The compass in a storm
My company was once hired by a regional bank facing massive disruption. New fintech startups were eating their lunch. Regulators were breathing down their necks. Staff were burnt out. The CEO and entire EXCO wanted answers: “How do we keep focus when the world keeps shifting beneath our feet?”
The fact is that if the pace of change outside is faster than the pace inside, stagnation happens to the slow.
I remembered reading a story in a book where it was clear that a sailor does not control the wind. He controls the sail and the compass.
Many executives today are tossed about like ships without anchors. Every week, a new priority. Every month, a new workshop. Every quarter, a new excuse. That is not a strategy. That is panic with PowerPoint and men in suits.
Focus is not about ignoring the world. It is about choosing your world.
When I diagnose companies, I begin with what I call the Fixed Point Audit, what is the one thing this business must not lose, no matter what changes? For a logistics firm I supported, it was delivery reliability. For a health NGO, it was patient trust. For a media house, it was speed to publish.
Once that point is clear, everything else aligns.
- a) Your calendar reflects it.
- b) Your budget protects it.
- c) Your team understands it.
The bank I mentioned above? We simplified their strategy to just three “non-negotiables.” Every meeting, every project, every decision had to tie back to one of the three. Within six months, they cut waste by 28% and staff morale doubled.
Ask yourself: What is our fixed point? If your team cannot answer in five seconds, you have already drifted.
Enter Mr Strategy’s Compass Card
Create a card with three sections:
- Our fixed point
- Signals of drift (what it looks like when we are losing focus)
- Anchors of alignment (what we must do weekly to stay true)
Table 1: Mr Strategy’s Compass Card
| Section | Description | Mr Strategy’s insight |
| 1. Our fixed point | The non-negotiable mission or strategic objective we are moving toward. This does not change, even if tactics evolve. | Example: “To become the most trusted digital payments provider in East Africa by 2027.”
It must be precise, time-bound, and measurable.
It guides all execution decisions. |
| 2. Signals of drift | Observable signs that we are veering off-course. These are red flags for leadership attention. | a) Projects multiplying with no link to strategic priorities
b) Weekly firefighting with no space for deep work c) KPIs shifting without alignment |
| 3. Anchors of alignment | Non-negotiable rituals and routines that bring everyone back to the fixed point, every single week. | a) Monday, 9 am “Direction Check-in” to review one strategic metric per team
b) Friday, 3 pm “Execution Clinic” to fix blockers c) Leaders ask: “How did this activity move us closer to the fixed point?” |
How to use this tool
- Print the Compass Card for each team and display it in your war room or project boards.
- Review Signals of Drift during weekly executive reviews, call them out immediately.
- Use the Anchors of Alignment to regain focus when urgency distracts you from importance.
Run a “Compass Reset” session every quarter. Start by revisiting the Fixed Point. Ask each department to present their top 3 wins that moved the organization closer to it. No jargon. No vanity metrics. Just strategic movement.
Because the storm will not stop. But with a compass, you do not need it to.
Mr. Strategy
