Stop calling it strategy. Most leaders are not doing strategy; they are managing a glorified to-do list.
In this episode of Reflect Forward, I sit down with Simon Severino, author of Strategy Sprints, TEDx speaker, Forbes contributor, and CEO of Strategy Sprints, to talk about how to lead with clarity, focus, and speed. Simon helps leaders design an operating rhythm that turns lofty visions into measurable weekly wins, all without adding more meetings or complexity.
Simon has spent over two decades helping leaders enter markets, scale effectively, and remain competitive in uncertain times. His Strategy Sprints method replaces long planning cycles with focused 90-day sprints that keep teams learning, adapting, and moving fast. It is a system designed for real-life scenarios, where uncertainty is constant and leaders cannot afford to wait for perfect information.
Simon reminds us that strategy is not about being right; it is about learning fast. His Focus Card is a simple but powerful tool: one page for your strategy, one tab for weekly metrics. Every Monday, teams set their priorities. Every Friday, they review what is working and what is not. It is a rhythm that keeps everyone focused and aligned, turning strategy from theory into practice.
Simon also challenges leaders to build like Lego, not Duplo, modular, flexible, and fast to reconfigure. When markets shift, teams that move in small, adaptable units thrive. That mindset is not just tactical, it is cultural. It encourages curiosity, experimentation, and speed.
The beauty of Simon’s method is its simplicity. It does not add complexity; it removes it. The Strategy Sprint approach helps leaders focus on what matters, cut through noise, and lead teams that win through clarity and cadence.
My Takeaways
1. Plans list tasks. Strategy makes bets. Great leaders take responsibility for the assumptions they make.
2. Measure both cause and effect. Track the activities and the results they create.
3. Shorten your feedback loop. A Monday and Friday rhythm beats quarterly reviews every time.
4. Build modular. Smaller, faster systems are easier to adapt when the market shifts.
5. Seek truth, not validation. Try to invalidate your assumptions weekly. If they hold up, you are truly winning.
When I asked Simon what he wished leaders understood about strategy, he said:
“Do not try to prove you are right. Try to prove yourself wrong. If your assumptions survive, then you are winning.”
And if you want to bring more focus and agility to your team, try Simon’s Focus Card exercise. You might be surprised at how much clarity one page can bring.
Connect with Simon
https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonseverino/
https://www.facebook.com/simon.severino
https://x.com/simonseverino
https://www.strategysprints.com/
Connect with Kerry
Visit my website, kerrysiggins.com, to explore my book, The Ownership Mindset, and get more leadership resources. Let’s connect on LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok!
Find Reflect Forward on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerrysiggins-reflectforward
Find out more about my book here: https://kerrysiggins.com/the-ownership-mindset/
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-siggins/
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Stop calling it strategy. Most leaders are not doing strategy; they are managing a glorified to-do list.
In this episode of Reflect Forward, I sit down with Simon Severino, author of Strategy Sprints, TEDx speaker, Forbes contributor, and CEO of Strategy Sprints, to talk about how to lead with clarity, focus, and speed. Simon helps leaders design an operating rhythm that turns lofty visions into measurable weekly wins, all without adding more meetings or complexity.
Simon has spent over two decades helping leaders enter markets, scale effectively, and remain competitive in uncertain times. His Strategy Sprints method replaces long planning cycles with focused 90-day sprints that keep teams learning, adapting, and moving fast. It is a system designed for real-life scenarios, where uncertainty is constant and leaders cannot afford to wait for perfect information.
Simon reminds us that strategy is not about being right; it is about learning fast. His Focus Card is a simple but powerful tool: one page for your strategy, one tab for weekly metrics. Every Monday, teams set their priorities. Every Friday, they review what is working and what is not. It is a rhythm that keeps everyone focused and aligned, turning strategy from theory into practice.
Simon also challenges leaders to build like Lego, not Duplo, modular, flexible, and fast to reconfigure. When markets shift, teams that move in small, adaptable units thrive. That mindset is not just tactical, it is cultural. It encourages curiosity, experimentation, and speed.
The beauty of Simon’s method is its simplicity. It does not add complexity; it removes it. The Strategy Sprint approach helps leaders focus on what matters, cut through noise, and lead teams that win through clarity and cadence.
My Takeaways
1. Plans list tasks. Strategy makes bets. Great leaders take responsibility for the assumptions they make.
2. Measure both cause and effect. Track the activities and the results they create.
3. Shorten your feedback loop. A Monday and Friday rhythm beats quarterly reviews every time.
4. Build modular. Smaller, faster systems are easier to adapt when the market shifts.
5. Seek truth, not validation. Try to invalidate your assumptions weekly. If they hold up, you are truly winning.
When I asked Simon what he wished leaders understood about strategy, he said:
“Do not try to prove you are right. Try to prove yourself wrong. If your assumptions survive, then you are winning.”
And if you want to bring more focus and agility to your team, try Simon’s Focus Card exercise. You might be surprised at how much clarity one page can bring.
Connect with Simon
https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonseverino/
https://www.facebook.com/simon.severino
https://x.com/simonseverino
https://www.strategysprints.com/
Connect with Kerry
Visit my website, kerrysiggins.com, to explore my book, The Ownership Mindset, and get more leadership resources. Let’s connect on LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok!
