“You can't find a new land with an old map” - Accurate maps of the strategic landscape have always been critical for successful innovation and implementation. Those who know the terrain in which they operate—the hurdles, the traps, and especially the hidden paths--hold the tactical advantage, especially in a environment in which new opportunities and threats rapidly emerge and vanish.
In this world of “dancing landscapes,” a world in which everything is linked with everything else and constant surprise becomes the key feature of our daily lives, the environmental assumptions on which we develop our strategies for success often shift without warning: new technologies emerge, new competitors rise, new geopolitical crises explode, and new ecological and public health threats erode the very foundations of our social, personal, and economic well-being.
Responsive and situationally aware decisionmakers—leaders who are able to motivate their teams and engage their stakeholders in order to draw new maps of the strategic landscape--will retain their orientation and increase their capacity to take effective action even under the most difficult conditions.