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In a world that won’t sit still, leaders can’t rely on outdated models built for stability and control.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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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.
All Episodes
Ep. 29 Against the Grain: Saul Betmead de Chasteigner on Strategy, Structure, and the Psychology of Change
Strategy doesn’t break because of failure—it breaks because success hides the cracks.
In this episode, Saul Betmead de Chasteigner—organisational psychologist and strategic advisor—joins Mike Jones to explore why many transformations fail to deliver lasting change. They dive into the dangers of performance theatre, how feedback is ignored when things seem to be working, and why autonomy without structure is just chaos.
This is a thoughtful, practical conversation for leaders rethinking what it really takes to change how organisations work—not just what they do.
Ep. 28 Beehives and Viability: Mick Brian on Strategy, Feedback, and Emergent Learning
Strategy is not a plan—it’s how you learn fast enough to stay viable.
In this episode, Mick Brian—consultant, former soldier, and strategic thinker—joins Mike Jones to explore how feedback, autonomy, and learning culture shape real organisational resilience. They discuss what bees reveal about decentralised coordination, why after-action reviews matter, and how technology can support—or hinder—emergence.
This is a sharp, practical conversation for leaders who want to build organisations that can adapt and endure.
Ep. 27 Beyond OKRs: Radhika Dutt on the Performance Trap and the Puzzle Mindset
OKRs and KPIs aren’t helping—they’re making organisations more fragile.
In this episode, Radhika Dutt joins Mike Jones to explore how performance metrics often become theatre, and why strategy needs a new logic. They unpack the puzzle mindset, the role of scaffolding, and how real leadership enables experimentation and learning—not just control. This is a bold conversation for anyone ready to move beyond metric chasing and build something resilient.
Ep. 26 The Illusion of Progress: Paul Sweeney on Magnetic Nonsense, Corporate Culture, and Critical Thinking
What if the problem isn’t resistance to change—but the nonsense surrounding it?
In this episode, Paul Sweeney—author of Magnetic Nonsense—joins Mike Jones to dissect the myths, buzzwords, and illusions that stop organisations from actually changing. They explore why hero-leader stories fail, how detachment breeds dysfunction, and what it means to lead with clarity and critical thinking.
This is a sharp conversation for leaders ready to challenge the status quo and cut through the noise.
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