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In a world that won’t sit still, leaders can’t rely on outdated models built for stability and control.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. 30 The Thinking Brain: Dr. Delia McCabe on Neuroplasticity, Nutrition, and the Neuroscience of Leadership
Leadership begins in the brain.
Dr. Delia McCabe—neuroscientist and author—joins Mike Jones to explore how brain function, nutrition, and stress shape our ability to lead, decide, and adapt. They unpack why creativity collapses under pressure, how uncertainty challenges cognition, and how neuroplasticity can be trained like a muscle.
From cognitive resilience and emotion’s role in influence to the neuroscience behind the “feeling of knowing,” this episode offers practical, science-backed insights for leaders ready to think better—because real strategy starts in the mind.
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can use AI and futures thinking not to predict the future, but to expand strategic options, build agency, and challenge outdated decision-making rooted in the past.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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