Strategic Nihilism

Strategic nihilism is the belief that strategy doesn't exist in fast-moving or chaotic environments, and that leaders can simply react. The article argues that this belief is a self-inflicted blind spot: you cannot avoid strategy because every decision you make is a strategic choice.

Two vivid cases illustrate the danger. An investment-firm partner refused any formal strategy, claiming it boxed the firm in, yet the team still chose to forgo a CEO and made other high-impact moves. A bank president publicly declared the company had no strategy while systematically dismantling the strategy department and steering the bank with a series of unchecked choices. Both leaders hid their logic, making the organization vulnerable to failure.

The author traces the confusion to a misreading of Henry Mintzberg's emergent-strategy concept. Mintzberg meant strategy evolves through interaction with the environment, not that leaders can postpone choice until clarity arrives. When executives treat VUCA as an excuse to stay inert, they create a recipe for mediocrity or collapse.

Practical advice is simple: surface the logic behind every decision, even the decision to do nothing. Make the choice explicit to yourself and to your team, invite critique, and reject the notion that "no strategy" is a legitimate stance. The piece shows that clear, articulated strategy-whether formal or informal-protects the organization from the delusion and destruction of strategic nihilism.