Is Your Strategy Any Good? What You Need to Know | Ep 205
Dec 29, 2025
Is your business strategy effective? Discover how to clarify your team's understanding and validate strategies through financial metrics. Explore the importance of assessing profit margins against industry benchmarks and recognizing when cash flow issues may indicate deeper strategy flaws. Learn to identify customer-valued advantages and modernize your strategic framework for faster decision-making. Steve compares progress in business to jiu-jitsu, stressing focused effort for better outcomes. Build sustainable strategies for healthy returns!
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When Strategy Fails To Stick
Steve Coughran describes explaining strategy in an all-hands and finding a leader couldn't repeat it.
He took responsibility because leaders must ensure the team actually understands the strategy.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Test Strategy Clarity With One Question
Ask your team in one or two sentences to explain the company's strategy to test clarity.
Use their responses to reveal gaps and fix communication quickly.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Use Financials To Validate Strategy
Pull your income statement and compare operating profit percentage to industry benchmarks.
If you're below average, treat that as a sign your strategy lacks a competitive advantage.
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You probably think you have a strategy. But is it actually working?
Steve breaks down how to tell if your strategy is helping you win or quietly holding you back. He explains why most teams can’t clearly explain the strategy, why the numbers don’t lie, and how profits, cash flow, and return on invested capital reveal the truth. If your business feels busy but stuck, this episode will help you see why.
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Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the individual Coltivar Group, LLC (“Coltivar”) personnel quoted and are not the views of Coltivar or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, Coltivar has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation.
This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendations. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. Please see https://www.coltivar.com/privacy-policy-and-terms-of-use for additional important information.
Strategy Meets Finance 
