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The Canary Blog

For curious executives (like you) to get a good grip on an effective strategy to secure the future of your organization. Even when uncertainty is high and the issues are complex.

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If your work increasingly involves unclear, shifting situations where standard approaches no longer seem to work, this post is a useful starting point. 

  • It explains why strategies falter.
  • It guides you to practical actions to take next.
  • It links to follow-up posts on how to recognize when you’re dealing with a wicked problem, and what it means to move forward without relying on false certainty.

How to Lead When the Future Won’t Sit Still: A Practical Guide

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To find the posts that best match what you're dealing with: use the category drop-down in the sidebar. These are the categories:

  • When the usual approach stops working. You’ve done the analysis. You’ve executed the strategic plans. But the results disappoint. Check whether uncertainty in your organizational environment is higher than you thought.
  • When the problem keeps changing. Every time you define the organizational environment or market, it shifts. Find out how to tackle this wicked problem.
  • When the future isn’t predictable. What about forecasts when the data is missing, ambiguous, incorrect, or all of the above? See how foresight can help.
  • How to decide anyway. When certainty is out of reach, decision-making doesn’t stop—it changes. Find out how to decide under uncertainty or when facing wicked problems.
  • When strategy is under pressure. Margins are tight. Competition is fierce. What to do when you know there is no room for error.
  • How to get better at this. This is not about solving the present issue. It’s about building your ability to handle the next one.

Did you not find what you needed? Use the search bar to find posts for specific keywords.

Joan Miro - Ceramique: an opposite view on reality
Uncertainty is the Bread and Butter of Fierce Competition when strategy is under pressure when the future is unpredictable
Like ships in a storm, businesses must navigate uncertainty. Foresight can help them weather any crisis.
High Uncertainty, But Outperforming The Others Anyway how to decide anyway when strategy is under pressure
Innovate Away from a Negative Cash Flow
Innovate Away from a Negative Cash Flow how to decide anyway when strategy is under pressure
Play the time game
How to Survive a Losing Battle Against Fierce Competition how to decide anyway when strategy is under pressure
How to stand out when everything is the same?
How to Escape the Price Spiral With Foresight when strategy is under pressure

Find the category that matches what you’re dealing with, and start there.

Use the search bar to find posts for specific keywords:

A Little Bird Tells You...

The blog's title refers to the birds that coal miners would bring into the mine as an early warning system. Their canaries would suffer from harmful gases before the miners would, giving them time to get away.

Similarly, the blog helps you to tackle strategic decisions when the future is uncertain and you don't have the time to wait for clarity.

"The Canary" appears approximately once a month. Read the Canary on the blog, or get future editions emailed:

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