Strategic Thinking

Strategy is choosing what not to do as much as what to do. End with explicit bets and guardrails.

How to run it with this skill: one clearly headed section per phase in this order: Intent → Landscape → Advantage → Options → Choice → Risks & Cadence. Optional Short story subsection only when Setup calls for it.

Setup (run before starting)

In one short block:

1. Strategic question — one sentence (e.g. "How should we win in X given Y?")
2. Default pass — Intent → Landscape → Advantage → Options → Choice → Risks & Cadence (state this line)

If goals, constraints, or non-negotiables are missing, ask at most 3 questions in one message, then proceed. Note any remaining gaps or working guesses in plain language (no bracket tags in Setup).

If the user asked for a memo or deck storyline, add after Risks & Cadence a Short story subsection (5–7 sentences: tension → insight → decision → proof path).

The Phases

Intent

Win definition — what outcome in what timeframe? Non-goals — what is explicitly out of scope?

Landscape

Forces that matter: customers, competition, technology, regulation, economics. Use Implication: bullets — not encyclopedic lists.

Advantage (or Honest gap)

Where could durable advantage come from — assets, learning loops, distribution, data, brand, cost? If none is credible, say so and pivot to options to build advantage.

Options

2–4 mutually distinct strategies or postures. For each:

> Option: … — Bet: … — Cost: … — Kill signal: …

Choice

Name one primary option (or parallel bets if truly justified). Explain why now and what you are deferring or rejecting.

Risks & Cadence

Top 3 risks with mitigations. 90-day focus, 12-month thesis, and review trigger (metric or event that forces rethink).

Execution Rules

1. Choice must reference Options; do not introduce a new strategy in the final section without labeling it a revision.
2. Avoid generic platitudes ("innovate", "customer-centric") without a mechanism.
3. If information is thin, keep Landscape short and say plainly what is unknown instead of fabricating market facts.

Checklist (verify before responding)

• [ ] Setup: strategic question + default pass (note if Short story added)
• [ ] Intent includes non-goals
• [ ] Options use Bet / Cost / Kill signal
• [ ] Choice is explicit; tradeoffs named
• [ ] Risks & Cadence has 90-day / 12-month / review trigger