Strategy in Real Time (or Half Time)

Here is an easy to implement system for making strategic AND efficient decisions I’ve utilized frequently in real-world scenarios with real-world stakes on the line. It is called “Simple Rules” and it is something you can observe many world-class leaders utilizing once you know what it looks like.

I was originally exposed to the underlying method I’m sharing here during my studies in Stanford GSB's Innovation & Entrepreneurship program but continue to evolve it and “make it my own” for appropriateness in various situations.

Kick-Off:

If you are a founder or executive team member overseeing bringing something new to market you likely have to navigate the tension between moving fast, moving smart, and moving accurate.

These forces often seem at odds with each other and can weigh on time-to-best-action towards your end goal. There are a myriad of bottlenecks and decision points you and your team are dealing with day in and day out - each minor hiccup or diversion from the desired trajectory will add time to get there.

This is only amplified when you are operating within complex systems such as games platforms, across partner networks, within economic & technical systems ("I have limited resources and many things to build!") or even managing professional sports teams.

Organizations often try to handle decision making efficiency by adding on layers of process; "Let's force all our teams to follow a framework, or how about a set of acronyms? We can get a consultant to coach our entire organization into this over the course of 12 months." I’ve heard it and I’ve seen it in different iterations over the years.

Sure, in theory, if everyone in the organization can efficiently and effectively get on the same exact page and has the same exact understanding of the process the quality of decisions can improve. Over time teams can then move faster which makes the long-range investment in time and resources seemingly worth it.

Yet, in practice, there isn’t typically 12 - 24 months to spare (or even 3 months) for everyone to get it right, resources to pay for consultants, or ongoing consulting for implementation, or the capacity to handle the informational load (see: debt) imposed on managers and employees.

What can you do?

Entering stage left: Welcome to Wrexham's Phil Parkinson (Head Coach, Wrexham A.F.C.)

I am overdue in catching up on season 2 of Welcome to Wrexham so I've been chipping away at episodes gradually in the margins of our baby schedule.

As I've been watching I've been hyper keyed into Wrexham's potty-mouthed gaffer, Phil Parkinson, after observing him use his own version of simple rules that help team members translate strategy into real time decision making.

During his game prep, pre-game meetings, or halftime adjustments you can often see him in font of a board with a set of simple rules that narrow down the thinking his team has to do when faced with a situation on the pitch (in business this would be your bottlenecks to your end-goal).

Simple Rules like this act as a set of code that help influence the direction of travel for a complex system like a team - they enable the nodes in that system (the people in most cases) to move towards a shared end state when opportunities present themselves or, frequently, when shit hits the fan.

They offer flexibility and consistency, simplify decision-making, foster team synchronization, and enable seizing time-constrained opportunities.

SIMPLE RULES ENABLE STRATEGY IN REAL TIME

Here is how to establish your own:

Step 1: start with these guiding principles (simple rules for simple rules!):

1. They should be limited in number (3-5): Ensuring ease of recall and application.

2. They should be contextually relevant: Suited to the specific individuals or units within the organization.

3. They should be focused: Addressing specific activities or decisions - they do not govern your entire strategy but situations within.

4. They should provide guidance with discretion: Providing clarity while allowing for individual judgment - to move efficiently you have to believe in your people and give them agency.

Step 2: Identify the types of decisions you have to make. Here are the most common types with some examples:

• Boundary: You have a known set of alternatives and must choose

  • Example: "Develop games only in genres where we have a user base growth potential of at least 20%."

• Priority: You have many choices but limited resources

  • Example: “Prioritize candidates who demonstrate adaptability, have experience in startups, and possess skills in emerging technologies we care about."

• Stopping: You have a limited tolerance for something or need to know when to hold or when to fold due to limited resources (time, money, attention)

  • Example: "If user engagement drops by 30% or more within one day after a feature update, roll it back immediately for reassessment."

• How-To: There is extreme pressure in particular situations or there is a wide range of repetitive cases

  • Example: "Respond to customer queries within 12 hours, personalize the response, and always offer a follow-up action."

• Coordination: Disparate groups in a complex system need to interact with one another:

  • Example: “In cross-departmental projects, hold bi-weekly sync meetings and use a shared task management platform."

• Timing: When sequence matters or time is a big factor

  • Example: "Announce major new products coinciding with industry events or seasonal peaks."

• 
  

Step 3: Applying them:

1. Assess the fundamentals in the areas you are trying to improve. For instance;

• Who will we target as customers?

• What product or service will we offer?

• How will we deliver product at profit?

2. Identify the bottleneck - what specific decision or activity centers on our ability to move the needle? The best ones to focus on are often found here:

• Direct & significant impact on value creation

• They are recurring and not a one-off

• When opportunity exceeds available resources and tradeoffs are frequent

• Around major moments for the business (mergers, new products, new market entry).

• Within processes or handoffs between Marketing, sales, operations, R&D, product, etc. Basically most places where coordination with outsiders is required.

3. Developing your simple rules:

• Top dictating rules don't work

• Best to assemble a team of 4-8 and use structured process to leverage various perspectives, including the day to day users of the rules

• Test first cut rules to see if they would apply to past business and how they apply/work with current business, then refine them

• Communicate them frequently and reinforce them at different altitudes(Groups, 1:1s, etc)

Here is what success might sound like:

"However, I can't tell you how proud I am of that performance. I can't f****** tell you.

"You stuck to the game plan brilliantly. You f****** responded to the defeat at Halifax which was f****** s***, the way you played was f****** outstanding, out-f******-standing.

"First half we came in, I said to the lads watching 'what do you think' they said f****** hell if we hadn't conceded that goal we'd be f****** buzzing about it.

"It didn't knock you, you went straight out and exploited their f****** high line and scored three goals from it.

"That's what football is all about. They're good at this but they're not f****** good at that and in the second half we could have scored more.

"We could have f****** scored more, it's a great performance, we keep our f****** head on it and we f****** go again on f****** Saturday and get ready to get another f****** three points.

"It's a step in the right direction boys, Jonah just said to me as I walked in and said 'that's called turning up, turning up when the pressure is on in the biggest non-league game in f****** history, in f****** history and you turned up and f****** produced. It means a lot, never f****** forget that." - Phil Parkinson, Head Coach of Wrexham A.F.C.

You can find more on this subject in the book “Simple Rules: How to thrive in a complex world” by Sull & Eisenhardt