Niko and David: The power of strategy in everyday life

11 snips

Dec 10, 2025

In this engaging discussion, Niko Canner, the founder of Incandescent and advisor to leaders on strategy, advocates for applying strategic thinking to personal life. He shares how busyness can hinder purpose and emphasizes the importance of small, intentional choices. David reveals a personal story about reclaiming focus after a family crisis, illustrating how crises can spark intentional living. They explore how individual strategies can enhance team performance and the ripple effects of strategic habits in organizations, inviting listeners to reflect on their legacy and contributions.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Strategy Applies To Daily Life

Strategy shouldn't be confined to boardrooms; it can illuminate daily choices and behaviors.
Breaking days into micro-moments reveals many more actionable choices than people assume.

ANECDOTE

Executive Reclaims Her Day

David describes an executive who felt successful but unsustainable until she reframed her day into role-based choices.
Small daily changes let her contribute more and reclaim space to be authentic with family and colleagues.

INSIGHT

Mindfulness And Coherent Moves Matter

Being strategic at a human level requires mindfulness, agency, and coherent moves aligned to identity.
Tactical quality of how you show up matters as much as strategic intent.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

What if the most powerful strategy you ever create isn’t for a business, but for your own life?

In this conversation, I turn the microphone on myself as strategist and author Niko Canner interviews me about how to bring strategic thinking into everyday choices.

We explore why busyness can be the enemy of purpose and how small, deliberate moves made moment by moment unlock greater agency and performance. I share how a personal family crisis forced me to reclaim control of my time, energy and focus, and how those lessons now shape the way I coach leaders and design my own days.

You’ll hear how to connect long-term aspirations with the micro-moments that define each day, creating a strategy that is both intentional and flexible. Niko and I also examine how individual strategic habits ripple out to transform teams and entire organisations.

Listen in if you’re ready to stop living on autopilot and start making wiser choices at work, at home and everywhere in between.

“All progress begins with dissonance.” — Niko Canner

You’ll hear about

· Strategy beyond the boardroom

· Daily choices that drive performance

· Coaching story of reclaiming the day

· Mindfulness, agency and coherent moves

· Setting life-long strategic aspirations

· Turning crisis into intentional living

· Five-chapter arc of strategic change

· Acting strategically in any moment

About Niko:

Niko founded Incandescent in 2013. He serves as a thought partner to leaders of large enterprises on strategy, organization and innovation; advising founders on the development of their ventures; and partnering with foundations and non-profits engaged in systems change.

Previously Niko co-founded the consulting firm Katzenbach Partners, Senior Partner at Booz & Company following the sale of Katzenbach to Booz in 2009 and a member of the Management Committee of Bridgewater Associates.

Niko chairs the boards of Skreens, a SaaS cloud-based visual engine that enables users to build personalized experiences on any display, and Catchafire, a platform for skills-based volunteering.

Resources:

Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikocanner/

Business: https://www.incandescent.com/

Blog: https://www.onhumanenterprise.com/

My resources:

Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ)

Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj)

Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

For more details about me:

● Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.

● About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.

● Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds)

● Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP)

● Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI)