Most strategy is, unfortunately, bullshit.

Complicated.
Dense.
Timid.

And more concerned with "optimisation" and "efficiency" than what really matters:

-> Making a big move that's going to change the game.

That's real strategy.

The kind that builds categories of one.
Inspires teams.
Locks-in customers.
Is written about in books.
Turns executives into legends.

...and frankly turns our boring business lives into a true adventure.

(Because I don't know about you, but I'm not here to shuffle papers until I die)

No Bullshit Strategy is how you do it.

If you want to be able to:

- Read markets like a book
- Conjure innovations nobody saw coming
- Build companies with no competitors
- Inspire teams to follow you into the unknown

...then you're in the right place.

Start here 👇

To work with me to develop a strategy like this, or embed these skills into your organisation, learn more here:

👉 www.basicarts.org/work-with-alex/

To get my ultimate strategy document template (that forces you to think the right way), totally free, grab it here:

👉 www.basicarts.org/template

To read No Bullshit Strategy, that helps you master these skills for the price of a cocktail, and which is passed around in the halls of many of the world's top brands:

👉 Go wherever you get your books

For video deep dives on these topics, check out my YouTube:

👉 youtube.com/alexmhsmith

And if you're a small business or want to learn these techniques yourself (or to use on your clients - I don't mind!), then you've gotta see this:

👉 www.strategyshortcutsystem.com

Business is an adventure.
Strategy is the map.

Let’s set out.

Alex

Alex M H Smith

This isn't a post about AI.

This is a post about you.

Moreover, it's a post about how your brain solves problems - a process that's more weird than you think.

It works for me, hope it works for you too.
__

This idea first appeared in richer detail on my newsletter, The Hidden Path.

To subscribe for free, go here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

No Bullsh*t Strategy | Courage, meaning, and creation in business | Speaker | Author

When I do (and don't) use AI

A "leader" is not just "a senior person in a business".

It's also not someone who's in charge of people.
Or someone with a team.

--- It's actually something very specific - and rare.

Are you one? The slides reveal all...

Hope you enjoy.

(and if you want to actually lead, start here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf )

Are you a leader or a manager?

A little while ago, a woman was asking me for advice regarding her small chain of baby care stores.

(Is that what you call them? Baby care? Baby equipment? Anyway you know, prams, bottles, and stuff)

So I asked her the first obvious question:

"Well, what makes you different?"

She thought for a while, and ultimately landed on the ultimate get-out-clause of differentiation:

"It would have to be our customer service!"

OK, cool, maybe that's true. So I probed a bit deeper, and asked:

"What exactly do you do to have such good customer service?"

At this there was silence. It took her a while to even process the idea that in order to have "exceptional" customer service, you must first DO something execeptional to create it. Otherwise, it's physically impossible, isn't it?

(Note that almost every business I speak to misses this point - she was in great company)

I gave an example:

"Well, for instance do you only shop staff who have been parents already? If you did, then for sure they would be able to provide deeper and more empathetic service than other stores, right?"

But no, she didn't do this. Her hiring practices were normal.

Eventually we established that there wasn't anything in particular that made it special - it just sort of "was" because she believed it to be true.

And this is true of almost EVERY claim EVERY business makes.

And this is why they find sales so difficult.

Because claims don't sell.
Facts sell.

Facts that make the claim self-evident.

Imagine if she did only hire people who'd already had kids. Wouldn't that be a cool story? Wouldn't that provide substance to her claims? Wouldn't that make you want to go to her store to buy your car seat or whatever?

For sure it would.

So your job is simple: create some facts.

Do some undeniable things, just like this, that make your claims superfluous. Creative, thoughtful, surprising things your competitors wouldn't do.

And then watch how much easier it becomes.

(P.S. this taks becomes a lot easier with this: www.basicarts.org/toolkit )

Facts not claims

Strange isn't it:

- Every company claims they're different.
- But we all know that very few truly are.

How is this possible?

