One Question to Test A Strategy

I asked a doctor friend of mine what he would pack in his medical kit if he were heading to the front lines in Ukraine. He replied, ‘Only strong drugs.’ You can’t hand a vitamin pill to a guy with a bullet in his abdomen. 

If the destination is ambitious, the decisions must be of proportional magnitude. That’s why one of the three quick control questions when evaluating a strategy is: Does the depth of the decisions match the magnitude of what you want to achieve? 

This question is crucial because ineffective strategies—those born from comfortable, superficial decisions—are more common than you’d think. People tend to avoid problems, and the best way to dodge them is to steer clear of tough decisions. 

We’ve all seen it: people masterfully create the illusion of moving forward. They draw up brilliant strategies, but when you examine the list of decisions involved, they’re all small-scale, insignificant moves. 

Never execute a strategy if you know it doesn’t cut deep enough. It’s far better to sit idle in a corner, fully aware that you’re doing nothing but thinking about what to do, than to fool yourself by staying busy day and night with trivial tasks. 

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