The Biggest Mistake in Strategy (And How to Fix It)

Most organizations make the same fatal mistake when it comes to strategy:

?? They confuse goals with strategy.

I see it all the time—businesses announce big ambitions like:

? “We want to grow 20% this year.”

? “We will be the best in customer satisfaction.”

? “We are going to disrupt the industry.”

Sounds great, right? Wrong.

These are just goals—they don’t tell you how you’re going to achieve them. And when companies mistake a goal for a strategy, they set themselves up for slow progress, confusion, and frustration.

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Don't Miss out! The Strategy Accelerator Program closes in 4 days

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I once worked with a Fortune 500 company that spent $3 million on an external consulting firm to create their strategy. The result?

? A 95-slide PowerPoint deck

? A beautifully designed vision statement

? A fancy rollout meeting

Sounds impressive.

But what happened next?

Nothing!

Nobody in the organization had actually internalized the strategy.

The executives could talk about it, but the teams on the ground didn’t know what to do with it. It was just words in a presentation—not something people could act on.

And that’s the problem.

Strategy should be a living, breathing system—something that continuously evolves and guides real decision-making.

The best companies don’t just plan strategy—they enact it.

So, How Do You Fix This?

Instead of saying:

?? “We want to grow by 20%.”

Try:

? “We will leverage our proprietary data to improve customer retention in our existing markets and expand into X and Y markets over the next 6 months.”

Instead of saying:

?? “We will be the best in customer satisfaction.”

Try:

? “We are restructuring our service model to create a VIP experience for our program accounts.”

The difference? Clear, specific actions that create real power.

And that’s exactly what we cover in the Strategy Accelerator—how to move from vague goals to precise, actionable strategy that drives results.

Good Strategy Makes You Lucky—If You Know How to Hack It

The best businesses don’t hope for success—they create systems that make success inevitable. That’s what real strategy acceleration looks like.

And if you want to learn how to design, facilitate, and execute strategies that actually work, I’d love for you to join the Strategy Accelerator.

Enrollment closes in just a few days—let’s build something great together.

To your success,

Alex Nesbitt

Founder, Strategy Academy

PS—How to Work with the Strategy Academy

If you’re ready to go deeper into strategy, here are a few ways we can work together:

?? Join the Strategy Accelerator – Enrollment is open for a few more days! Enroll now or you will miss it.

?? Book a strategy session – Want a 1:1 deep dive on your company’s strategy? Let’s talk.

?? Follow me on LinkedIn – I share daily insights on strategy, decision-making, and leadership.

Let’s make luck work for you—not against you. ??