This should be compulsory viewing for anyone who wishes to understand strategy and the difference between strategy and strategic planning.

5 questions: 1) what is our winning aspirations? 2) where will we play? 3) how will we win? 4) what capabilities must we have? 5) what management systems are required? All must fit together , lock and load and shoot to kill the market! …..

5 great questions -- But where does the customer fit in? I have spent a great deal of time in strategic planning type sessions and no-one has talked about customers or consumers all day!

What's the difference between HAVING a management system, and having a management system IN PLACE? It seems that the verb 'to have' does the work for us in this sentence. To have is to...well, have. 'In place' adds nothing to the meaning sought to be conveyed.

The 'mission statement' is a futile ceremony that is meaningless in the real world. There is a constant cycle in business, or any other organisation, using Drucker's question: 'what business are we in' and the answer is found in constant Check-Plan-Do cycles to learn from what is happening in the market from the application of your capability, Plan what needs to be done to improve outcomes (for customers thence the business), and Do what is planned, checking instantly on results. A fancy statement is not necessary, all you need to know, and keep discussing is 'what do we do for our market?'.

Choose mean nothing ....