Most "strategy" is bullsh*t.

Complicated.
Dense.
Timid.

And fundamentally incapable of doing the job it's meant to do: inspiring bold action that creates incredible results.

Great strategy is simple.

It's clear.
It's brave.
It's mischievous.

You can explain it to anyone, and they won't only "get it"; they'll be energised by it.

Follow me if you want to learn how to do strategy this way.

Here's how:

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1. Work with me

Each year, I work with 10 clients, and do a number of speaking engagements.

This is for brands who are ready to cut through complexity, and make waves in their market with confidence and clarity.

I’m with you every step.

If this might be you, drop me a DM or check out www.basicarts.org/work-with-alex/ 

_______

2. Get a new strategy technique every week

...by joining 25,000+ others  in the best strategic thinking community on the internet, The Hidden Path. You'll also get two free tools to sharpen and tidy your thinking. Just go here:

www.basicarts.org/template

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3. Master the basics for the price of a cocktail

...by reading my book, No Bullsh*t Strategy. It'll teach you everything you need to know in one 138 page hit.

Just search for it on Amazon, or wherever you like to buy books.

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4. Subscribe to my YouTube for weekly masterclasses

You'll find it here: youtube.com/alexmhsmith

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5. If you're a small business or strategy pro...

...then you can get my entire approach, ready to roll, in the Strategy Shortcut System. Use it on your own business, use it on your clients - either way it's the fastest and funnest way of getting competitive advantage on the planet.

www.strategyshortcutsystem.com

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Never forget, business should be an adventure.

And strategy?  It’s the map.

Let's set out.

Alex

Alex M H Smith

Are there more important strategy skills than these?

Sure. But that's the boring stuff.

Here, I wanted to create a list of less obvious things. The skills people don't tend to talk about, but which I think are pretty damn useful.

Here's a brief explanation of each.

1. Writing well

Writing is thinking that you can share. And this is pretty much the whole of what strategy is - thinking then sharing it - so honestly, you can't do without this.

2. Feeling comfortable generalising

Strategy is about zoomed-out, big-picture perspectives. And that means painting with a broad brush. Some people don't feel comfortable doing this, and so strategy isn't for them.

3. Being a teensy bit negative

If you're doing strategy, you're trying to improve something. Which must begin with noticing what's wrong with it. You can't be a cheerleader for something, and change its path.

4. An eye for aesthetics

Partially this is about pattern-spotting (a core strategy skill). But it's also about influence. If you want to persuade people, then make it pretty.

5. A sense of humour

Yes, it helps with rapport - but more importantly humour comes from observation and lateral thinking. I don't really see how you can be a good strategist without being kinda funny.

6. Being a PowerPoint master

Oh man do I love PowerPoint (or Keynote in my case). And you've got to. Knowing the art of pleasing rhythmic presentations is huge, since this is how you're probably going to sell your idea.

7. Kindness and warmth

People won't listen to you if they don't like you.

8. Radical simplification

My favourite strategy question to ask is "give me this gist". Being able to simplify to the gist shows understanding, and drives clarity.

9. Curiosity

You need to just be generally interested in random "stuff", and gather it in the library of your mind - since you never know when the most obscure thing might come in handy.

10. An authoritarian streak

Hey, you don't have to like it, but eventually you're going to need to tell people what to do. Many great thinkers have been undone by not having the confidence to do this.

11. A distaste for perfectionism

A great strategy is always a bit of a punt, that might not stand up to minute scrutiny. So sometimes it's best to just trust your gut, and see how it goes.

12. A touch of cynicism

You are trying to work with how the world is - not how you wish it would be. So you need to be a realist about human nature, and the darker side of the world.

13. The ability to touch-type

This means you can write as quick as you can think. Insanely underrated.

14. Understanding branding

Most strategy is not branding - but a bit of it is, and it's the less "rational" part. You can't truly understand market dynamics without it.

15. Storytelling

A strategy, in the end, is a story. And it will work to the extent people are captured by it.

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Got any more? Put em in the comments.

Refine all these skills, for free, here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

No Bullsh*t Strategy | Helping the world’s most iconic brands make smarter, braver decisions | Author | Advisor | Speaker

Hootsuite

Senior Sales Content Strategist

Implementing creative ideas and strategies across outbound and inbound motions. (420% increase in pipeline QoQ)

Content Consultant

Clay

Influencer Content

Unmuted | B2B SaaS Marketing

Advisor + Creator

ClickUp

Content Creator

Ansira

Director of Content

SproutLoud Media Networks

----> Built an owned media property which included original shows that helped educate, entertain, and give insight into our platform
----> Increased every single social metric

----> Increased revenue by 13%
----> Responsible for all lifecycle content

Director of Content (SMB)

HockeyStack (YC S23)

Topia

Marketing Director

Grew revenue by 14% YOY as a solo marketing contributor.

Senior Content Manager

Help secure brands for our new SaaS platform as employee #1. 

Jiffy lube and Serta Simmons Bedding to name a few.

Digital Solutions Manager

Managed the digital marketing efforts for brands like Jiffy lube and Toyota.

Senior Account Executive

ROI Mantra Inc.

Developed an agency Webinar & Lead nurturing campaign to grow our SMB billings 200% YoY.

Digital Account Director

I create marketing & sales video content | Director of Digital @ Sproutloud 🌱

I create engaging content for brands in all formats. I focus on "RECALL" for your brand, so when prospects are ready to buy, they will remember you!

Aaron Morrissey 🤠

Didn’t make the freshman A team. Didn’t make varsity until junior year. But ended up college All-American. 


Just like in the content game.

I didn’t gain 10k followers in a month.

I’m not in ad age or any top lists. 

But I get paid 💰 by the best brands to make content.

No big brand behind me ( until now Hootsuite 🦉 🙌🏼👊🏼😎)

Don’t let anything hold you back. Keep going!

Make your own way without comparison.

This was on Brad Pitt arena btw in Springfield Missouri.

Coincidence? Nope 🙂‍↔️

Aaron Morrissey 

Content @ Hootsuite + Creator for Tech Brands

I'm breaking down Starbucks "Bearista" fiasco using Hootsuite's Social Listening powered by Talkwalker in Ep 1 of my new series. 

In this series I'm going to be using our Social Listening platform to look at trending marketing campaigns and cultural events. 

Using data from 150 million sources, 30+ social networks, including podcasts and videos. 

Why? We all have different feeds, see different posts with different opinions.  

The only way you can make strategic decisions is when you see the entire conversation!

If you didn't know, Social Listening is the new "Signal" on the block. 

#starbucks #sociallistening

The cost of shooting by myself 😅. Broken camera, broken mic.

Why does your sales team have more software than Tony Stark?


I was on a call about our Sales Tech Stack the other day, and someone said:

"How much tech does the sales team need?!"

CONTEXT: I used to be in sales, and now I help our sales team with creative outbound motions. 

Plus, I manage all my creator projects for sell-in to delivery and payment. 

Right now, the software industry has compartmentalized software to the point that each software has a different purpose. 

So instead of sales teams focusing on helping prospects identify solutions for their business, they're busy logging into platforms. 

If your platform doesn't do it all, make it easy to integrate with other tech.

That's why tools like Copper make it easy. 

You can manage your prospects in one platform every step of the way. 

#Copperpartner #b2bsales

I want to go to New York and shoot content with ppl.

DM ME, I'm DM'ing a few of my favorite folks too. 

I'm thinking fisheye lens, vlog style, meet you in your habitat or join you in your hobby. 

😎

taplio

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The Battle

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