The Unlearning Curve: What Strategy Becomes at the Executive Level.

The document discusses a crucial shift in a strategist's career, moving from proving intelligence to reducing friction for senior stakeholders. Initially, success is based on showing rigor, research, and complexity to earn trust. However, at senior levels, stakeholders operate under time pressure and risk, making lengthy explanations costly in terms of time, tolerance, and organizational risk.

The role of a senior strategist, therefore, shifts from teaching strategy to absorbing complexity on behalf of the audience, helping them make decisions and act immediately. Mature strategy is characterized by calmness, fewer words, fewer options, and clearer trade-offs.

The core message is: Less articulation, more consequences.