the strategic core: Then Now Next

…………. How to Lead a Quest: Dr. Jason Fox …………..

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“It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn’t matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over.”

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Paulo Coelho

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“No great strategy has ever been proven analytically in advance. Strategy is first and foremost a creative exercise.”

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Roger Martin

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This is about strategic thinking & communications strategy people. I decided to write this because in interacting with dozens of strategy people I find 3 things:

• Common vocabulary. Some of the words may be different but there are some basic lock down words. Conversely. There are also some words which draw a common visceral negative response <brand purpose being one example>.
• Common process. Principles are principals. Basics are basics. Some of the blocks, circles & triangles may be configured in slightly different ways but the logic flow is the logic flow.
• Common vocabulary. Everyone brings it to Life in their own way.

To me, the strategy commonalities are driven by the fact at the core of any strategy is “then, now, next.” Because of that the core principles of strategic thinking are common and revolve around similar tricks of the trade. That said. Each thinker will have a slightly different emphasis and a slightly different style attached to that emphasis.

Stylistically my sense is it revolves around what someone calls “Next-wise”, in my words, the “what’s next” view. This is usually grounded in trends & the emotional attitudinal aspects which create traction between thinking & behavior (this is often the more intangible ‘magic’ portion). I call it magic because inherent in some strategy is, well, some guessing. No matter how much we rummage around data, learning from the past & people’s minds, sifting thru biases and trends, anything associated with ‘next’ has a little bit of guessing to it. Your guess just gains some likelihood of probability based on how much “certain” type crap you can attach to it.

Given everyone kind of takes the same approach I think the real distinction gap centers around ‘trend rummaging’ because thinking has to tap into the sustained currents of thinking, feeling, and behavior in order to have any relevance. Distinction matters because how you do it and what matters to you, and your thinking, matters because those currents can run fast.

But ‘Trend Spotting’, or at least trend recognition, is integral to any strategy planner. And strategist effectiveness, or ‘expertise & creativity’ is then determined, at least in part, by their trendspotting talent. At its core, effective trend spotting is the ability to spot a pattern between then, now & next. An ability to view what was & what may emerge over time <and what of the things that will emerge will be meaningful & to what extent it will be meaningful>. I would note trend watching expertise really matters because “next” can come in all sizes and shapes and success is not dictated by the sheer size of the ‘Next’ <because niche trend spots can be more valuable that sweeping trend spots>.

The good strategists don’t seek out what will be ‘cool’, but rather the currents of behavior or maybe the evolutions of people, and business, and find the intersections of opportunity.

Now. I debate with many people that these currents don’t run any faster Now than they did Then. That said. I do believe the currents can be a little more fluid & free in its flow and that there are more possible traction points than what have been available in the past.

If you agree with that, then the biggest issue strategists face is balancing fluidity & consistency. Finding the steady place to position itself in what appears to be a chaotic, unsteady, uncertain universe.

I say this because the common words & common process almost insures all the strategy people focus in on a relatively uncertain foundation which all affects attitudes. Uncertain foundation? This varies by age, but the younger tend to seek out some certainty while older bemoan lost certainty. Grant, in The New Marketing Manifesto, highlighted “loss of traditions” as a way of describing this but I would suggest all ages face basic foundational Life elements which are, or no longer feel, as concrete as they may have felt “then.”

Despite all the commonness between some smart strategic thinkers It seems like all the important question answers are yes, no & maybe. That creates challenges because, unfortunately, we are a world of ‘context matters’ where the people in that world inherently seek some certainty not just in answers, but in some aspects of “self” <hence the lucrative life coaching & self-help industries>.

Suffice it to say people are in a crisis of certainty, therefore, a significant part of today’s strategist job is to showcase what is uncomfortably different and make people feel some comfort in What’s Next & what to do Next. I call this skill ‘owning the contradiction’ which is a variation of optimal newness.

Its aligning our ideas & thinking with people, the social fabric/context & the implications for the business itself. Please note. This isn’t directly about a ‘brand’, but rather what makes up a brand. I say that with purpose, not OF purpose. Brands have blurred into life so much so a strategist almost has to ignore the trappings of a brand and focus on the meaningful people attitudes & behaviors, trends weaving their way thru the social fabric, & business aspirations <you do have to sell something in order to sustain a business>. At their best a communications strategist aligns contradictions; the unlikely combinations shaped by the unlikely, the improbable, and the uncertain Next.

Anyway.

In the end.

I love talking about strategy with other strategy people. We sit around talking about then, now & next and this & that. There is a commonality, yet uncommonality, within the conversation. All that said. You learn to not measure your ability by looking at others.

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“Be careful not to measure your holiness by other people’s sins.”

Martin Luther

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Smart people are a dime a dozen in the strategy field. You can certainly tell who has “game” and who doesn’t but comparing smarts is a rabbit hole. Instead its just fun to scan the style differences – how each personally decides to bring things to Life. – and that is where strategists separate.

Because while there may be a certainty crisis the best strategists do the same shit, say the same words, and, yet, showcase certainty in different ways and, yet, always seem to thrive in the uncertainty of “what’s next.”