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Do We Have a Real Strategy?

Do We Have a Real Strategy? - Assessment Tool

Do We Have a Real Strategy?

Distinguish between real strategy and wishful thinking

Purpose: This assessment evaluates whether your "strategy" is truly strategic (making hard choices about how to win) or merely operational planning, vision statements, or aspirational goals.

Assessment Progress 0 / 10 Complete

0% Complete

1. Clear Winning Aspiration

Do you have a specific and shared definition of what winning means for your organization?

Level 1: Vague Aspirations

Generic goals like "be the best" without specific definition

Level 2: Financial Targets

Revenue goals without clarity on how to achieve them

Level 3: Market Position

Clear goals but inconsistent leadership understanding

Level 4: Specific Victory

Clear definition most leaders can articulate

Level 5: Compelling North Star

Inspiring definition that drives all strategic decisions

2. Defined Playing Field

Have you made deliberate choices about what markets you will serve, and which you will NOT?

Level 1: Everyone is Our Customer

No clear boundaries - trying to serve all markets

Level 2: Broad Categories

Vague definitions like "enterprises" without specifics

Level 3: Some Focus

Defined targets but still pursuing "opportunistic" business

Level 4: Clear Boundaries

Specific markets chosen with most opportunities rejected

Level 5: Laser Focus

Precisely defined with discipline to reject everything outside

3. How You Win

Can you explain your specific competitive advantage and why competitors can't easily copy it?

Level 1: No Clear Advantage

"We're better" without specifics on HOW

Level 2: Operational Excellence

Doing the same things as competitors, just better

Level 3: Some Differentiation

Clear advantages but easily copied by competitors

Level 4: Protected Position

Clear advantage with some barriers to imitation

Level 5: Sustainable Moat

Unique value proposition with multiple barriers to copying

4. Strategic Trade-offs

What attractive opportunities have you deliberately rejected to maintain strategic focus?

Level 1: No Trade-offs

Trying to be all things to all people - haven't said no to anything significant

Level 2: Forced Constraints

Only saying no when resources force it, not as strategic choice

Level 3: Some Choices

Made some trade-offs but still hedging bets in multiple directions

Level 4: Clear Sacrifices

Deliberately rejected profitable opportunities to maintain focus

Level 5: Disciplined Focus

Consistently reject tempting opportunities that don't fit strategy

5. Distinctive Capabilities

Do your strategic choices depend on a clear understanding of what you uniquely do better than others?

Level 1: No Clear Strengths

Strategy not based on any distinctive capabilities or advantages

Level 2: Generic Strengths

Claims of "great people" or "customer focus" that any competitor could claim

Level 3: Some Uniqueness

Identified capabilities but not clearly distinctive or hard to replicate

Level 4: Clear Advantages

Strategy leverages 2-3 truly distinctive organizational capabilities

Level 5: Unique Assets

Strategy built entirely around rare capabilities others can't match

6. Reinforcing Activities

Do your decisions about offerings, customers, operations, and organizational structure all reinforce each other?

Level 1: Contradictory

Different parts of the organization work at cross-purposes

Level 2: Independent

Activities operate in silos without reinforcing each other

Level 3: Some Alignment

Major activities aligned but gaps in supporting systems

Level 4: Well Integrated

Most organizational activities reinforce the strategic position

Level 5: Activity System

Tightly integrated system where all activities amplify each other

7. Resource Allocation

Have you allocated resources (budget, talent, time) in a way that clearly reflects your strategic priorities rather than spreading them evenly?

Level 1: Peanut Butter

Resources spread evenly across all initiatives and departments

Level 2: Historical Basis

Resources allocated based on last year plus inflation

Level 3: Some Priorities

Modest resource shifts toward strategic priorities

Level 4: Strategic Weighting

Clear overweighting of resources to strategic priorities

Level 5: Bold Bets

Dramatic resource concentration on chosen strategic battlegrounds

8. Leadership Alignment

Can your executive team clearly and consistently describe the strategy and explain WHY it was chosen?

Level 1: Confusion

Leaders give different answers about what the strategy is

Level 2: Memorized Words

Can recite strategy statement but can't explain the logic

Level 3: Surface Understanding

Most leaders understand what but struggle with why

Level 4: Solid Grasp

Leaders can explain both strategy and rationale consistently

Level 5: Deep Conviction

Leaders passionately articulate strategy and can debate its merits

9. Strategy-Driven Decisions

Do major decisions (investments, acquisitions, hires, partnerships) consistently align with your stated strategic choices?

Level 1: Disconnected

Decisions made without reference to strategy

Level 2: Rationalized

Decisions justified after the fact as "strategic"

Level 3: Mixed Record

Some decisions align with strategy, others don't

Level 4: Usually Aligned

Most major decisions clearly support strategic direction

Level 5: Strategic Filter

Every major decision evaluated through strategic lens first

10. Market Reality Test

Is your strategy based on validated customer needs and competitive facts, not just internal aspirations or wishful thinking?

Level 1: Inside-Out

Strategy based on what we want, not market reality

Level 2: Assumptions

Based on untested beliefs about customers and competition

Level 3: Some Validation

Mix of validated insights and hopeful assumptions

Level 4: Evidence-Based

Grounded in solid customer and competitive intelligence

Level 5: Market Truth

Ruthlessly honest about market realities with continuous validation

Your Strategy Reality Check

Do we have a real strategy or just wishful thinking?

Overall Strategy Score

0.0 /5.0

Detailed Analysis

Strategy Definition (Q1-3)

0.0

Winning aspiration, where to play, how to win

Strategic Choices (Q4-6)

0.0

Trade-offs, capabilities, reinforcing activities

Strategic Execution (Q7-9)

0.0

Resources, alignment, decision-making

Reality Check (Q10)

0.0

Market validation vs wishful thinking

What Your Score Means

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