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Battling with BusinessAuthor: Battling With Business
In this podcast, Gareth Tennant, a former Royal Marines Officer, and Chris Kitchener, a veteran of the software development world, explore ideas and concepts around teams and teamwork, leaders and leadership, and all things in between. Its a discussion between a former military commander and a business manager, comparing and contrasting their experiences as they attempt to work out what makes teams, leaders, and businesses tick. Language: en Genres: Business, Education, Management, Self-Improvement Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Episode 166 - Tactics Are Not Strategy : Lessons from Iran
Episode 167
Wednesday, 8 April, 2026
In this week's episode we get into a question that sits at the heart of leadership but is often misunderstood in practice. Are we actually being strategic, or are we just very busy executing tactics and convincing ourselves that progress equals success? Using the unfolding situation in the Middle East as a live case study, we challenge ourselves to separate activity from intent and to ask what success really looks like when the environment is complex, fast moving and uncertain. What seems to stand out most in this conversation is how easy it is to confuse doing things well with doing the right things. We explore the difference between measuring performance and measuring effect, and why leaders who focus only on outputs risk missing whether they are achieving anything meaningful at all. We also dig into the danger of having too many goals, or worse, shifting goals, and how that leads to confusion, mission creep and ultimately a loss of direction. We spend time on the importance of clarity of purpose, the role of dissent and diversity in decision making, and the uncomfortable reality that without challenge and red teaming, leaders can end up surrounded by agreement rather than insight. That leads us into a deeper discussion about truth, narrative and trust, and why leadership credibility depends on being able to explain not just what is happening, but why. This is one of those conversations where the example is extreme, but the lessons are everyday. Whether you are leading a team, running a product, or shaping strategy in a business, the same principles apply. If you want to understand the difference between activity and impact, and why so many teams drift without realising it, this episode is well worth your time.
