Mike Jones

Strategy Meets Reality Podcast

Business EN ↓ 53 episodes

Traditional strategy is broken. The world is complex, unpredictable, and constantly shifting—yet most strategy still relies on outdated assumptions of control, certainty, and linear plans. Strategy Meets Reality is a podcast for leaders who know that theory alone doesn’t cut it. Hosted by Mike Jones , organisational psychologist and systems thinker, this show features honest, unfiltered conversations with leaders, strategists, and practitioners who’ve had to live with the consequences of strategy. We go beyond frameworks to explore what it really takes to make strategy work in the real world—w...

Author

Mike Jones

Episodes

Orientation is Everything: Inside Boyd's Thinking with Chet Richards 08.04.2025 44:54

What does the OODA loop really mean—and why do most leaders get it wrong? In this episode, Chet Richards—military strategist, Boyd collaborator, and author of Certain to Win —joins host Mike Jones to dive into the deeper layers of John Boyd’s thinking. We go beyond the buzzwords to explore how orientation drives every aspect of decision-making, tempo, and strategic agility. You’ll learn why mental...

Strategy as Pattern: Navigating Power, Fit, and Time 08.04.2025 49:54

Strategy isn’t a plan—it’s a pattern. In this episode, systems thinker and strategy expert Patrick Hoverstadt joins host Mike Jones to explore what strategy looks like in real life: dynamic, context-driven, and shaped by power, fit, and timing. Patrick introduces the Patterns of Strategy approach, offering a powerful lens to understand the relational, political, and temporal dimensions of strategi...

Beyond Structures: Building Deliberately Adaptive Organisations with Mike Burrows 07.04.2025 49:52

Most organisations focus on structure when they talk about change—but structure isn’t what makes an organisation adaptive. In this opening episode, Mike Burrows joins host Mike Jones to explore what it really means to build deliberately adaptive organisations. Drawing on his work with Agendashift, Mike challenges the assumption that hierarchy or agile-by-the-book can handle complexity—and offers a...