How To Overcome Strategy Myopia

CARTER REPORTS

Author

David Paul Carter
April 30, 2025

Insights for Leaders and Teams

Welcome to the first editions of the new Carter Reports! Each week, I will focus on sharp insights, practical strategies, and must-know updates to help your business thrive. Let’s kick things off with a powerful thought: Realize that everything connects to everything else.

This philosophy guides everything I do. Western thinkers like Leonardo da Vinci stressed the importance of seeing patterns. Da Vinci believed that nothing exists by itself. This idea encourages us to pause and pay attention to the links between what we see, do, or think, and how things fit together.

My endeavor is to help you find your clarity on business and personal growth, tools, and new perspectives.

David Paul Carter, The Clarity Guy™

Table of Contents

How To Overcome Strategy Myopia

Even successful businesses can fall victim to strategy myopia. Strategy myopia happens when you focus too much on immediate needs or details and miss the bigger picture. This can lead to missed opportunities and slow growth, even if your daily work feels productive.

A classic example of strategy myopia is what happened to Kodak. The company focused on selling film and ignored the rise of digital cameras. Even though they had the technology, leaders chose not to change, leading to years of decline.

Retailers that rejected online shopping at first—like Borders—also showed strategy myopia. These companies focused on what worked before, not what customers wanted or how the marketplace was changing.

Key Warning Signs of Strategy Myopia

So, what are some indications of possible strategy myopia in your company that you and your leadership team should be aware of?

  • Short-term metrics overshadow long-term health indicators

  • Customer feedback from current users drowns out signals from the broader market

  • Leadership confuses operational efficiency with strategic effectiveness

  • Competitive threats from adjacent industries go unnoticed

  • Success creates a false sense of invulnerability

The remedy isn’t abandoning short-term goals, but thinking broadly about the ‘art of the possible’ while still grounded in reality. As one CEO I work with recently said, “We now dedicate as much boardroom time to discussing the business we need to become as we do to the business we currently are.”

Seth Godin in his HBR Article How to Avoid Strategy Myopia presents five principles to consider to keep your vision broad and not get stuck.

Read the full article on my blog: "How To Overcome Strategy Myopia"

Market Pulse

Subscription Model Evolution: Shifting from Growth to Retention.
The subscription business landscape is experiencing a significant transformation in 2025. What began as a race for subscriber acquisition has matured into a sophisticated focus on retention metrics and lifetime value. Sustainable growth comes from extending customer relationships rather than just acquiring new ones. As acquisition costs continue to rise, this retention-first approach is becoming essential for profitability in the subscription economy.

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Closing Thoughts

“The best way to predict the future is to create it." – Peter Drucker

This week, take one action that moves your business forward. Small steps lead to big change!

Growth isn’t about massive leaps—it’s about consistent, incremental improvements. Identify one area in your business that could use a boost and implement a small but impactful change.

What’s your biggest business challenge right now? I’d love to hear from you! Also, if you found this valuable, share it with a fellow business owner.

Looking forward to helping you build a thriving business in 2025!

David Paul Carter
The Carter Reports Newsletter

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