The Art of Strategic Balance: Fixed Vision, Fluid Details

In reference to Amazon's growth strategy, Jeff Bezos famously said, "You need to be stubborn on your vision, but ... very flexible on the details."

In today's fast-paced and ever-changing environment, where the unexpected is pretty much all you can expect, organizations must remain agile and adaptive. Yet, too much adaptation without direction can leave you unbound, risking a situation where customers don't know what they can expect from you. This is where vision becomes crucial — a north star that offers guidance powerful enough to withstand change and clear enough that everyone inside and outside the organization can believe in it.

Building Your Strategic Story Through the 9Ps

In the “9Ps of Strategy” class I teach, most recently in Paraguay earlier this year, we do a story-building exercise I picked up from taking improv classes. One person starts by contributing a sentence to start the story, and a vision starts to form in the minds of everyone in the group. The next person adds a sentence, shifting the plot slightly but working with the elements of the first sentence. One thing builds on another, and you end up with an unexpected, hopefully entertaining, and somewhat cohesive story.

The 9Ps I discuss in the course are:

• Positioning
• Product
• Pricing
• Placement
• Promotion
• Physical Experience
• Processes
• People
• Purpose

These “Ps” are the sentences in your business’ story. If you have a solid strategy in place, they represent the areas where you can be flexible in the details. Think of a novelist — they have a clear destination in mind, but that clarity enables them to introduce surprising and delightful twists along the way. Knowing the answer to one P generates options for the others. For example, determining your positioning (the customers you serve), gives you options for which products you serve. Knowing the products helps you determine placement (which channels to sell through).

Tesla is a great example of a company whose strategy revolves around distinctive decisions across the nine dimensions:

1. Positioning itself as a premium electric vehicle brand targeting environmentally conscious innovators
2. Offering cutting-edge electric cars as its product
3. Setting pricing to feel more like mobility as a service than a purchase
4. Leveraging a direct-to-consumer placement model bypassing traditional dealerships
5. Creating a modern physical experience with sleek design and over-the-air software updates
6. Promoting its mission through public relations centered around Elon Musk rather than traditional advertising
7. Process innovations like vertical integration of battery production
8. Cultivating a people-centric culture focused on attracting top-tier engineers and aligning incentives with bold innovation goals
9. Embedding its purpose of accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy into every aspect of its operations.

The Zoom Out, Zoom In Approach

John Hagel describes a similar concept in his zoom out, zoom in approach to strategy, which balances long-term vision with short-term execution. “Zooming out” focuses on envisioning a compelling future 10-20 years ahead, defining the market trends, opportunities, and the company’s desired future. “Zooming in” narrows the lens to the next 6-12 months, identifying specific initiatives and measurable outcomes that advance toward the long-term vision. So while the vision is clearly set, the details leave room for change.

John described it in one of our early episodes of the Outthinkers Podcast here.

Commander's Intent: Empowering Adaptable Execution

In the military, it’s called commander’s intent — a leadership concept that focuses on clearly articulating the desired end state of a mission without prescribing detailed instructions on how to achieve it. It provides a clear purpose and outcome to guide decision-making at all levels, even when plans go awry or direct communication is not possible. It emphasizes the “why” rather than the “how.”

One of our Outthinker Networks member companies in the staffing industry — known for its high turnover rates and need to hire quickly — does this by setting their strategy for training new hires, then empowering regional teams to make it their own. A training in Atlanta will look very different than one in New York, and that’s ok. The vision ensures that both versions are representative of the company’s values.

Commander’s intent leaves room for individuals and teams to adapt their actions creatively and effectively in dynamic or unpredictable circumstances while staying aligned with overarching goals.

Applying Strategic Balance to AI Initiatives

Consider this when it comes to your AI strategy. Our network of chief strategy officers recently met with David Edelman to discuss his book, co-authored with Mark Abraham, Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI. The discussion explored how organizations can use AI-driven personalization to create competitive advantages, deliver tailored experiences, and unlock new growth opportunities.

At the end of the hour, we asked members for their number one key takeaway and the answer was almost unanimous: Start with the business case — with what you are trying to do strategically — before chasing the data. The personalization data is the details, the strategy and the intended outcome are the vision.

Listen to David’s podcast interview on the subject.

Conclusion: Crafting Your Strategic Balance

The ability to maintain this delicate balance between steadfast vision and adaptable execution is increasingly important in an environment with a high rate of change. Your strategy must serve as both an anchor and a compass — keeping you grounded in your core purpose while allowing the flexibility to navigate changing conditions.

The most effective strategies create a framework where teams can innovate and adapt within the bounds of a clear, compelling vision — turning the unexpected from a challenge into an opportunity for strategic advantage.