Drift in strategy is one of the most common yet least examined reasons that strategy fails. Wocktail #10, the Off-Course Old Fashioned: Drift Happens, Now What?, explores what happens when strategic intentions erode over time through an accumulation of subtle choices.
Drift rarely begins with a major shift or single decision. More often, it starts slowly and quietly when:
✅ Priorities bend for short-term pressures.
✅ Resources shift toward urgency over importance.
✅ Execution continues while direction begins to blur.
After six months, the outputs do not align with the strategic plan. And at twelve, strategy becomes difficult to articulate. Teams stay in motion, but the purpose becomes unclear.
Here’s the nuance though: not all deviation signals failure. Some changes reflect strategic learning, purposeful adjustments in response to emerging insights. This is the essence of adaptive management: the ability to respond to changing conditions without losing the strategic core. It means remaining alert to signals, distinguishing between meaningful evolution and unintended drift.
🔑 The issue arises when change is unacknowledged, unexamined, or unintended. The response is not control or rigidity. The solution is cadence, the rhythm is achieved by:
✅ Introducing regular checkpoints to revisit and pressure-test key assumptions.
✅ Creating space for teams to surface tension before it becomes derailment.
✅ Normalizing the question: Is this still the right track?
Strategic clarity is a discipline of structure, attention and realignment. An effective strategy adapts with intention without unravelling or freezing.
💡 Flexibility signals strength. Drift does not.