Part 19 of 19 in Strategy in the Indian Startup Trenches← Part 18
You’re probably leading your startup through a haze of advice, jargon, and strategy frameworks. But here’s a bold claim: most strategy workshops are a colossal waste of time. Yes, you heard it right. They’re often just a flashy way to spin wheels. The reality is that many founders walk away without actionable insights. You need something that cuts through the noise. A two-hour workshop that forces brutal clarity and immediate action. Let’s dive into a framework that does just that.
Silent Writing: The Truth Serum
Start with Diagnosis
Set a timer for 15 minutes. Every founder writes a paragraph diagnosing the business. Here’s the catch: no adjectives, no fluff. Just the facts. Imagine you’re a rival describing your business. What are the cold, hard truths?
Read and Circle
Read these paragraphs aloud without debate. Circle sentences that identify mechanisms — processes and systems that drive your business. If you can’t find any mechanisms, you’re not clear on what actually makes your business tick.
Merging Perspectives: The Real Agenda
Converge or Diverge
Try to merge these disparate paragraphs into one cohesive understanding of your business. If you can’t, then you have a bigger problem — your team doesn’t even agree on what business you’re in. This is the real agenda. Before you talk about growth, you need to align on what you’re growing.
Draft Guiding Policies
Create three guiding policies, including one that feels too narrow. Vote on which policy generates the most legitimate refusals. If a policy doesn’t create tension, it’s probably too broad or too safe.
Project Alignment: Kill or Freeze
Inventory Projects
List all current projects. Mark each as serving, fighting, or unrelated to the chosen guiding policy. Kill or freeze anything not serving it. This is where founders often falter — hanging on to projects out of habit or attachment. Be ruthless.
Choose a Proximate Objective
Pick one proximate objective for the next 90 days. Write a falsification test — a clear, measurable condition that would prove your objective wrong. This keeps you honest and focused.
Assigning Ownership: Actions That Lock
Lock and Load
Assign owners only to actions that have a lock — a tangible outcome or deliverable. If an action doesn’t have a lock, it waits. This ensures accountability and progress.
What’s the Obstacle?
Ask yourself: what obstacle are you not putting in the deck because it makes you look less fundable? This is the bottleneck you need to address, not sweep under the rug.
The Bottom Line
Most workshops leave you with a heap of notes and no action. This framework ensures you walk away with a unified understanding, a clear guiding policy, and immediate next steps. It’s not about fancy slides. It’s about brutal clarity and ruthless execution.
FAQs
What if my team can’t agree on a single paragraph?
If you can’t merge perspectives, you don’t have alignment on your core business. This is a fundamental issue that needs resolving before any strategic planning can be effective.
How do I choose a guiding policy?
Pick a policy that generates legitimate refusals and creates tension within your current framework. It should be narrow enough to guide but broad enough to grow.
What is a falsification test?
A falsification test is a clear, measurable condition that would prove your proximate objective wrong. It keeps you focused and honest about your goals.
Why should I kill or freeze projects?
If a project isn’t aligned with your guiding policy, it’s a distraction. Killing or freezing these ensures that resources are focused where they can have the most impact.
At Malpani Ventures, we believe in hands-on mentorship. If you’re ready to cut through the noise and execute with precision, consider us your ally. Reach out for guidance that truly matters.