Strategy Meets Reality Podcast

Strategy Meets Reality Podcast
Podcast Description
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strategy is broken.The world is complex, unpredictable, and constantly shifting—yet most strategy still relies on outdated assumptions of control, certainty, and linear plans.Strategy Meets Reality is a podcast for leaders who know that theory alone doesn’t cut it.Hosted by Mike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.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast delves into various aspects of strategic thinking and execution, emphasizing complexity and adaptability. Episodes feature topics like the influence of power dynamics in strategy, the importance of mental models in decision-making, and how to construct deliberately adaptive organizations. For instance, episodes cover frameworks such as the OODA loop with insights from military strategist Chet Richards and methods for navigating organizational change with Mike Burrows.

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The world is complex, unpredictable, and constantly shifting—yet most strategy still relies on outdated assumptions of control, certainty, and linear plans.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.
Are your goals helping you adapt—or just perform?
In this episode of Strategy Meets Reality, Radhika Dutt joins Mike Jones to expose the hidden trap of OKRs and KPI-led management. Drawing on her latest work and the OHL Toolkit, Radhika introduces a radical shift: move from setting performance targets to setting puzzles.
They explore how metrics create fragility, why freedom of action matters, and how to scaffold real learning without losing direction. From military concepts to corporate leadership, this is a sharp critique of goal setting gone wrong—and a practical alternative for those ready to rethink success.
📥 Download the OHL Toolkit
🌐 Visit Radhika’s Website
🔗 Connect with Radhika on LinkedIn
🔍 In this episode:
- Why OKRs often create performance theatre
- Puzzle setting vs puzzle solving
- How scaffolding enables experimentation
- Freedom of action without losing control
- Rethinking what good leadership looks like
- The danger of mistaking metrics for outcomes
🎧 Keywords: OKRs, KPIs, leadership, complexity, adaptability, performance theatre, puzzle mindset, experimentation, scaffolding, radical product thinking, Radhika Dutt
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🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast
📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout
💬 Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/

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