Leadership Quote by Richard P. Rumelt
““Not miscalculation, bad strategy is the active avoidance of the hard work of crafting a good strategy. One common reason for choosing avoidance is the pain or difficulty of choice. When leaders are unwilling or unable to make choices among competing values and parties, bad strategy is the consequence. A second pathway to bad strategy is the siren song of template-style strategy—filling in the blanks with vision, mission, values, and strategies. This path offers a one-size-fits-all substitute for the hard work of analysis and coordinated action. A third pathway to bad strategy is New Thought—the belief that all you need to succeed is a positive mental attitude. There are other pathways to bad strategy, but these three are the most common. Understanding how and why they are taken should help you guide your footsteps elsewhere. THE””
About This Quote
Source Book: Good Strategy Bad Strategy, Richard P. Rumelt, 2011
Bad strategy arises from avoiding hard choices, copying templates, or relying on wishful thinking rather than rigorous analysis and coordinated action.
In simple terms: Bad strategy is avoiding hard work and analysis.
Key Takeaway
Focus on hard choices and analysis.
Themes
strategy
leadership
decisionmaking
analysis
execution
Mood
critical
analytical
serious
Type
advice
instructional
When to use this quote
- Corporate planning
- government policy
- nonprofit initiatives
- personal career planning
Key Concepts
Strategic thinking
cognitive bias
organizational behavior
Questions to Reflect On
- What hard choices are you avoiding?
- How can you replace templates with real analysis?
A Different Perspective
Relying on templates can ignore unique context and lead to ineffective outcomes.
