The strategy execution gap isn't real. When organisations struggle to execute their strategy, the problem isn't execution - it's a strategy that stops short of connecting to daily operations. Learn why separating strategic work from BAU guarantees failure and what makes strategy actually executable.

As a new CEO facing insolvency, I did what came naturally: I learned everything I could about fixing the business. But a mentor's brutal observation - "You're comfortable with the company failing as long as you understand why" - revealed I was hiding in learning to avoid the discomfort of acting with incomplete knowledge.

Every organisation I've worked in struggled with strategy but not for lack of commitment or investment. The real challenges were getting the right level of detail, making strategy usable for daily decisions, and measuring progress amid priorities. That's why we built Ciclo Strategy.

Most organizations test LLM prompts with spot-checks and intuition. Three months later, they discover failures in edge cases, formatting errors, and instruction-following problems. Here's why systematic testing matters and how to build evaluation systems that really work.

I've seen it too many times: strategic plans that sit unopened while teams make decisions by loudest voice. Strategy works when you build three core practices—clear priorities, connections, and progress—into how you work.

I've been experimenting with Claude Skills for strategy work, and understanding the two types—simple markdown, complex integrations, and portability—makes the difference between useful tools and wasted effort.

What are the bicycles in your organization? Do you work off knowledge in people’s head, well established assumptions, and key information found across spreadsheets, systems, emails and documents? It is hard when you are working the business to work on the business. However, the time invested in finding the right bicycles for you will pay off handsomely.

A good strategy isn't just a plan. Rather, it's a coherent, carefully developed hypothesis about what actions will overcome a significant challenge, defeat a competitor, or help you catch a wave of change in your industry. Strategy is a form of problem solving and the hypothesis for success at the core of a strategy must be tested and adjusted during implementation.