Bold Talk, But No Follow-Through? You Might Be Performative With Your Strategy Executives performing strategic leadership without substance create cynicism, waste resources and undermine organizational effectiveness.

Leadership often devolves into performance art rather than substantive direction. When executives engage in what might be called "strategy LARPING" — Live-Action Role-Playing of strategic leadership without the substance behind it — the consequences ripple throughout an organization, undermining both culture and productivity.

Related: 3 Costly Mistakes CEOs Make When They Fail Their Company Culture

The strategy theater phenomenon

We've all witnessed it: the executive team emerges from a multi-day retreat brandishing sleek decks filled with ambitious mission statements, audacious goals and complicated frameworks. They present with conviction, speaking the language of disruption and transformation. The problem? Often, these performances lack any genuine strategic depth or executable plans.

Many leaders confuse strategic theater with strategic thinking. This leadership LARPING manifests in various ways. The endless cycle of reorganizations that don't address fundamental issues, the adoption of business methodologies without proper implementation, or the announcement of bold visions without corresponding resources or timeline commitments.

When leaders engage in strategic role-playing rather than authentic leadership, employees notice immediately. The damage to organizational culture occurs across multiple dimensions:

• Trust Erosion: Employees quickly learn to recognize the disconnect between leadership proclamations and operational reality. Each unfulfilled strategic initiative trains staff to discount future announcements, creating a "boy who cried wolf" dynamic that makes genuine change initiatives nearly impossible to implement.
• Cynicism Acceleration: Nothing corrodes workplace culture faster than leadership inauthenticity. When employees start making jokes about the latest 'strategic pivot' before it's even announced, you've lost the cultural foundation needed for meaningful progress.
• Middle Management Squeeze: Those caught between strategic LARPers at the top and frontline workers bear the heaviest burden. Middle managers must translate empty strategies into actionable directives while managing the frustration of teams who see through the charade.

Related: 3 Signs That Managers, Not Employees, Are the Problem With Performance Management

Beyond cultural damage, strategy LARPing extracts a measurable toll on productivity:

• Misallocated Resources: Hours spent in meetings discussing aspirational strategies could otherwise be directed toward tangible improvements. When companies cycle through strategic frameworks without allowing sufficient implementation time, resources are wasted on constant reorientation rather than execution.
• Decision Paralysis: Without clear strategic guardrails, decision-making throughout the organization slows to a crawl. Teams become hesitant to commit resources when they suspect another strategic "refresh" might render their work irrelevant.
• Initiative Fatigue: Each new strategic direction demands energy and attention from already stretched teams. When these initiatives prove hollow, employee engagement plummets and burnout accelerates.
• Hidden Operational Costs: The constant shifts in priorities create significant operational friction. Systems, processes and team structures designed for one approach must be reconfigured for another, often before they've had time to mature and deliver value.
• Breaking the Pattern
• Companies that maintain authentic strategic direction share several characteristics that others can emulate:
• Constancy of Purpose: Truly strategic companies maintain consistency in their core direction while allowing flexibility in tactical execution. They resist chasing every business trend and instead focus on evolutionary progress toward well-defined objectives.
• Implementation Reality: The best strategy sessions end with explicit assignments, deadlines and resource commitments. Genuine strategic leaders know exactly what should happen next, who is responsible, and when to evaluate progress.
• Feedback Loops: Strategic authenticity requires mechanisms for honest assessment. Leaders must create environments where teams can safely report implementation challenges without fear of political repercussions.
• Strategic Simplicity: Complexity often masks the absence of genuine strategic thinking. Leaders demonstrating authentic strategic direction can typically express their core approach in straightforward language accessible to everyone in the organization.
• Execution Discipline: Strategic clarity means little without disciplined execution. Authentic strategic leaders establish rhythms of accountability that ensure strategic priorities receive sustained attention despite daily operational demands.

Related: Is Your Leadership Team Failing Your Employees?

The authenticity advantage

Organizations that escape the strategy LARPING trap gain significant advantages. Research from performance management firm Kotter International suggests companies with consistent, well-implemented strategies outperform their sectors by an average of 30% over five-year periods.

More importantly, these organizations develop cultural resilience. When employees trust leadership's strategic direction, they more readily accept necessary changes and contribute discretionary effort toward organizational goals.

The irony is that authentic strategic leadership requires less performance but more courage. Leaders must be willing to commit to directions that might fail, maintain course through criticism and acknowledge when adjustments are needed.

In an era of rapidly evolving business conditions, the distinction between LARPING strategy and embodying it has never been more critical. Organizations that break free from strategic theater build the cultural foundations and productivity engines that drive sustainable success.

The leadership challenge

For executives, identifying whether they've slipped into strategy LARPING requires honest self-assessment:

• Are strategic priorities consistently communicated and reinforced across all leadership interactions?
• Do strategic planning sessions produce concrete, measurable outcomes with clear ownership?
• Is there a demonstrable link between strategic pronouncements and resource allocation decisions?
• Can every member of the leadership team articulate how their daily activities connect to the broader strategy?

The most revealing test is simple. Can your frontline employees explain your strategy and their role in it? If not, you're likely engaged in strategic theater rather than strategic leadership.

A powerful question leaders can ask themselves: Are we playing at strategy, or are we living it? The answer makes all the difference to your company's future.