The CFA Framework of Strategy!

Hi!

I’m in Richmond, VA this morning at a soccer tournament! YOLO!

Last week I was in San Francisco for the first time ever and I quite enjoyed it. I think I caught some good weather…or, maybe, the weather is always good. California is an amazing place.

Anyway, as we work through the stages of the pandemic, I keep thinking about what recovery from the pandemic will look like and what will come next.

As I'm sure y’all know by now, I’m a fan of Peter Drucker and the book I carried with me on my flight was a book I’ve been revisiting lately called Post-Capitalist Society.

The interesting thing in the book is that Peter Drucker says that every so often our society reorganizes itself in a way that it makes what come before feel foreign and that during the transition things feel chaotic, uncertain, and, even, desperate.

He goes on to point to different periods throughout history to make his point about the future.

I don’t want to ruin the whole book for you, but the hypothesis is that this reorganization started in the late-80s which would mean that we are maybe midway through the reorganization or coming towards what’s next.

It is an interesting book. I’d suggest it.

But that’s not what I want to talk about this morning.

The trip. The book. And, walking around SF gave me an idea for a new framework.

As I’ve been thinking about what’s next, I’ve been thinking about how to codify my ideas, teachings, and thoughts into frameworks and sayings to give them more power and more ability to spread.

Some of the ones I’ve used with press and in my writing so far include:

• The sponsorship unicorn

• The Brand Triangle

• The Power Matrix

Today, I want to share another one: the CFA framework of strategy.

Choice.

Focus.

Action.

Strategy delivery is about these three ideas.

First, you have to pick a destination. Where are you taking your business?

Second, you have to focus on that decision. Too many times, we know what our strategy is and should be, but we don’t focus on it.

Finally, we need to take action around it. No action! No excitement!

It is pretty simple.

I shared it in the workshop I did in SF. And, it was a hit with the business I was working with. The head of the organization came up to me afterward and said that it was the most effective strategic session they’ve done in years.

Take it, think on it, and let me know what you think.

See you next week.

Dave