Rumelt on strategy (IV): First, you must learn to define the problem accurately

I think Rumelt’s book on strategy may be better at teaching people how to critique a strategy than how to devise one. But that is still a significant act.

Rumelt emphasizes the need to soberly confront problems. "A good strategy defines a critical challenge. What is more, it builds a bridge between that challenge and action."

Also, he warns, "When a leader defines the ‘problem’ as underperformance, it sets the stage for bad strategy. Underperformance is a result. The true challenges are the reasons for the underperformance."

The conclusion of his best chapter, "Bad Strategy," reminded me of the many hours I have spent reading official government documents and war plans: "Bad strategy is vacuous and superficial, has internal contradictions, and doesn’t define or address the problem. Bad strategy generates a feeling of dull annoyance when you have to listen to it or read it." That last sentence brought home to me many hours of reading Pentagon documents and transcripts.