Too many executives are focused on the near field obstacles ahead of the end game.  They collapse the time frames in their strategic thinking based on ‘felt’ competitive pressures.  Gary Hamel observed nearly 30 years ago, “most strategic plans tell us more about today’s problems than tomorrow’s opportunities”.

But Jeff Bezos (CEO Amazon) argues that a short time horizon confines organisations to a crowded competitive space.  How do you extend the attention span of the organisation?  Thinking about the longer-term future does not guarantee success, but the converse pretty much guarantees failure in today’s competitive landscape.

DDB ... a strategist's view