The problem of strategy is that it becomes obsolete in the very moment you finished your best version.

In '80s having a strategy for a business was logical. The problem is we are not moving at the pace of '80s anymore. We have lifestyles that got accelerated.. How much? I don't know.. about 10? 100 times? maybe more.

So.. we are in a context that's moving far faster than '80s.

If you make a strategy now, you'll make a plan to implement it, and all the context around you will be changed and you'll be pissed off about it. A radical way to evade that problem is not having strategies at all.

I don't know the origin. But my first time with this idea was from Chris. I heard in the middle of a presentation that actually had nothing to do with this matter but the phrase just came out:

"...one philosophy and a lot of tactics..."

I've instantly remembered a phrase from William James, the American philosopher which said:

"we don't have brains for abstract cognition. We have it to know what to do next."

Or, if you prefer the Susan Fiske version:

"Thinking is for doing."

Thinking is philosophy and doing is tactics.

Instead of a change of strategy, you should evaluate in a change of philosophy. Why?

This times are getting too chaotic to "try strategies". Choosing to a non risky strategy leads to do more of what is already known.

You will gravitate to design products and services that people already know and already have 100 alternative products that looks the same. That's the middle of things. The problem of mediocrity is that it feels safe but is not. It's the opposite of remarkability. It's a strong force towards invisibility.

If you think strategically you are still zooming in things. That maintains you in "operations mode" and you can't turn off operations mode without questioning the philosophy behind it.

You need to find your own answers to this: what's being done behind what's being done?

The last "what's" is the zoom in. It's operations. The former is the zoom out. The big scheme of things.

Is far more interesting to challenge yourself to find a strong philosophy that works.

When not, you can decide to be open to refine your current one quickly, so you can get yourself away from mediocrity towards remarkability again.

With consumer having so many options, having rockstar tactics and a sophisticated philosophy will make your movement to have more leadership. That's a reference, a source of momentum and peace of mind in changing times.

Philosophy becomes an asset where showing stuff instead of talking about stuff, will help you to do better business, move forward and get clues about what's best to do next.

Now you know Wired uses it, what stops you to have your own?