| name | strategy-advisor |
| description | Helps with product and business strategy using proven frameworks.
Use when: defining product direction, building strategy documents, diagnosing
strategy vs execution problems, prioritizing strategically, or assessing
competitive position. Includes: Product Strategy Stack, DHM, Seven Powers,
Execution vs Strategy Diagnosis frameworks.
Sources: Ravi Mehta, Gibson Biddle, Hamilton Helmer, Shreyas Doshi, Ami Vora.
|
Strategy Advisor Skill
Help users develop, refine, and execute product and business strategy.
When This Skill Activates
- "Help me with product strategy"
- "How do I prioritize?"
- "I can't decide between A and B"
- "Is this a strategy or execution problem?"
- "What's our competitive moat?"
- "How do I write a strategy doc?"
- "We're not hitting our goals"
Framework Selection Guide
| Situation | Use This Framework |
|---|
| Building product strategy | Product Strategy Stack |
| Consumer product strategy | DHM Framework |
| Assessing competitive position | Seven Powers |
| Diagnosing why things aren't working | Execution vs Strategy |
| Balancing strategy vs execution | Execution Over Strategy |
Framework 1: Product Strategy Stack
Source: Ravi Mehta - Lenny's Podcast
Key Insight: If a PM can't decide between option A and B, the root cause is almost always a gap in understanding strategy, not a gap in prioritization skill.
The Five Layers (Top to Bottom)
Layer 1: Company Mission
- The change the company wants to bring to the world
- Qualitative and aspirational
- Example: Tinder: "Make single life more fun"
Layer 2: Company Strategy
- The logical plan to achieve the mission
- Includes: target market, value prop, business model
- Must be rigorous, not aspirational
Layer 3: Product Strategy
- Connective tissue between company strategy and product work
- Defines what the product will be
- Must include wireframes (not just words)
Layer 4: Product Roadmap
- Sequence of work to fulfill strategy
- Time-bound initiatives
- Flows FROM strategy
Layer 5: Product Goals
- Measurable outcomes
- Come AFTER roadmap (contrarian view)
- Measure strategy progress
Key Insight: Wireframes Required
"Strategy docs aren't complete without wireframes. When you talk about strategy in words alone, everyone takes away a different interpretation."
Example: Mobile apps have 4-5 nav items. What are they? Words alone → different interpretations.
Debugging Process (Bottom-Up)
| If... | Check... |
|---|
| Goals not being met | Is roadmap aligned? |
| Roadmap isn't working | Is product strategy clear? |
| Product strategy unclear | Do we understand company strategy? |
| Company strategy unclear | Is mission well-defined? |
Pitfalls to Avoid
- Starting with goals (they should come last)
- Strategy in words only (needs visuals)
- Conflating the layers
- Skipping product strategy layer
Framework 2: DHM Framework (Consumer Products)
Source: Gibson Biddle - Lenny's Podcast
Key Insight: Great product strategy creates customer delight in hard-to-copy, margin-enhancing ways.
The Three Tests
D - Delight
Does this meaningfully improve the customer experience?
- Not just "nice to have"
- Creates emotional response
- Drives word of mouth
H - Hard to Copy
Can competitors easily replicate this?
Hard-to-copy advantages:
- Brand
- Network effects
- Unique technology
- Economies of scale
- Switching costs
M - Margin-Enhancing
Does this improve unit economics over time?
- Reduces costs
- Increases willingness to pay
- Improves retention
- Enables pricing power
Applying DHM
Step 1: Generate Strategy Ideas
List potential strategic moves
Step 2: Score Each on D, H, M
| Strategy | Delight | Hard to Copy | Margin |
|---|
| Idea A | High | Low | Medium |
| Idea B | Medium | High | High |
Step 3: Prioritize DHM Winners
Best strategies score high on all three.
Watch out for:
- High D, Low H = Easily copied
- High H, Low D = Doesn't matter
- High M, Low D = Race to bottom
Netflix Examples
- Personalization: High D (finds shows for you), High H (data + algorithms), High M (better retention)
- Original content: High D (exclusive shows), High H (can't copy), Medium M (expensive but drives subs)
Pitfalls to Avoid
- Optimizing only for Delight (copycats catch up)
- Building Hard to Copy that doesn't Delight
- Ignoring Margin implications
Framework 3: Seven Powers (Competitive Moats)
Source: Hamilton Helmer - Lenny's Podcast
Key Insight: Strategy is a route to continuing Power in significant markets.
The Seven Powers
1. Scale Economies
Unit costs decline as volume increases.
- Example: Netflix content cost per subscriber
- Test: Do we get cheaper as we grow?
2. Network Effects
Product improves as more people use it.
- Example: LinkedIn's value grows with users
- Test: Does each user make it better for others?
3. Counter-Positioning
New business model incumbent can't adopt.
- Example: Netflix streaming vs Blockbuster stores
- Test: Would copying us hurt their existing business?
4. Switching Costs
Cost to switch to competitor is high.
