Joe, a successful leader, is deeply frustrated. The strategic planning system that once served him well is failing. Regardless of his best-laid plans, other forces in the organization are overriding his strategies. His methods to motivate his staff no longer work. How can each day be such a struggle when he thought he knew everything he needed to know to do his job?

Joe is hardly alone. The world is changing at the speed of thought, and it is beyond complex. It’s hard to fix the “root cause” of challenges when forces from innumerable sources influence decisions you make.

What happens is you try working harder. You try reading new leadership books. You try the newest versions of old strategies. But nothing works. You’ve hit the wall, and you see no options for action. You’re stuck, and that’s a terrible feeling.

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