Find Reflect Forward on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerrysiggins-reflectforward
Find out more about my book here: https://kerrysiggins.com/the-ownership-mindset/
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-siggins/
How to be a super performer is a question every ambitious leader wrestles with. We chase higher goals, push our teams, and try to sustain momentum, but often overlook the real drivers of lasting success. True performance is not about doing more. It is about uncovering the root causes of success and creating the conditions where people can thrive.
In this episode of Reflect Forward, George Pesansky joins me to flip the script on performance. With over 30 years of experience in operational excellence, George has helped companies worldwide transform through lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement. His new book Super Performance distills the lessons he has learned, and in this conversation, he shares how to apply them to your leadership, your teams, and even your personal growth.
We dig into why the “Prison of Expectations” quietly kills commitment, how to stretch your most productive “Golden Hour,” and why resilience and self-awareness are non-negotiables for anyone who wants to lead well. We also explore what sustainable momentum really looks like and how leaders can empower others without bottlenecking progress.
George’s insights are practical, powerful, and rooted in humility. This conversation will challenge your perspective on leadership and help you design systems for sustainable success without burning out yourself or your team.
Key Takeaways
1. Find the root causes of your success. Do not just analyze problems. Dissect your wins and double down on what works.
2. Protect and extend your Golden Hour. Name the time and conditions when you are most effective and build more of it into your day.
3. Escape the Prison of Expectations. Pressure without psychological safety kills commitment. Replace it with clarity and curiosity.
4. Lead with curiosity, not control. Step out of the boardroom, go to where the work happens, and ask questions to learn.
5. Momentum is addition and subtraction. True progress comes when your gains outpace the losses created by turnover, inefficiencies, and neglect.
Mic Drop Moments
• “If you try to be the hero of every story, you will burn out and bottleneck your company.”
• “The Golden Hour is not luck. It is a designed environment you can repeat and stretch.”
• “Pressure without safety creates the Prison of Expectations where people stop committing.”
• “Real leadership is when the day-to-day runs without you because the why and the what are clear.”
• “Do the Five Whys on your wins. Success leaves clues.”
George’s book Super Performance is available now wherever books are sold. To learn more about him and his work, visit georgepesansky.com and myblendedlearning.com.
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who could benefit. And don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave a review helps me spread the message of intentional leadership and the ownership mindset even further.
Connect with Kerry
Visit my website, kerrysiggins.com, to explore my book, The Ownership Mindset, and get more leadership resources. Let’s connect on LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok!
Find Reflect Forward on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerrysiggins-reflectforward
Find out more about my book here: https://kerrysiggins.com/the-ownership-mindset/
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-siggins/
Reflect Forward
Stop calling it strategy. Most leaders are not doing strategy; they are managing a glorified to-do list.
In this episode of Reflect Forward, I sit down with Simon Severino, author of Strategy Sprints, TEDx speaker, Forbes contributor, and CEO of Strategy Sprints, to talk about how to lead with clarity, focus, and speed. Simon helps leaders design an operating rhythm that turns lofty visions into measurable weekly wins, all without adding more meetings or complexity.
Simon has spent over two decades helping leaders enter markets, scale effectively, and remain competitive in uncertain times. His Strategy Sprints method replaces long planning cycles with focused 90-day sprints that keep teams learning, adapting, and moving fast. It is a system designed for real-life scenarios, where uncertainty is constant and leaders cannot afford to wait for perfect information.
Simon reminds us that strategy is not about being right; it is about learning fast. His Focus Card is a simple but powerful tool: one page for your strategy, one tab for weekly metrics. Every Monday, teams set their priorities. Every Friday, they review what is working and what is not. It is a rhythm that keeps everyone focused and aligned, turning strategy from theory into practice.
Simon also challenges leaders to build like Lego, not Duplo, modular, flexible, and fast to reconfigure. When markets shift, teams that move in small, adaptable units thrive. That mindset is not just tactical, it is cultural. It encourages curiosity, experimentation, and speed.
The beauty of Simon’s method is its simplicity. It does not add complexity; it removes it. The Strategy Sprint approach helps leaders focus on what matters, cut through noise, and lead teams that win through clarity and cadence.
My Takeaways
1. Plans list tasks. Strategy makes bets. Great leaders take responsibility for the assumptions they make.
2. Measure both cause and effect. Track the activities and the results they create.
3. Shorten your feedback loop. A Monday and Friday rhythm beats quarterly reviews every time.
4. Build modular. Smaller, faster systems are easier to adapt when the market shifts.
5. Seek truth, not validation. Try to invalidate your assumptions weekly. If they hold up, you are truly winning.
When I asked Simon what he wished leaders understood about strategy, he said:
“Do not try to prove you are right. Try to prove yourself wrong. If your assumptions survive, then you are winning.”
And if you want to bring more focus and agility to your team, try Simon’s Focus Card exercise. You might be surprised at how much clarity one page can bring.
Connect with Simon
https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonseverino/
https://www.facebook.com/simon.severino
https://x.com/simonseverino
https://www.strategysprints.com/
Connect with Kerry
Visit my website, kerrysiggins.com, to explore my book, The Ownership Mindset, and get more leadership resources. Let’s connect on LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok!
Find Reflect Forward on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kerrysiggins-reflectforward
Find out more about my book here: https://kerrysiggins.com/the-ownership-mindset/
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-siggins/
