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Strategy Meets Reality Podcast
Traditional strategy is broken.
The world is complex, unpredictable, and constantly shifting—yet most strategy still relies on outdated assumptions of control, certainty, and linear plans.
Strategy Meets Reality is a podcast for leaders who know that theory alone doesn’t cut it.
Hosted by Mike Jones, organisational psychologist and systems thinker, this show features honest, unfiltered conversations with leaders, strategists, and practitioners who’ve had to live with the consequences of strategy.
We go beyond frameworks to explore what it really takes to make strategy work in the real world—where trade-offs are messy, power dynamics matter, and complexity won’t go away.
No jargon. No fluff. Just real insight into how strategy and execution actually happen.
🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe and rethink your strategy.
Episodes
Antifragile by Design: Janka Krings-Klebe on Governance, Autonomy, and Building Ecosystem Organisations

When Strategy Meets Security: Glenn Wilson on Technical Debt, Developer Voice, and Defensive Thinking

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

Wayfinding in Complexity: Elsa Henderson on Strategy, Capacity, and Practical Wisdom

Value as the Compass: Hunter Hastings on Systems Thinking, Autonomy, and Organising for Impact

Planning to Adapt: Johan Ivari on Strategy, Narrative, and the Set-Based Approach

Brave Builders of the Future: Louise Le Gat on Shapeshifting Leadership and Navigating System Shifts

Critical Thinking as a Strategic Weapon: Marcus Dimbleby on Red Teaming, Engagement, and Execution

Futures, Fit, and Fragility: Norman Chorn on Strategy, Scenarios, and Organising for Uncertainty

Reconceptualising Strategy: Ben Zweibelson on Strategy, Complexity, and Multi-Paradigm Thinking

Diagnosing the Real Problem: Michael Negendahl on Risk, Control, and Leading in Complexity

Rethinking Innovation: Paul Frobisher on Strategy, Thinking better, and Organising for Uncertainty

Orientation is Everything: Mark McGrath on Boyd’s OODA, Disruption, and Strategic Adaptation

Designing Strategy: Leanne Sobel on Fusing Design Thinking with Strategic Practice

No Silver Bullet: Reconnecting Strategy, Change, and Leadership with Steve Hearsum

Open Strategy in Practice with Julia Hautz: Turning Participation into Strategic Advantage

Futures, AI, and the Illusion of Certainty: Rethinking Strategy with Matt Mullan

Ben Ford on Why Military Thinking Still Matters: Command, Control, and Competing in Chaos

Reimagining Risk with Stefan Gershater: How to Make Risk an Enabler, Not a Hindrance

Why Management Isn’t a Dirty Word: Adam Thompson on Sequencing, Overload, and Real Execution

Mission Command in Reality: Don Vandergriff on Building Thinking Leaders

From Futures to Action: Collective Sensemaking with Eva Tomas

Strategy as Pattern: Navigating Power, Fit, and Time
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Orientation is Everything: Inside Boyd's Thinking with Chet Richards
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Beyond Structures: Building Deliberately Adaptive Organisations with Mike Burrows
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