In this ninth Ideas That Matter episode, host Ted Wolf continues the strategy-focused series with Professor Willie Pietersen, diving deeply into the concept he is best known for: strategic learning—a complete, repeatable system for building strategy that actually works. Rather than treating strategy as a one-time planning exercise, Professor Pietersen explains why effective strategy must be grounded in continuous learning. Strategic learning begins with careful observation, moves through focused choice and alignment, and ends with disciplined execution—before looping back as conditions evolve. It is this cycle, repeated over time, that creates organizational strength. Drawing on decades of leadership experience and real-world examples from business, healthcare, and national security, the conversation highlights what separates coherent strategy from improvisation. Ted and Professor Pietersen examine lessons from Kodak, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, and military planning to show how bias, fragmentation, and lack of follow-through undermine even the best intentions. A central message of the Ideas That Matter series is reinforced powerfully here: strategy succeeds not because plans are perfect, but because leaders stay engaged, curious, and willing to learn. When planning fails—as it inevitably will—learning must continue. This episode offers leaders a practical, disciplined framework for building strategy that adapts, endures, and delivers results over time—through repetition, reflection, and leadership behavior that turns insight into action.