- Example: Salesforce data + workflow lock-in
- Test: How painful is it to leave us?
5. Branding
Higher perceived value enabling price premium.
- Example: Apple's brand commands premium
- Test: Can we charge more for same features?
6. Cornered Resource
Exclusive access to valuable asset.
- Example: Exclusive content deals
- Test: Do we have something others can't get?
7. Process Power
Superior processes embedded in organization.
- Example: Toyota Production System
- Test: Are our processes better AND hard to copy?
Power Assessment
Step 1: Identify Potential Powers
Which powers could apply to your business?
Step 2: Assess Current Strength
| Power | Have It? | Strength (1-5) |
|---|
| Scale Economies | Yes/No | |
| Network Effects | Yes/No | |
| Counter-Positioning | Yes/No | |
| Switching Costs | Yes/No | |
| Branding | Yes/No | |
| Cornered Resource | Yes/No | |
| Process Power | Yes/No | |
Step 3: Identify Power-Building Opportunities
What actions would strengthen or create powers?
Pitfalls to Avoid
- Claiming powers you don't have
- Confusing competitive advantage with power
- Ignoring market size (power in small market = limited value)
- Building moat without product-market fit first
Framework 4: Execution vs Strategy Diagnosis
Source: Shreyas Doshi - Lenny's Podcast
Key Insight: Most problems blamed on strategy are actually execution problems, and vice versa.
The Diagnostic Question
When something isn't working, ask:
"If we executed this perfectly, would it work?"
- Yes → Execution problem (fix how you're doing it)
- No → Strategy problem (fix what you're doing)
Common Misdiagnosis
Strategy blamed, Execution at fault:
- "Our positioning is wrong" → Actually: messaging is confusing
- "Wrong market" → Actually: wrong go-to-market motion
- "Product doesn't fit" → Actually: onboarding is broken
Execution blamed, Strategy at fault:
- "Team isn't executing" → Actually: strategy is unclear
- "We need better PMs" → Actually: priorities are wrong
- "Engineering is slow" → Actually: building wrong things
Diagnosis Process
Step 1: Describe the Problem
What specific outcome isn't being achieved?
Step 2: Apply the Test
"If a team of A+ executors took this strategy, would it work?"
Step 3: Look for Evidence
| Evidence Type | Points To |
|---|
| Competitors winning with similar strategy | Execution |
| No one winning in this space | Strategy |
| Team confused about priorities | Strategy |
| Team aligned but slow | Execution |
| Metrics improving slowly | Execution |
| Metrics not moving at all | Strategy |
Step 4: Address Root Cause
- Execution fix: Better processes, skills, resources
- Strategy fix: Revisit positioning, market, approach
Pitfalls to Avoid
- Defaulting to strategy change (easier than hard execution work)
- Defaulting to execution blame (avoids strategic questions)
- Not gathering evidence before diagnosing
- Changing both at once (can't learn which was wrong)
Framework 5: Execution Over Strategy (80/20)
Source: Ami Vora - Lenny's Podcast
Key Insight: For most products, success is about 20% strategy and 80% execution.
The Reality
- Most product advice focuses on strategy
- Execution is where products succeed or fail
- Great strategy with poor execution loses to good strategy with great execution
"Good Enough" Strategy Test
Ask: "If we execute perfectly on this strategy, could we succeed?"
- Yes → Execute
- No → Refine strategy (but set a deadline)
Ruthless Prioritization Principles
- One thing at a time - Focus team energy
- Finish before starting - Complete current work
- Sequence, don't parallel - Fewer balls in air
- Kill zombies - End projects going nowhere
- Protect the team - Shield from distractions
The Priority Stack
| Level | What Belongs |
|---|
| P0 | Must do this quarter to succeed (2-3 things) |
| P1 | Important but can wait |
| P2 | Nice to have |
| P3 | Probably never |
Key: If everything is P0, nothing is.
Ship-Learn Cycle
- Ship smallest valuable increment
- Measure impact immediately
- Learn from results
- Adjust execution (rarely strategy)
- Ship next increment
When to Actually Change Strategy
- Fundamental assumption proven wrong
- Market shifted dramatically
- Multiple execution attempts failed
- New information changes everything
Pitfalls to Avoid
- Over-strategizing (waiting for perfect plan)
- Under-prioritizing (everything is P0)
- Mistaking motion for execution
- Abandoning strategy too early
- Cutting quality for speed
How to Apply This Skill
-
Identify the strategic question
- Building strategy → Product Strategy Stack + DHM
- Assessing competition → Seven Powers
- Something not working → Execution vs Strategy
- Prioritization → Execution Over Strategy
-
Walk through the selected framework systematically
-
Push for specifics (strategy without specifics = useless)
-
Recommend debugging when appropriate
Related Skills
/decision-maker - For specific strategic decisions/goal-setter - For goal-setting tied to strategy/growth-advisor - For growth strategy specifically
Full SOPs (Deep Dives)
Product Strategy
AI Strategy
Startup Strategy
Pivot & Positioning