Is it delusion?
Is it lies?

No, actually it's more complicated than that. It's a phenomenon we might call "fake differentiation".

And it's probably infecting your company right now.

Read on to spot it instantly.
__

This post is 100% AI-free.

And so is my weekly newsletter on bold strategic thinking, The Hidden Path.

Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

Fake differentiation is everywhere

Most strategy is bullshit.

Quite literally.

Bullshit means “a bunch of fancy words which actually mean nothing at all”, and that sure does describe most strategy you come across.

Fortunately there’s a remedy: the three exercises in these slides.

Check them out, and see how your business stacks up.

__

P.S. These are the kinds of strategy hacks I’m releasing every week in my newsletter, The Hidden Path.

Join 28,000 other creative leaders right here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

How you can tell if a strategy is actually bullshit

I heard Roger Martin say that he'd never seen any course or program that was dedicated to creating novel hypotheses.

A great point - and a pretty big problem given that this is how all REAL strategy starts.

So I decided to churn out 5 easy methods for doing just that.

Not saying the ideas will be "right".

But they will be "novel".

And that, ultimately, is what really counts.

___

There's plenty more where this came from via my newsletter that teaches entrepreneurial strategic thinking.

Subscribe for free, here: https://lnkd.in/eJSPsGUf

Researcher | Published Author | Ex-Tenured Professor | I help Indian international students and professionals take charge of their American immigration journey

👋 Hi there! I'm Aditi Paul - Former tenured professor with over a decade of experience doing research on social media, online dating, and technology's impact on human lives.

Throughout my professional career, there was one thing that was a constant bother.

Dealing with immigration.

I've gone through the arduous F1  ▶️ H1B  ▶️ EB2  ▶️ EB1 route and finally earned my green card.

I know firsthand how challenging immigration can be. 

⭐️ This is why my goal is to help the next generation of immigrants navigate their journey with confidence and ease.

This is how I can help

✅ Follow me on Linkedin and Substack - I share insights about the EB1 process 5 times a week

✅ Join my exclusive Slack community of EB1 green card aspirants (There are over 5,300 people in there) 

✅ 1:1 call to jumpstart your EB1 prep (link : Topmate.io/draditipaul)

✅ Get a copy of The EB1 Starter Pack (link : Topmate.io/draditipaul)

or if you'd like to get down to business and work 1:1 with me

DM "GO" and I'll send you the details.


Disclaimer: Please note that all content I create on immigration matters is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. It is important to consult with a licensed attorney who specializes in immigration law. 


------------------------------------------------------------------

A snapshot of my professional profile:

► Conceptualized and executed seven research projects resulting in 

◊ 98+ quotes in popular media outlets including NBC News, Newsweek, Business Insider, The Washington Post, CNET, Bustle, and Psychology Today
◊ 25 speaking engagements at conferences, universities, and corporate events at IBM and TEDxBushwick
◊ 22+ media interviews
◊ $19,463 research funds acquisition
◊ 9 publications (research papers, reports, book chapters, and sole-authored book)
◊ 3 fellowships with Wikipedia, Association of National Advertisers, and New York University
◊ 3 research awards 

►  For more information, visit: http://www.draditipaul.com/

Aditi Paul, PhD 🟢

You can't make this sh*t up even if you tried

According to recent reports, a large percentage of "extraordinary ability" visas reserved for artists (O1-B) are now being given to OnlyFans influenzas

Hate all you want

But, I see this as a positive thing

For 2 reasons:

1. Immigrants filling voids in every sector of the economy, including sugar babies

#representationmatters 

2. This shows that USCIS understands that "extraordinary" can be demonstrated in different ways

Not just through those 800 BC archaic measures like

- patents
- papers
- citations

I am excited for the future ya'll

Particularly waiting for the EB1 profile building service bros cashing in on this

Can't wait for them to guarantee you

Backdated citations
UK and US based patents
Titan and Ubtan awards

and now guaranteed 100,000 sugar daddy subscriptions on your onlyfans

Launch it right now, guys

Times are tickin'


