Professor Nick Binedell explores the meaning and practice of strategy, tracing its origins from military roots to its role in modern business. Strategy, he explains, has two dimensions: the art of leadership (Strategos, the general’s role) and the content of strategy—the disruptive, market-shaping ideas that define competitive advantage.

In a world of rapid change, South African companies face the dual challenge of adapting locally while competing globally. Strategy, therefore, must answer: “What will we do next?” He emphasizes that strong strategy integrates market awareness, competitor positioning, and organizational capabilities. His litmus test for good strategy is: “What can this business do that the world wants, that competitors cannot?”

Binedell outlines three types of strategy:

• Non-active: organizations busy with operations but lacking clarity.
• Reactive: responding to external shifts such as rival moves or new technologies.
• Proactive: the highest form, creating market or industry shifts through original, disruptive innovation.

He illustrates disruption with examples from Kodak to Instagram, Google, and the smartphone’s replacement of countless physical products. The lesson: disruption accelerates, and leaders must disrupt their own logic before markets disrupt them.

Strategy is not static but an ongoing discipline of insight, foresight, and adaptation. Leaders must balance managerial roles, leadership influence, and entrepreneurial innovation. He stresses the importance of purpose, clarity, and differentiation, urging organizations to stay externally focused on adding value rather than internally locked in routines.

Ultimately, strategy is about vision stronger than memory, asking relentlessly: “What will we do next, and how will it be different?”

Professor Nick Binedell shares key insights from co-chairing the second Inclusive Growth Conference in the Drakensberg, hosted by the Halima Moosa Foundation. The gathering brought together 250 leaders from civil society, business, unions, government, and several ministers to discuss the state of South Africa and, most critically, the performance of local government.

Binedell highlights that local government is where “the rubber hits the road,” echoing Tip O’Neill’s observation that all politics is local. The provision of basic services remains central to citizens’ daily experience, making dysfunctional municipalities a pressing issue.

A notable dimension of the conference was the participation of the Chinese ambassador and his delegation, who presented China’s development model, including lifting 400 million people out of poverty within three decades. While impressive, his emphasis on surveillance technologies, such as facial recognition for law enforcement, sparked debate. Delegates questioned whether such practices align with South Africa’s democratic values, with one speaker humorously suggesting the risks of wearing a “Viva Hong Kong” t-shirt in Tiananmen Square.

The conference also addressed South Africa’s economic realities, including the reliance of 20 million citizens on social grants and the risk of generational exclusion from economic participation. Despite sobering statistics, Binedell emphasizes the value of dialogue, collaboration, and cross-sector partnerships as essential to moving the country forward. He concludes that constructive engagement and shared accountability are critical to building an inclusive and sustainable future.

Professor Nick Binedell begins by situating South Africa’s recent political turbulence within the context of a young democracy. He notes that after years of under-reacting, civil society, business, activists, courts, media, and Parliament have stepped up, strengthening constitutional democracy. This, he stresses, is a vital part of the nation’s infrastructure often overlooked by business leaders preoccupied with trading and operations.

Turning to the economy, he highlights transformation as a central theme. At both the individual and business level, transformation must be intentional and purposeful. On a sectoral scale, industries such as mining, agriculture, and manufacturing must be modernized, made inclusive, and properly capitalized to sustain long-term growth.

Binedell warns of fiscal constraints following years of state mismanagement, which damaged creditworthiness and left South Africa in recovery mode. Higher taxes will be required, yet he remains cautiously optimistic. Institutions remain resilient, and with the right leadership team, there is potential for renewal. He emphasizes the unique opportunity for the current president, whose experience spans student activism, union building, business, and government to unify the nation.

Looking ahead, Binedell underscores that while immediate fiscal measures can stabilize the economy, long-term success depends on addressing unemployment, poverty, and especially education. He calls education the “hidden disease” of South Africa, equating its neglect to a cancer undermining future prosperity. In a services-driven, knowledge-based economy, education and skills development are non-negotiable foundations for inclusive growth.

He concludes with optimism tempered by realism: South Africa must deepen democracy, embrace transformation, and invest in skills to build an economy that supports both growth and equity.