Insights
Wednesday Wisdom: Wocktails — Serving Strategic Insights
Welcome to Wocktails, a signature series of thought leadership served up every other Wednesday. Delivered as part of Wednesday Wisdom, each Wocktail blends reflection, curiosity, and creativity to explore practical strategies that help organizations thrive.
Designed for all industries and sectors, these insights ignite bold perspectives, disrupt the status quo, and spark purposeful shifts in leadership, strategy, and operations —empowering organizations to master complexity, scale capacity, and accelerate impact.
Explore the menu below. Cheers to sharper and stronger organizations!
Wocktails Menu
A fresh pour coming October 1, 2025
The Shadow Sidecar: The Strategy Behind the Strategy
Every organization operates with two strategies: the stated and the shadow strategy. Wocktail #11, The Shadow Sidecar: The Strategy Behind the Strategy, explores the disconnect between the formal plan and its shadow. Like a shadow, this hidden strategy moves...
The Off-Course Old Fashioned: Drift Happens, Now What?
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....
The NoGroni: Why Trade-offs are the Real Work of Strategy
At its core, strategy is not a declaration of intent. It is a discipline of focus, one which requires sacrifice. Wocktail #9, the NoGroni, captures the heart of strategic work: tradeoffs. One of the most challenging yet essential aspects of strategic planning is...
The Tension Tonic: Cross-Currents at the Heart of Strategic Planning
The first truth about strategy: Decisions live in uncertainty; not despite it, but because of it. Sip on that! Wocktail #8, The Tension Tonic, speaks to the cross-currents at the heart of strategic planning. Strategic planning is often portrayed as a straight-forward,...
To Strat-ini or To Plant-ini, That is the Question: Decoding the Difference Between Strategy and Planning
Strategy is about choices. Planning is about how to execute those choices. And strategic planning? It is the bridge between the two that translates the bigger picture into focused, long-term action. But not all planning is the same. When business, strategic,...
Flow in Spirit: A Menu of Process Excellence Wocktails
The series closes with Flow in Spirit: A Menu of Process Excellence (PE) Wocktails, a curated synthesis of 5 core concepts anchoring transformation. Each Wocktail is a fusion of operational depth and strategic insight, illuminating the path to performance. Together,...
The Culture Collins: From Firefighting to Foresight, Process Excellence as Organizational DNA
Efficiency has been explored as a lever, measurement as a discipline, and people as the pulse behind progress. Yet lasting change depends not only on what is built or the momentum behind it, but on environments where ideas take root, behaviours hold, and improvement...
The Human Highball: Exploring the Pulse that Powers Process Excellence
So far, the spotlight has been on efficiency as a strategic lever, the discipline of 5S in creating sustainable environments, and the power of meaningful metrics to align efforts and unlock value. Now, the focus shifts to the concoction that brings it all together:...
The Metric Mule: A Bold Mix of Meaningful Measures
Here are the wocktails served so far: Wocktail #1: Efficiency on the Rocks – The Process Edge Beyond Cuts was a nod to process excellence as a critical lever in today’s economic climate Wocktail #2: The 5S Twist – Mixing Mastery of Five Ingredients to Build Excellent...
The 5S Twist: Mixing Mastery of 5 Ingredients to Build Excellent Environments
The last round introduced Wocktail #1: Efficiency on the Rocks — The Process Edge Beyond Cuts, highlighting process excellence as a critical lever in today’s economy. Our next pour turns to a practical entry point: Wocktail #2 — The 5S Twist: Mixing Mastery of 5...