Strategy Shouldn’t Start with Vision. Start with Friction.

Vision looks great on walls.

It sounds inspiring in town halls.

It reassures investors.

It makes leadership feel strategic.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Vision rarely survives first contact with reality.

The best strategies? They don’t emerge from a neatly crafted purpose statement or a glossy North Star.

They emerge from friction.

Unresolved tensions.

Customer frustrations.

Market contradictions.

Operational bottlenecks.

That’s where real strategy begins — in the places where things don’t work as they should.

The Problem with Starting at 30,000 Feet

Most strategy sessions start the same way:

"What’s our vision? Where do we want to be in 5 years?"

It sounds bold. But often? It’s disconnected from the messiness on the ground.

I’ve watched organizations set grand visions — only to stall when:

• The market shifts.

• Customers resist.

• Internal systems crack under the pressure.

Vision without friction-awareness? That’s how you design beautiful strategies that quietly die in execution.

The Best Strategies Start with Tension

Forget blue-sky thinking for a moment. Look for the pressure points:

• Where are customers improvising workarounds?

• Where does your product or process create frustration?

• Where is your market model outdated — even if it still brings in revenue?

Friction isn’t failure — it’s your blueprint.

It reveals the cracks competitors ignore. It exposes tired assumptions. It points to opportunities to do better, smarter, bolder.

Look at:

Vinted — They didn’t promise to reinvent fashion. They tapped into the tension of overflowing closets, rising clothing waste, and growing price sensitivity — and turned peer-to-peer resale into a mainstream, trusted platform.

Patagonia — They didn’t “set out to disrupt retail.” They started with the contradiction of building outdoor gear while damaging the outdoors — and flipped their model.

Too Good To Go — They didn’t start by “redefining food services.” They began with the friction of perfectly good food being thrown away daily — and built a marketplace that connects businesses with surplus food to people who want to save money and reduce waste.

They solved the friction first.

The bold vision followed.

Stop Romanticizing Vision. Start Diagnosing Tension.

Next time you design strategy, skip the mission statement (for now).

Start with a friction map:

• Where’s the tension?

• What frustrates your customers?

• What slows your teams down?

• Where do outdated processes create invisible drag?

That’s not negativity. That’s strategic intelligence.

The Practical Takeaway

• Friction reveals opportunity.

• Tension sparks innovation.

• Uncomfortable truths build resilient strategies.

Let the consultants polish the purpose statements.

You?

Start with friction — and watch your strategy actually stick.

Want help turning tension into traction?

Let’s rethink your strategy — grounded in reality, designed for results.