How To Courageously Adjust Your Business Strategy In Times of Uncertainty

Read Time: 4 minutes.

The MGMT Playbook isn't for everyone.

It's for leaders who believe success is built upon systems.

But systems are not recipes. You cannot set them and forget them.

You need to study the output. The changing condition of your team. The shifting winds around your business strategy.  

And adjust.

Evolve or fall into steady-state mediocrity.

6 months ago we began the experiment of publishing a second edition:

The MGMT Minute.

Our promise was the same practical insight from the weekend MGMT Playbook but stripped back to less than a one-minute read.

And we don't start something unless we can commit.

• Commit to quality.

• Commit to consistency.

• Commit to seeing the test through.

The thing is, the test is inconclusive.

5 of our Top 10 Playbooks from the last 6 months are MGMT Minutes:

1. Engineer Better Performance With Elon Musk's 5-Step Process

2. The Lazy Engineer's Guide to Modern Management

3. How To Transform Trust From An Idea Into Genuine Connection

4. Why A Job Description Is Insufficient For Hiring The Best Person

5. Why RTO (Return to Office) Won't Fix Cultural Rot

If we go to Top 20, we pick up 5 more:

1. How To Handle A High Performer Who Is Terrible to Work With

2. Getting Sign-Off On Big Decisions

3. How to Think About Risk

4. Avoid The 'What-If' Trap

5. How To Transform Your Writing With AI In One Minute

The other ways we might determine success are also inconclusive:

• Email replies - even

• Clickthrough rates - even

• MGMT Accelerator leads - even

So we shake the Magic Eightball on this test and get back a resounding:

Reply Is Hazy. Try Again Later.

Except later is often too late.

Now mix that in with external factors all leaders are confronting:

• Market uncertainty

• Rewiring of global trade

• The unprecedented rise of AI

And we would forgive anyone for feeling stuck.

Here's how I'm getting unstuck.

Hopefully, these tips can help you, too:

Look For Cheap Ways To Buy Down Risk

• Run micro-experiments with a subset of users

• Interview individual customers deeply

• Create minimal viable prototypes

Example: Instead of rebranding our entire product line, why not test new messaging with 100 customers for $500 in ad spend?

Prioritize the "No Regret" Moves

• Build deeper customer relationships

• Document what's working now

• Maintain maximum optionality

Example: Whether we expand or stay local, improving our customer response time to under 2 hours will help.

Focus on Staying in the Game

• Preserve key relationships

• Maintain financial flexibility

• Keep the core team engaged

Example: Extending our runway from 12 to 18 months by reducing non-essential spending creates time to gather more data.

Make Your Questions Public

• Share your thinking process openly

• Make assumptions explicit

• Welcome diverse perspectives

Example: When we shared our proposed service model changes with customers, three pointed out the same alternative we'd missed.

Target Asymmetric Opportunities

• Limited downside

• Significant upside potential

• Rapid feedback to double down or exit

Example: Experimenting with new software costs $2,000 but could save us $200,000 in annual support costs.

Set Decision Triggers

• Set clear go/no-go conditions

• Define metric thresholds

• Establish resource gates

Example: We'll expand the sales team when revenue per rep exceeds $400,000, not when it "feels" right.

Build While You Decide

• Improve existing systems

• Develop team capabilities

• Gather better data

Example: While recasting our five-year strategy, we automated three manual processes that saved 20 hours per week.

Time To Eat Our Own Cooking

We need to decide what's next for this business. And the ideal path is far from clear.

So as our trusted advisors, you get to vote. Here are the three possibilities:

1. Build a New Program

   The AI Accelerated Leader would build upon the proven practices of our top rated leadership development programs and super charge them with advanced AI prompts, tools and agents. We’d help you move from telling your team they need to use AI to using it 10x yourself.

2. Create a Membership

   What many leaders need most is on-demand answers to their questions. We’d curate our writing and supplement with short recorded programs on common management moments (think “1st 100 Days Leading a Team” or “Preparing for Performance Reviews”). Plus group coaching sessions every other week.

3. Develop AI Product

   My executive coaching is not financially accessible to most leaders. But what if for a fraction of the cost you could get advice based on our approach whenever you need it? Everything from making better decisions to handling underperformers.

Now it’s up to you…

What You Missed This Week

Did you miss last week’s MGMT Playbook?

We had a coaching battle between me and my AI Clone(dAvId) and the results we’re much closer than I expected. Guess who won?

Or, why not check out today’s posts:

📌 13 Visuals To Rewire Your Mind For Success (Dave)
📌 10 Management Traps Smart Leaders Avoid (Mar)

And here are our most popular posts last week:

1. 17 Signs of a Must-Hire Candidate (Dave)

2. 11 Mindsets High Performers Swear By (Mar)

3. Proven Tips To Handle a Micromanager (Dave)

4. 8 Ways to Raise The Energy of the Room (Mar)

5. The Hard Truth About Burnout (Dave)

Our goal is to build a community of 1 million thoughtful, curious leaders.

Your ♻️ reposts on any or all of the above are always appreciated.  

Thank you for reading. Appreciate you!

Dave & Mar

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