Beyond Default Book Review: Don’t be a Failure by Default

Executive Magazine, November 2017 “All organisations have a default future – as do individuals, families, communities and societies. It’s the place they will end up if no action is taken, other than that which is currently planned. If the default future is judged to be an attractive destination, then there is no need to take any action; you’ll arrive there …

Operationalising Ideas

Thinkers50, 28 December 2017 Ideas are important, as without ideas there can be no progress. But not all ideas are good or make a positive contribution to business and society. Some ideas may be interesting – and possibly intellectually stimulating – but are of no other value when it comes to informing organisational strategy and transformational change. The potential value …

Confronting Your Default Future

Mi Business Mag, 8 January 2018 Individually, each of us has a default future; as do our businesses, families, communities and societies. It’s the place we will end up if we take no action other than that currently planned. If the default future is aligned with your ambition and aspirations, then simply enjoy the experience and be sure to keep …

The ‘Beyond Default’ Leader

Much has been written about leadership, most of which focuses on the characteristics and behaviours of what the writer considers to be a successful leader. It could be argued that there are as many types of successful leader as there are writers on the subject. And some argue further that the distinction between leadership and management is meaningless as good …

Didn’t See That Coming

The HR Director Magazine, February 2018 edition, pages 48-49 Conventional thinking on strategy is that it begins by defining a compelling vision, complete with big, hairy, audacious goals (BHAGs). Then follows a plan for achieving the vision that is executed flawlessly. Sounds easy. So why is corporate history littered with organisations that have failed to react to change? The evidence …

Beyond Default Book Review

Review by Graham White for The HR Director “In a world that has lost sight of the ageless skill of prescience Trafford and Boggis have produced a masterpiece of writing that in less than 300 pages delivers a new and innovative approach to developing, applying and implementing executive strategy. Despite asking question after question; (three in the first sentence of …

Most strategies don’t work! Here’s how to have one that does

The Next Ten Years, 26 February 2018 Nick Bush from The Next Ten Years interviews David Trafford on the thinking behind the book Beyond Default.   NB: The idea of an organisation being on a trajectory is a compelling one, but I’ve not seen it articulated in this way before. Has anyone else defined strategy in a similar way before? DT: Not …

Beyond Default Book Review

Review by Alan Clarke for Quality World Magazine “The authors have set out a very well-evidenced and thought-provoking book, which gives an in-depth overview of how important strategy is to the long-term success of an organisation. Beyond Default explains that organisations have a default future, but that truly successful organisations are able to explore the range of strategic possibilities, and …

Beyond Default Book Review


Review by Espen Andersen of Applied Abstractions “David Trafford and Peter Boggis are those kinds of under-the-radar strategy consultants that ever so discreetly (and dare I say, in their inimitable British way) travel the world, advising enormous companies most civilians have never heard of about such issues as how to organise your internal departments so that they are capable of …

Interview on the Beyond Default Approach to Strategy and Change

In this podcast LID Radio’s Miro Iliev asks David Trafford and Peter Boggis what motivated them to write Beyond Default and they explore some of the ideas in the book, including the main challenges that leaders face when trying to change their organisation’s trajectory to one that leads to an improved future. ML: Before we get into the meat, themes …