The goal here is to understand deeply so that you can describe simply. If you understand your strategy deeply but can only describe it in a complex or jargony way, then you only get to talk to the subset of your organization that speaks that esoteric language. If you understand your strategy only superficially, then it will not survive out in the wild, in dynamic conditions where the pressure to abandon the plan is relentless. Your people will be continuously tempted to deviate from the strategy—usually for excellent reasons, like responding to a customer service request. A strategic North
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