To be a successful Corporate Advisor, a strategy must be supported by observation, data and information. Quantitative measures, traditionally, such as KPIs and metrics have been the only visible means of monitoring. Dev Sarwal also focuses on qualitative information. This provides the whole picture and allows for more informed decisions and better strategic thinking. This also helps the speed to execution and helps an organization become more agile.

Strategy is really about foresight–having the skills necessary to see what could happen and planning for it. Success is really about overcoming failure. No matter what you do, you will experience some failure, and the ability to overcome the failure is what separates successful enterprises.

When Dev Sarwal teaches about corporate strategy, that is the first principle. The second is to try and chart all possible outcomes and to react quickly. It is better to react and get it wrong than react not at all. If you react, and you get it wrong, then quickly reverse course and correct what went wrong. Keep doing that till you get it right. The OODO principle!