The one on strategic tempo
Different from speed
Friends,
I hope that all is well with you and yours, and that this e-mail finds you on a boat with shoddy connection, in the tropics, three months after I sent it.
Now accepting speeches and assignments for 2026
THE 2026 KEYNOTE DECKS
When the ground moves. How to survive and thrive in a world of dynamic uncertainty. (Based on a new book by the same name.)
What to do when you don’t know what to do. How to create a competitive advantage from change. (Based on the new book by the same name.)
From last to first. How to create peak performance in the world’s most competitive settings. (On adaptive strategy in Formula 1.)
The volcano that birthed Frankenstein. How contexts enable innovation — and how to take make the most of it. (A narrative-based talk on global interconnectedness and enabling constraints.)
THE 2026 SERVICE OFFERING
Domains:
Strategic management. Formulation, audits, ABCDE framework.
Uncertainty management. Dynamic uncertainty, executive decision-making.
Board effectiveness. Stewardship, oversight, leadership.
Marketing management. Strategy, performance diagnostics.
Formats: advisory retainers, fractional leadership (CSO/CMO), workshops, offsites, onsite lectures, online seminars.
For any and all project inquiries, including presentations, merely send me an email by clicking this text.
The TL;DR
Most firms do not fail because they are too slow; they fail because they are moving at the wrong tempo relative to the pace and type of change around them.
In strategy, rushing can be just as dangerous as dragging; it may create churn, false urgency, exposure, and costly catch-up.
The real issue is not speed in the abstract, but knowing what should be reviewed slowly, quickly, on a calendar, or when triggered by meaningful change.
Tempo becomes decisive when latency enters the picture: the longer the gap between change, understanding, decision, and action, the greater the strategic risk.
Strategists may design a response system that stays adaptive without becoming erratic.
Personal updates before we go-go
Making excellent progress on the finalization of the book — which obviously meant that both kids immediately got colds. Who said writing a book was easy?
And yes, this is why this newsletter is arriving slightly late. I can only apologize.
Got a couple of interesting things lined up; beyond the keynotes, corporate presentations, and whatnot, I will soon be recording a podcast for WARC on complex systems. There will also be a webinar on the same topic for subscribers to this newsletter (premium subscribers will be prioritized, but everyone is welcome), and I am toying with the idea of doing a strategy masterclass. No idea what kind of interest there would be in the latter, though.
Absolutely glorious to see the F1 season kick off, even though things did not really go according to plan for the household favorite, Oscar Piastri. I am not yet sold on the new cars, but man alive is it nice to be racing once again.
At this point, Mercedes are clearly heads, shoulders, and most of the torso above most everyone else, but Ferrari are looking much better and should steal a win or three. McLaren are sitting about where I had thought they would be early doors; Red Bull are struggling significantly more.
It is very cool to see Oliver Bearman continuing to build on what was a very promising second half of his rookie season. I have never been particularly fond of Haas as a team (mainly due to their owner), but Bearman has a combination of immense talent and refreshing humility that is rare to see in an F1 driver.
The wife and I have continued to make our way through Andor, season 2. I have to admit those who told us to stay with the show were right. Boy, oh boy, has it ever picked up.
I think part of the reason why Andor works so well is that it is the first (and only, at least outside of the original Knights of the Old Republic games) piece of Star Wars content that is grown-up. One of the things that Disney/LucasArts have struggled to realize is that many of the fans that came into the franchise as children or teenagers are now adults; even though they still love the universe, their tastes will be more mature. Enter Andor.
On the weekly food and beverage note, we are quickly running out of Gochujang, a spicy but very tasty Korean chili paste. Absolutely great in a wok, for instance, though it does come at a cost of sorts.
Moving on to markets.