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2011Strategy

Rumelt: the kernel, and the signs of bad strategy

The point, in one line

Strategy is not a list of goals. It has three parts: diagnosis, guiding policy, coherent action. Without a diagnosis, it is a wish list.

How it works

'We will grow membership by 30%' is a wish; strategy appears only when all three parts of the kernel are there — diagnosis, guiding policy, coherent action.

DiagnosisWhich obstacle matters most. A good one also tells you what to ignore.
Guiding policyA direction that rules out a great many possible actions in advance.
Coherent actionSteps that reinforce each other instead of competing for the same weekends.
In ten minutes you can test any club direction document: if everything in it lands under the third part, it is a wish list.
The same thing, in your club
  1. The situation

    The club's list of goals: grow membership, improve communication, strengthen the community, attract sponsors.

  2. What the model says

    Four fine items, and not one says what is in the way. This is what a document looks like when it is written so nobody is offended.

  3. What you do

    Spend thirty minutes on one sentence: 'Our biggest obstacle this year is ___, and it matters more than ___.'

What it claims

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Who created it

RR2011
An illustrated emblem, not a portrait.
Richard P. Rumelt (b. 1942)
2011

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Why this is your problem

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Why gslk uses it

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Where it runs in the product

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Source

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Rights and licence
In copyright

The primary source is in copyright. This page retells it in our own words and cites it rather than reproducing it.

What this connects to

These works are related to the one you just read — and not by accident:

Grounds these competency domains

Of the ten gslk competency domains, this work grounds:

The student version
Rumelt: the kernel, and the signs of bad strategy

The same work written for a member: what to do with it in the club.

Check it yourself

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