You’ve seen it before. The leadership team gets together for a strategic offsite. Everyone is energized. Big words are written on whiteboards: “We want to lead the market.” “We aim to double our impact.” “We will be more innovative.”

Fast forward six months, and the excitement is gone. What remains is a patchwork of disconnected initiatives—some promising, others completely off-track. Resources are scattered, priorities unclear, and no one’s really sure what to say “no” to.

The team didn’t fail to define goals. What they failed to do was define the rules of the game.

That critical step—the one that connects vision with action—is what I call the missing middle. And most strategies fail right there.

When Everything Fits, Nothing Works

Most strategy frameworks are great at helping teams define their ambition. They ask:

• What’s your purpose?

• What are your goals?

• What does success look like?

These are necessary questions—but they’re not sufficient.

What’s often missing is the next layer down: What paths are we actually willing to pursue to get there? What paths are off the table? This is where most strategy exercises fall short. Teams leave with a north star—but no compass. They align on where they want to go, but not on the rules of engagement to get there. And so, anything goes.

Why does this happen?

Because guidelines sound boring. They feel like constraints. And when teams are in creative, visionary mode, they don’t want constraints. They want possibilities. But strategy is not the art of exploring every possibility—it’s the discipline of choosing. Choosing a path implies giving up others. That’s what guidelines do: they define the edges of the playing field so the team can actually play the game.

Without guidelines, every new idea feels like it could fit. And that’s the problem. Suddenly, you’re launching new digital products and expanding into unfamiliar geographies and entering low-margin segments and investing in innovation labs and doing everything else your competitors do—because none of it was ruled out.

The result? A strategy definition that could belong to any company—full of beautiful, generic phrases that sound impressive but say little about your specific context or ambition. And a scattered portfolio of disconnected initiatives—cool things to try, perhaps, but with no clear link to the goals you’re actually trying to achieve.

The Power of Guidelines: Turning Ambition into Focused Choices

Let’s say your ambition is to become a top-three player in your sector. That’s a strong directional goal—but still vague. Now ask: How are we willing to get there? Are we prioritizing organic growth, or are we open to acquisitions? Are we expanding globally, or focusing on deepening our footprint in current markets? Will we lead on cost, on experience, or on innovation? Are we entering adjacent segments, or doubling down on our core?

Each answer is a strategic guideline. And each one narrows the space of acceptable initiatives.

Let’s ground it in an example.

Saying “We want to lead the market in five years” is not the same as saying:

“We want to achieve 20% market share in three categories we’ve defined as ‘destiny,’ and we are willing to pursue that goal through inorganic growth only acquiring players that give us reach in the Northeast and Southeast regions within the boundaries of the State of Texas. We will not pursue new product development during this time unless it directly strengthens these acquisitions.”

That’s not just a statement of ambition—it’s a guideline-driven strategy. It allows a management team to evaluate any proposed initiative and ask: Does this move us closer to our goal within the rules we’ve agreed to?

If the answer is yes, it belongs in the portfolio. If not, no matter how exciting, it goes in the parking lot.

This is how you build a coherent strategy—a set of choices that reinforce each other, rather than compete for attention and resources.

You Found the North Star—Now Bring the Compass

A bold ambition is a powerful thing. It gives your organization direction, clarity of intent, and something to rally around. But a north star alone doesn’t get you anywhere.

Because having a direction is not the same as knowing how to move.

Without clear strategic guidelines—your compass—you’ll chase every shiny opportunity, spread resources thin, and fill your plan with disconnected, low-impact initiatives that feel exciting but lead nowhere.

The truth is: A strategy that tries to include everything ends up standing for nothing.

So ask yourself: What are the rules of the game we’re playing? What are we willing to do—and what are we not?

Your north star gives you purpose. Your compass—your guidelines—gives you the power to move with intent and confidence.

Because strategy isn’t just about choosing where to go—it’s about choosing how to get there.

Ximena Jimenez

Founder – Managing Director LITup

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