Aligning the Stars

3    Strategy

Necessary but Not Sufficient

JACK KNEW he was in trouble. As chair of the strategy task force, he was slated to present the white paper outlining the firm’s proposed new strategy at next week’s annual partner meeting. He hadn’t wanted the assignment in the first place, but the managing partner had persuaded him that it would be a unique high-profile opportunity and an outstanding learning experience. In fact, he had learned a lot over the past six months. He’d learned that his task force members preferred client work to strategic thinking. He’d learned that his partners disagreed about almost everything strategic—including the very ...