The Hardest Part of Strategy Isn’t Designing It
Whenever I sit with a leadership team walking me through their roadmap, the plan always looks strong. Strategy documents are rarely the problem. The test comes later, when the environment stops cooperating.
McKinsey’s 2025 “Strategy Champions” research shows a clear pattern: only 21% of companies pass four or more of the firm’s “Ten Tests of Strategy.”
That gap mirrors what I’ve seen across operators. Most strategies don’t fail in the boardroom. They fail in stress.
At Eagle Talon Partners we use a simple filter.
Does the strategy survive pressure, or does it start unraveling the moment conditions shift?
Because the gap between intention and behavior is often where the real alpha hides.
What part of strategy do you see erode first under pressure?