Strategy Is a Muscle, Not a PowerPoint

April 15, 2025 · Work/Shift Insights Issue #2

By Frederic Libet Descorne

First, thank you.

To everyone who subscribed, shared, commented, or sent me a message after the launch of Work/Shift newsletter, you genuinely made my week.

Launching something new always feels a little exposing. Seeing how many of you resonated with the idea of designing work differently? Means the world.

Now let’s keep the momentum going.

Strategy Is a Muscle, Not a PowerPoint

I sat in a boardroom last February watching a client's leadership team argue about desk bookings. Not talent. Not performance. Not purpose. Desks.

One exec said, “We need to drive utilisation back up.” Another said, “Let’s just mandate four days.” A third pulled up a pie chart, hoping the graphic would solve the culture problem.

And I thought: No one in this room is talking about strategy. They’re talking about furniture.

We’ve reduced workplace conversations to facilities management. Strategy’s been lost somewhere between space planning tools and a handful of hybrid policies.

That’s not leadership. That’s fear wearing a lanyard.

It’s time to stop reacting and start designing—intentionally, courageously, and like we actually believe work matters.

Here’s what I believe leaders need to focus on in 2025 if they want to stop spinning in circles and start moving forward.

1. Stop Making Space the Hero of the Story
   Designing around space is like planning a dinner party by measuring the chairs. It completely misses the point.

The office isn’t the product. It’s just one part of a larger system that should support alignment, creativity, and momentum.

If your workplace strategy doesn’t start with what the business is trying to achieve, you’re solving the wrong problem.

One of my clients slashed churn by 24% without changing a single square metre. They realigned teams around shared purpose and key “value moments.” No beanbags. No apps. Just clarity.

2. Culture Can’t Be Mandated (But It Can Be Designed)
I keep hearing, “We just want people back together.”

Cool. But why?

If the answer is “because culture,” then that’s not strategy. That’s nostalgia.

Let’s be honest: most offices weren’t great pre-COVID. Connection was surface-level. Leadership was distant. Trust was patchy. Why would anyone commute back to that?

Culture happens in moments. High-trust conversations. Feedback loops. Shared rituals. Real leadership presence. These things can’t be mandated but they can be designed in.

One client reframed the office as a “culture catalyst.” No forced attendance. No free snacks. Just purpose-built moments. Attendance tripled.
If this sounds like your exec team, drop me a message. I want to hear what you're seeing.

3. Future-Proofing Is a Practice, Not a Project
   If your workplace model can’t flex, it’ll break.

If your leadership can’t listen, they’ll miss the signals.

If your systems don’t evolve, your people will outgrow them or leave.

Future-proofing isn’t about guessing the next trend. It’s about building resilience into your operating model:

Fast feedback cycles
Modular environments
Permission to test and adjust
And above all, clarity on what you’re solving for

One client turned a quarterly “Workplace Health Check” into their most valuable leadership dashboard. It stopped being about sentiment. It became a pulse check on performance, connection, and risk.

Shift This:

Ask yourself:

Where are you clinging to legacy because it feels safe?
What part of your strategy is running on autopilot?
If you could burn the playbook and rebuild it tomorrow, what would you keep?

Because here’s the truth:

Strategy isn’t a PowerPoint. It’s a muscle. And if you’re not stretching it, it’s not working.

This is Work/Shift, where we rethink how we lead, design, and show up to work.

If this made you uncomfortable, good. That’s where real change starts. Subscribe, share, and let’s build something better.

Your move.