------------------------

PS: If you want to craft a compelling EB1 profile that actually stands out

📌  Start here : https://lnkd.in/euk2dEJm

I've distilled it down to 3 steps

Aditi Paul,PhD

Get EB1-ready with a proven game plan • make real progress in 4–6 hrs of focused work / week, so you can live in the US with freedom & ease • 138+ clients 3900+ customers served • DM “GO” to work with me 1:1

I got to know about EB1 in 2015

For 4 years I didn't do jacksh*t

But, when I finally decided to pursue it in 2019 I wanted the results overnight

This lack of patience caused me more pain, made me lose my peace of mind, than actually doing the work to get EB1

In reality, it only took me 3 years of focused effort get EB1 done

But this unrealistic timeline I had for myself

Made those 3 years feel like a lifetime

That is why, if I had to re-do EB1 all over again

The first change  I would make is mentally prepare myself to accept the fact that this will take time

That it is not going to be done in 6 months

- I would have saved myself a lot of agony
- I would have been a better partner to my lawyer
- I would have done EB1 with a lot more peace of mind

Like Justin Welsh said recently:

Everyone is looking for a hack

The hack is patience


------------------------

PS: If you do want to fast-track EB1

Start with a good strategy

I've simplified it into 3 steps

https://lnkd.in/euk2dEJm

Biggest hack in EB1 - 
Knowing which criteria to focus on (and which to ignore)

Its not the same for everyone

You can break it down into 2 camps - Industry vs. Academia

For industry professionals

(engineers, product, pharma, oil and gas, and so on)

Your top 3 criteria are:

- Critical role
- Original contributions
- Authorship / Talks

Critical role is where you show how important you are for your employer

And no….
Making billions of dollars is not automatically “critical”

Original contributions is where you show the work you have done inside the company, the impact of that has been felt outside the company 

In a way that its changed how things are done in your industry

Authorship is how you show your expertise is coveted not only inside your company, but outside of it as well. 

I hate the term "thought leader" but that is what you essentially need to show 

PS: some may say salary, but then thats a whole minefield in and of itself

For academics

(researchers, professors, post docs, R&D leaning work)

Your top 3 criteria are similar to industry except one

You dont focus on critical role, you focus on judging

Thats peer reviewing for you

But be careful

For better or for worse, USCIS is more familiar with academic work than industry work

They do throw accusations like:

"Well every academic publishes papers and peer-reviews. 
what makes YOU so special?"

At this point it becomes crucial for you to show the true impact and utility of your work

Do not just rely on shallow citation metrics

I share how I did it in this video


------------------

Need help focusing on the right criteria?

📌 Grab the EB1 Playbook : https://lnkd.in/e-95xgey

Its got insights from 46 approved (and legit) EB1 cases

I skirted around the main problem for a long time

Until 2019

Thats when I had to get real with myself and sort the ONE problem out that solved every other problem in my life

My immigration status

I loved being a professor of communication studies

When I started this job in New York City in 2015, I had no plans of leaving it. I was straight out of grad school

- Got my H1B
- Got a steady paycheck
- Had 3 months off in summers

It felt like I hit jackpot

However, in 2019 - thats when the growing pains hit

I started feeling stuck, losing excitement about things I used to feel excited about, getting sick of predatory practices I saw in academia

I tried to renew my enthusiasm for the job by pursing professional growth opportunities

But nothing could shake off the feeling that I had outgrown the job 

It was time for me to move on

The only problem? I was on H1B

The only realistic way I could move on with my life and pursue opportunities that would help me grow professionally is by removing this H1B restriction once and forever

The only way to do that?  A green card

A green card was never just a green card for me 

A green card was my ticket to permanent professional sovereignty

-----------------------

EB1 was the only way I could get that green card

Want to take your first step toward EB1?

📌 Grab the playbook in the comments

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