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The Strategy Mistake You Can’t Ignore

The Strategy Mistake You Can’t Ignore

You don’t need a better plan—you need this...

Justin Mecham
March 10, 2025

Hey Full Potential Zoners!

If you don’t have a clear plan - you’re planning to fail.

Great strategies don’t happen by accident— they follow a simple process that works.

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The best teams don’t rely on luck.

They make decisions with purpose.

They adjust without hesitation.

They build strategies that turn effort into results.

Today we are going to help leaders master this by using:

‘Strategic Planning - How to Build Winning Strategies'.

Let’s dive in!

Download This PDF + my Top 60+ Cheat Sheets At Bottom of Email

Building Strategies That Actually Work

1. Evaluating Your Position: The Struggling Startup

Scenario: A startup is losing customers to competitors and doesn’t know why.

Gather feedback from customers who left—what made them switch?
Analyze strengths (unique features), weaknesses (customer complaints), opportunities (new markets), and threats (competition).
Compare pricing, customer service, and product value with competitors.
Before making any changes, know where you stand.
A strategic plan is only as good as the information behind it.

2. Setting Priorities: The Overloaded Team

Scenario: A project team has too many tasks and is falling behind on deadlines.

List every project and rank them by impact—what moves the needle most?
Cut low-priority tasks that do not contribute to major goals.
Assign clear ownership for each priority so nothing gets lost.
Not every task matters equally.
Focusing on what drives the biggest results, prevents burnout, and improves execution.

3. Aligning and Executing: The Budget Crisis

Scenario: A department is facing budget cuts and must make tough decisions.

Identify areas where money is wasted—are there redundant processes?
Shift resources to projects with the highest return on investment.
Set new efficiency targets and create a leaner operating plan.
Resources should be used where they create the most impact.
A strong strategy means making tough but smart choices.

4. Building a Winning Plan: The Stagnant Company

A company’s growth has stalled, and leadership is unsure what to do next.

Define clear goals (increase revenue, expand services, improve customer retention).
Set measurable success metrics (monthly revenue targets, customer satisfaction scores).
Assign owners to each initiative and set deadlines for progress.
A plan without goals and tracking is just a wish.
Clarity drives action, and measurement ensures accountability.

5. Taking Action & Adapting: The Product Launch Gone Wrong

Scenario: A company launches a new product, but early sales are lower than expected.

Gather customer feedback—what’s stopping people from buying?
Adjust the marketing message to highlight the most valuable features.
Iterate pricing or packaging based on real data, not assumptions.
A plan is never final.
Real-world results require real-world adjustments.

6. Measuring & Improving: The Team That Never Reviews Performance

Scenario: A company runs projects but never looks back to see what worked and what didn’t.

Hold regular review meetings to analyze wins, losses, and lessons learned.
Use performance data to refine strategies for the next cycle.
Adjust workflows to remove unnecessary steps that slow progress.
If you don’t measure progress, you can’t improve.
Continuous reflection leads to smarter decisions and faster success.

Taking Action & Adapting

A leadership team I was consulting with had a solid strategic plan, but nothing was getting done.

Every week they held meetings to review the plan, but real action never started.

The more they waited, the harder it became to act.

Confidence dropped, frustration grew, and momentum disappeared.

They were overthinking every step instead of taking any.

When I stepped in, I made one thing clear—progress beats perfection every time.

We broke the plan into smaller actions that could be done right away, even if the full plan wasn’t perfect yet.

Each department chose one action to complete within the week.

At the next meeting, instead of reviewing slides, we reviewed what got done and what we learned.

I had the team also start using a simple "Do it, Test it, Fix it" rule.

Instead of waiting for every answer upfront, they agreed to act, see what worked, and adjust as needed.

I had them follow these simple steps:

Start before you feel ready:
- Waiting for perfect conditions leads to missed opportunities.
- Break big plans into small, clear actions that can happen now.
Review action, not theory:
- Focus meetings on what got done, what worked, and what needs adjusting.
Allow mistakes:
- The goal is progress, not perfection. Fix and adjust as you go.

Within a month, the team made more progress than they had in the previous three months combined.

Confidence grew because action replaced endless talk.

Momentum built because small wins led to bigger wins.

The team learned that execution teaches you what planning never will.

Here's how you can make it real over the next 4 days:

Day 1: Choose Your Focus

Pick one lesson you want to apply this week.
Write down one small action you will do today to apply that lesson.
Did you complete your action? If not, what got in the way?
AI Prompt: "You are a strategy expert. Ask me 3 quick questions to help me figure out which strategy lesson would help me most right now - here are the lessons [insert lessons here]. Then, based on my answers, give me one small action I can do today that fits that lesson."

Day 2: Remove One Blocker

Find one thing slowing you down and remove it.
Did removing that blocker help? What changed?
AI Prompt: "You are a problem-solving coach. I’m working on [insert action from Day 1], but I might have blockers slowing me down. Ask me 3 quick questions to help me find my biggest blocker, then give me one step I can take to remove it today."

Day 3: Track Real Action

Focus only on what actually got done today.
Write down exactly what you completed—not what you planned.
What progress did you make? What still needs adjusting?
AI Prompt: "You are a productivity coach. Help me write down and analyze exactly what I completed today related to my strategy lesson - here is what I completed [insert here]. Then ask me 2 questions to help me figure out if I’m making progress or if I need to adjust what I’m doing."

Day 4: Lock In What Works

Write down one habit from this week that worked best and how you will keep using it.
What is the biggest lesson you learned about turning plans into action?
AI Prompt: "You are an expert in building strong habits. Based on what I completed and learned during this 4-day challenge, ask me 3 reflection questions to help me find the one habit that worked best for me. Then tell me how to make sure I keep using that habit going forward."

A strategy that sits on paper is just a collection of ideas.

The best plans are built in motion, tested, and adjusted as you go.

Success is built by those who act, not those who wait for the perfect time.

Adjustments are not signs of failure—they are proof that the plan is working.

Strategy is not what you say you will do. It is what gets done.

The best strategy is the one that happens.

Until next time and with lots of love,

Justin

This Week’s Growth Recommendations

Book To Read:

"Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters" by Richard Rumelt. (see it here)

TED Talk to Watch

"The Puzzle of Motivation" by Dan Pink (see it here)