Most strategy frameworks promise clarity—but what happens when there is no map?

In this episode of Strategy Meets Reality, Mike Jones is joined by Elsa Henderson—consultant, facilitator, and PhD researcher on “wayfinding” in complexity. Drawing on her work with impact networks and her doctoral research into real-world leadership practice, Elsa explores what it means to make decisions, build strategy, and lead effectively when the future is unclear.

They unpack why traditional navigation fails in dynamic environments, why capacity matters more than capability, and how the aesthetics of leadership—the felt experience—shape what we notice, trust, and act on. It’s a rich, grounded conversation for leaders rethinking how strategy and sensemaking really work in practice.

🔍 In this episode:

• What wayfinding means—and why it matters in strategy
• The difference between capability and capacity in leadership
• Why frameworks are only useful if you can adapt them
• Practical wisdom and anticipatory capacity in action
• The emotional and aesthetic dimension of leadership decisions
• Rethinking time, identity, and feedback in organisational change

🎧 Keywords: Wayfinding, Strategy, Capacity, Complexity, Anticipatory Capacity, Practical Wisdom, Leadership, Dynamic Environments, Change, Sensemaking, Aesthetics, Tacit Knowledge, Adaptation

📬 Connect with Elsa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elsa-henderson-48b720132/

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🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast

📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout

💬 Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/

Most organisations measure success by profit. Hunter Hastings says that’s the wrong compass.

In this episode of Strategy Meets Reality, Mike Jones is joined by Hunter Hastings—strategist, author, and leading voice in systems thinking—to challenge the way businesses define and deliver value. They unpack why profit maximisation blinds leaders to opportunity, how autonomy unlocks creativity, and why removing barriers is the real work of leadership.

From shifting the paradigm away from efficiency to focusing on effectiveness, to breaking down the power structures that stifle action, this episode offers a practical roadmap for leaders who want to organise for adaptability and meaningful impact.

🔍 In this episode:

• Why value creation should drive strategy—not profit targets
• How autonomy fuels speed, creativity, and innovation
• The limits of efficiency as a business strategy
• Rethinking power dynamics in modern management
• Removing barriers to action across the organisation
• Why systems thinking is essential in a boundaryless business world

🎧 Keywords: Systems Thinking, Value Creation, Autonomy, Organisational Design, Leadership, Efficiency vs. Effectiveness, Power Dynamics, Strategy, Adaptability, Empowerment

📘 Learn more about Hunter: Hunter’s LinkedIn

Send Mike a Message

👂 Enjoying the show?
Subscribe and leave a review on your favourite platform — it helps more people find the podcast.

🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast

📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout

💬 Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/

Planning isn’t about precision—it’s about possibility.

In this episode, Mike Jones is joined by Johan Ivari—Swedish Armed Forces officer, lecturer at the Swedish Defence University, and author of A Set-Based Approach: Searching for the Problem–Solution Eclipse. Together, they explore how strategy and execution can remain viable in a world shaped by unpredictability and complexity.

Johan challenges the illusion of control, unpacks why detailed plans often collapse on contact with reality, and explains how the set-based approach protects adaptability by expanding options, not narrowing them. From mission command and viable systems to cognitive agency and feedback loops, this episode is a rich exploration of thinking, learning, and leading in real time.

🔍 In this episode:

• Why narrative—not metrics—should lead execution
• The danger of detailed plans and false certainty
• How viable systems enable distributed action and coherence
• Why leaders must protect their organisation’s capacity to act
• The value of affordances and ‘coarse’ planning
• Why set-based planning improves decision quality and learning

🎧 Keywords: Set-Based Planning, Viable Systems, Mission Command, Complexity, Strategy Execution, Feedback Loops, Agency, Command and Control, Adaptive Leadership

📘 Read Johan’s paper: A Set-based Approach
📬 Connect with Johan: LinkedIn

Send Mike a Message

👂 Enjoying the show?
Subscribe and leave a review on your favourite platform — it helps more people find the podcast.

🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast

📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout

💬 Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/