The Strategist Hat.
Direction, deliberate choices, priorities, and what the firm will decline.
Strategy remains late on the agenda and the firm's direction is visible only in hindsight.
Direction emerges reactively; opportunities repeatedly reopen questions about the firm's identity.
- Protected strategic time
- Reliable information
- Explicit choices
- The ability to decline work
Setting firm direction without a strategy day
Three questions, a 90-day cycle, and the metrics that signal whether direction is actually moving.
Setting firm direction without a strategy day→
Three questions, a 90-day cycle, and the metrics that signal whether direction is actually moving.
When to decline a matterSign up to read →
Six traits of the matters small firms most regret taking, a decline test for intake, and how to say no within a day.
Commercial
Understanding how the firm makes, loses, and leaks money.
People
Performance, behaviour, wellbeing, development, supervision, and exits.
Culture
The behaviours the firm repeatedly permits and therefore teaches others to copy.
Operations
Workflows, handoffs, waiting points, process consistency, and operating design.
Technology
The behavioural and process change surrounding technology, not merely procurement.
Client Experience
The consistency, clarity, responsiveness, and confidence experienced by clients.
Compliance & Risk
The living connection between formal policy and actual behaviour under pressure.
New Business
Where the next client comes from — marketing, referrals, enquiries, and proposals.
We also run Techsperience (legal-tech support) and Clearmatter (matter management). Mostly we write. Learn more →