"If you change your approach to meet them, someone else will come along that pushes things even further.
"To be clear, I’m not criticizing the people who push the envelope in growth! Business is hard, and it’s not surprising people will do whatever it takes to compete. But you have a choice about how far you push things, and that choice determines a lot about your growth strategy."
Amen to the challenges of growth. And, let's tease out growth actions from growth strategy.
Pragmatism vs Idealism. Never an absolute, what we end up doing is a continuum. Over time however, strategy reveals its component parts: Plan & Character. We think our actions are practical reactions to the vagaries of the marketplace. We are tempted to take liberties to fulfill our Strategy. But is that what we are doing in the moment, or are we practicing moral relativism?
We get in trouble when, under stress, we simplify Strategy to mean a continuous series of wins. That's not Strategy, that's just winning at all costs. Strategy is about taking what "is" to someplace that it isn't yet. Strategy is about sticking to a path, of wins and losses. Literally, strategic thinking means long term effectiveness, not short term convenience, efficiency, or profitability. Does the howling hound of cash flow distract us? Of course. But don't confuse a quick, much needed win with Growth Strategy.
The more you rely upon your Existential goal to explain/rationalize a foray in to the gray, the more you should be reevaluating your Strategy. The easiest and quickest way to get a loaf of bread is to steal your neighbor's. Is that a Growth Strategy, or simply a malign character? Business is not war. If you have to make it so to rationalize your behavior, you've lost the plot of regulated capitalism, agency, and humanity.
Sean the comic on this was particularly amusing this morning. Thank you for the great laugh and the essay. Kent I especially like the response. So many need "We get in trouble when" paragraph on the wall. Hell just make it in to a comic.
"If you change your approach to meet them, someone else will come along that pushes things even further.
"To be clear, I’m not criticizing the people who push the envelope in growth! Business is hard, and it’s not surprising people will do whatever it takes to compete. But you have a choice about how far you push things, and that choice determines a lot about your growth strategy."
Amen to the challenges of growth. And, let's tease out growth actions from growth strategy.
Pragmatism vs Idealism. Never an absolute, what we end up doing is a continuum. Over time however, strategy reveals its component parts: Plan & Character. We think our actions are practical reactions to the vagaries of the marketplace. We are tempted to take liberties to fulfill our Strategy. But is that what we are doing in the moment, or are we practicing moral relativism?
We get in trouble when, under stress, we simplify Strategy to mean a continuous series of wins. That's not Strategy, that's just winning at all costs. Strategy is about taking what "is" to someplace that it isn't yet. Strategy is about sticking to a path, of wins and losses. Literally, strategic thinking means long term effectiveness, not short term convenience, efficiency, or profitability. Does the howling hound of cash flow distract us? Of course. But don't confuse a quick, much needed win with Growth Strategy.
The more you rely upon your Existential goal to explain/rationalize a foray in to the gray, the more you should be reevaluating your Strategy. The easiest and quickest way to get a loaf of bread is to steal your neighbor's. Is that a Growth Strategy, or simply a malign character? Business is not war. If you have to make it so to rationalize your behavior, you've lost the plot of regulated capitalism, agency, and humanity.
Well said!
Sean the comic on this was particularly amusing this morning. Thank you for the great laugh and the essay. Kent I especially like the response. So many need "We get in trouble when" paragraph on the wall. Hell just make it in to a comic.
That's a good idea! I'm on it...
We all need those comics. Reminded me of Dilbert.