Episode 89: The Digital Strategist As Visionary
‘If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea’. Writer, poet and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s beautifully articulated perspective on motivating people gives us insight into the role of the visionary. But what does it mean to be one, why is it important to … Continue reading Episode 89: The Digital Strategist As Visionary
Episode 88: The Long And Winding Road – The Post-Launch Role Of The Strategist
Strategy is not about immediate impact, but rather about long term achievement of ambitious objectives. It doesn’t constantly change; if it did then it wouldn’t be strategy. So once the strategy is set, and the implementation begins, is there a role for the strategist? I believe the strategist is critical for the successful execution of a strategy once it launches because they fulfill 3 key … Continue reading Episode 88: The Long And Winding Road – The Post-Launch Role Of The Strategist
Episode 87: Challenge Everything – Applying Socratic Method To Digital Strategy
“I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think”. This quote from Socrates, articulated over 2,000 years ago, sits at the heart of the teaching method he created, the Socratic Method. This debate driven approach to challenging ideas and finding common ground is as valid today in the context of the work of the strategist as it was in the classical age. Nothing … Continue reading Episode 87: Challenge Everything – Applying Socratic Method To Digital Strategy
Episode 86: Team Of Rivals: The Strategic Lessons of Lincoln
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe”. Abraham Lincoln served as the 16th President of the United States until his assassination in 1865. During his time as President, he led the nation through one of the most traumatic experiences in its history, the Civil War. A deeply astute politician, Lincoln was a frontiersman … Continue reading Episode 86: Team Of Rivals: The Strategic Lessons of Lincoln
Episode 85: I, Robot – Strategy In The Age Of Automation
Artificial intelligence. Machine learning. Cognitive computing. The robots are coming, and they are going to have a profound impact on our industry. But don’t despair. Don’t give up. Don’t rage against the machine. Prepare yourself for their arrival, because the age of automation needs the strategist more than ever. What was last year’s big data is this year’s machine learning. I can’t sit through a … Continue reading Episode 85: I, Robot – Strategy In The Age Of Automation
Episode 84: Beyond Understanding – The Importance Of Empathy In Strategy
Bill Clinton once famously said ‘I feel your pain’. Not ‘I understand‘ or ‘I see‘, but ‘I feel‘. Empathy. It’s the difference between being an observer and an active participant. And in our data first world, it is often overlooked. But without empathy, we can’t execute on our vision. Without empathy we can’t lead. Without empathy our campaigns won’t work. Without empathy, we can’t be … Continue reading Episode 84: Beyond Understanding – The Importance Of Empathy In Strategy
Episode 83: The Mystic – Applying The Teachings Of Rumi To The Role Of The Strategist
‘If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?’ Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi was a 13th Century poet, scholar and Sufi mystic whose writings continue to inspire across cultures and languages, making him the best selling poet in the United States. Rumi’s teachings are guided by the concept of Tawhid, or the union with the Beloved, and that the path for achieving … Continue reading Episode 83: The Mystic – Applying The Teachings Of Rumi To The Role Of The Strategist
Episode 82: The Blue Ocean – Creating Uncontested Market Space In Digital Strategy
In 1997, Apple unveiled its ‘Think Different’ campaign, marking its re-emergence as a powerhouse in the industry. The idea of being different is not only compelling, it’s important. In a crowded marketplace, you can do what everyone else is doing, or you can apply the concepts of the Blue Ocean Strategy and create your own market. These concepts matter today in the practice of digital … Continue reading Episode 82: The Blue Ocean – Creating Uncontested Market Space In Digital Strategy
Episode 81: The Veil Of Ignorance – How To Build A Strategy With Too Little Information
How do you figure out a path if you don’t know the destination? What about if you have no idea about the resources at your disposal to get there? This is not a fanciful or hypothetical question, but a challenge that we are faced with often as strategists. When you have too little information, it can be tempting to walk away from the situation. Rather than … Continue reading Episode 81: The Veil Of Ignorance – How To Build A Strategy With Too Little Information
Episode 80: The 4 Principles To Thrive In Change
Anxiety. Despair. Paralysis. Rapid and dramatic change can be dizzying and debilitating. But it need not be. If we prepare ourselves appropriately, and approached pragmatically, change can be empowering and transformative. Here’s how to thrive in a changing environment. Change is inexorable. Just when we think we have a handle on things and begin to coast, it sneaks up on you and overturns the table. … Continue reading Episode 80: The 4 Principles To Thrive In Change
Octopus Digital Strategy 