What Strategy Really Is, and Why It Matters More Than Ever
We Need To Be More Strategic! How Many Times Have You Heard That Phrase Used?
So what is Strategy?
Strategy is the difference between motion and momentum.
Businesses often confuse being busy with being strategic. They set goals, chase growth, and juggle priorities, but too often, they miss the point: strategy isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters most, on purpose, with discipline and foresight.
Defining Strategy – ARETE Perspective
For us, strategy is best described as:
The deliberate shaping of your future to create value, impact and resilience.
It’s about designing the path to a better tomorrow, not just predicting it. That includes responding to change and provoking it when needed.
No matter if you’re navigating acquisitions, entering new markets, embedding sustainability or reinventing outdated models. In every case, good strategy has to be the constant thread, the lens through which decisions are made, risks are assessed and long-term value is created.
Strategy as a Craft, Not a Document
One of the highly respected voices on this topic is Dr. Max McKeown, whose book The Strategy Book offers a powerful insight: strategy isn’t a plan, it’s a mindset.
He draws a distinction between strategic thinking and strategic planning, a distinction that mirrors our approach. Strategy isn’t confined to a workshop or a spreadsheet. It lives in how leaders ask questions, set direction, and empower their teams to adapt.
He covers vital areas such as Creating Your Strategy, Winning With Strategy, Making Your Strategy Work, all really useful considerations for bringing strategy to life.
Where we see organisations struggle is not in writing these things down, but in making them real. That’s where we come in: helping translate intent into implementation.
Why Strategy Fails and How to Fix It
Most strategies fail for one of three reasons:
They are built on assumption, not insight.
They are too rigid to adapt when reality changes.
They lack ownership - no one lives them.
What’s needed is a strategy that is both directional and dynamic. One that connects your ambition to your advantage commercially, operationally and culturally.
At ARETE Advisory, we guide clients to build strategy that is:
Coherent – aligned across teams and timeframes
Commercial – delivering measurable value and results
Courageous – bold enough to shape the future, not just react to it
Strategic Questions That Matter
Good strategy starts with better questions. Some we often ask clients include:
What future are you trying to own?
What are you prepared to stop doing?
Where are you uniquely placed to win and why?
What’s the one bet you’re willing to make?
These aren’t academic questions. They’re leadership questions. Because strategy, ultimately is a leadership discipline.
Conclusion: Strategy as a Lever for Influence and Growth
When done right, strategy aligns people, accelerates progress and builds resilience. It allows a business to scale with confidence and to adapt with purpose. It’s not just about where you want to go, it’s about being ready to get there.
We don’t just help leaders write strategy. We help them live it, lead it and deliver it.
Because in today’s world, the best strategy isn’t the cleverest, it’s the one that works.