, and author of No Silver Bullet—joins Mike Jones to expose the hidden dysfunctions behind change fatigue, leadership theatre, and the illusion of control.
They explore how organisations often decouple strategy from change, outsource responsibility to “change agents” without authority, and mistake performance for progress. From pathologising resistance to leadership’s fear of not knowing, this is a candid look at why the work of real transformation is slower, messier—and more human—than most are willing to admit.
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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can use AI and futures thinking not to predict the future, but to expand strategic options, build agency, and challenge outdated decision-making rooted in the past.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.
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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