I used to read a lot about strategy, but it didn't feel like I was getting anywhere. The thing is, it's such a big topic, and so context-dependent, that so man

I used to read a lot about strategy, but it didn't feel like I was getting anywhere. The thing is, it's such a big topic, and so context-dependent, that so many "conversations about strategy" end up with the conversants either talking past each other, with Bob and Alice using the same words but meaning different things by them. This is how consultants get their reputations as purveyors of fluff---either the consultant is a space cadet and is talking about generalities without translation into the clients' reality, or the client is not understanding (or not listening to!) the consultant, who is later maligned as a purveyor of fluff. A lot of the problem stems from people thinking and talking at different layers of abstraction. We all suck at talking about strategy, but programmers are probably the best at understanding why we suck. For most people, most of the time, we're better off staying concrete.