WHERE LEADERS RETHINK HOW STRATEGY WORKS IN THE REAL WORLD

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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In a world that won’t sit still, leaders can’t rely on outdated models built for stability and control.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. 29 Against the Grain: Saul Betmead de Chasteigner on Strategy, Structure, and the Psychology of Change

Guest: Saul Betmead de Chasteigner

Strategy is often where complacency hides best.

In this episode, Saul Betmead de Chasteigner—organisational psychologist and transformation advisor—joins Mike Jones to explore how even successful organisations create the very conditions that undermine their long-term viability.

They unpack how strategic clarity gets lost in performance theatre, why autonomy and structure are not opposites but interdependent, and what it takes to repersonalise strategy and make transformation real. This is a sharp and reflective conversation for those navigating real-world change.

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Ep 23. Strategy Is What We Do, Not What We Have: Donald MacLean on Emergence, Emotion, and Execution

Real strategy isn’t written. It’s spoken.

In this episode, Mike Jones is joined by Professor Donald MacLean—physicist turned strategist and co-founder of Strategy Story—to explore why strategy is something we do, not something we have. They unpack the failure of governance to enable adaptability, the emotional foundation of commitment, and the role of conversation in making strategy work. This is a rich, grounded conversation on bringing humanity back into strategic execution.

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Meet your Host:

Mike Jones

Podcast graphic featuring the title "Strategy Meets Reality," a subtitle about leadership perspective on strategy, a photo of host Mike Jones, with additional design elements like a microphone icon, green accents, and a background with connecting lines

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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