Who Silenced Strategy? By John Britt
The air is chilling.
The atmosphere sinister.
The hushed whispers that echo down the corporate corridors are ominous.
If this was a crime serial some deadly music would be playing the background – enough to make you bite your nails in anxiety.
But it’s not that. It’s just corporate intrigue.
And tell me, who has not swiped through an office entrance and not experienced that? Except that John Britt takes it a notch further into reality – a corporate conspiracy that seems to lead to attempted murder. Or is it?
Phew!
This is my co-author John Britt I am talking about and his latest book: Who Silenced Strategy? – a brilliant parable that dresses all that is corporate in its finery and then slowly strips it down to what lies beneath – the truth.
It’s descriptor states unequivocally on the cover: A Wake-up Call for Leaders, Managers and Board Members.
The plot is simple. It starts (and pretty much ends) in the boardroom. Detective McNally has been summoned because Strategy has been found almost on the verge of death and has been taken to the hospital. It’s clearly attempted murder. The question here is who did it? Who would gain from it? Who had the opportunity and the motive.
The way forward is the way any detective would move. A one-on-one interview with each of the possible suspects. With careful notetaking and a detailed chart, Detective McNally starts with perceptive dialogues with Vision, Mission and Values and moves down to Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats. It’s not an easy task as he goes into the office day after day – meeting possible suspects sometimes one leading to the other. At the end of the day Detective McNally painstakingly assigns ticks to the those who had the Means, Opportunity and Motive.
Not sure that helped. What helped was finally a dream. Or maybe a nightmare. Honestly, just a detective’s instinct. Who Silenced Strategy? The question is confounding. But no … I am not giving away the answer. No spoilers here.
However, if your heels have clicked through the echoing passages of the executive floors, or you have been into the chilled atmosphere of dark teak wood boardrooms, and been waiting outside corner offices, you will want to read not just who killed strategy but also why!
Like a master of mystery, the book is deceptively slim, but the story packs a punch and ends with Agatha Christie-esque denouement as Detective McNally shines the unwavering torchlight on the culprit.
And now about John Britt
A prolific writer, John is the author of multiple books. He is the co-author, with Ken Blanchard, of Who Killed Change? and with Harry Paul, of Who Kidnapped Excellence?. His other collaborative titles include Who Pardoned Accountability? Who Shocked Culture? And Bee-Come Indispensable.
And of course, the one John Britt and I collaborated on: What I Really Meant to Say! A to Z of Meaningful Conversations and Deeper Relationships. A tip of the hat here to Rupa Publications for bringing these meaningful books to us!
So… Who Silenced Strategy?
Read it and discover. And think back on how sometimes the simplest, most obvious answers go missing in all the corporate jargon that floods our emails, spreadsheets and presentations. And also how simple it is to bring common sense back to the table. Do it and win. And you sure don’t have to be a detective for that.
And yes, it’s a book worth sharing as you whisper down the corporate corridors!
