It is often said that a strategy is a choice or a…
““It is often said that a strategy is a choice or a decision. The words “choice” and “decision” evoke an image of someone considering a list of alternatives and then selecting one of them. There is, in fact, a formal theory of decisions that specifies exactly how to make a choice by identifying alternative actions, valuing outcomes, and appraising probabilities of events. The problem with this view, and the reason it barely lightens a leader’s burden, is that you are rarely handed a clear set of alternatives. In the case at hand, Hannibal was certainly not briefed by a staff presenting four options arranged on a PowerPoint slide. Rather, he faced a challenge and he designed a novel response. Today, as then, many effective strategies are more designs than decisions—are more constructed than chosen. In these cases, doing strategy is more like designing a high-performance aircraft than deciding which forklift truck to buy or how large to build a new factory. When someone says “Managers are decision makers,” they are not talking about master strategists, for a master strategist is a designer. THE””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Strategic work is often design‑oriented, creating novel solutions rather than selecting from predefined options; leaders must craft, not just choose.
In simple terms: Strategy is designing new solutions, not just picking options.
Key Takeaway
Focus on designing innovative responses.
Themes
strategy
leadership
design thinking
decision making
innovation
Mood
analytical
creative
Type
strategic
inspirational
When to use this quote
- business planning
- military tactics
- product development
- crisis response
Key Concepts
systems thinking
creative problem solving
strategic design
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you foster a design mindset?
- When is a decision‑making approach preferable?
A Different Perspective
Designing can be resource‑intensive and uncertain.