The Power of Sequencing: Why Most Strategies Fail Before They Start

Strategy is not a to-do list. It is a calculated chain reaction.

In the world of high-stakes public affairs, the most dangerous word is "busy."

We see it constantly. A client walks in the door facing a crisis or a brand reputation threat. They are armed with a list of tactics: "We need a press release. We need to meet with the Senator. We need a social media campaign. We need an Op-Ed."

They have the right ingredients. They have the energy. But they are about to lose.

Why? Because they are confusing activity with strategy.

At Searle Strategies, we define strategy differently. It is not a checklist of tasks to be completed by Q4. Strategy is a collection of activities sequenced over time to build sufficient leverage to achieve a desired outcome.

The keyword is sequenced. In the physics of influence, order is everything.

The Mathematics of Leverage

Think of a combination lock. You might know all three numbers required to open the safe. But if you dial them in the wrong order, the safe stays locked. In fact, dialing the wrong number first might trigger a security lockout.

Public opinion and campaign momentum work the same way.

• If you release a press statement before you have briefed your key allies, you don’t look strong; you look isolated.

• If you demand a vote before you have framed the issue, you aren’t forcing a win; you are scheduling a public defeat.

  
  

The "traditional" firm executes tactics. They check the boxes. They bill you for the press release, regardless of whether it worked. The modern firm—the firm that wins—understands that Tactics + Wrong Sequence = Zero Leverage.

One of my favorite examples is a Texas city I called home for many years -- Austin, Texas.

Between 2020 and 2024, various groups and individuals (some of which I have advised) spent over $10 million attempting to change the direction of city government. On paper, the resources exist to make a meaningful difference. They have had policy ideas that are popular with the broader public. Yet, these efforts have failed to create and sustain change.

Why? It was a textbook case of fatal sequencing.

These efforts have confused tactics with goals. They launched aggressive pushes for specific outcomes—new elected officials, accountability initiatives, or safety measures. In a proper strategic framework, these are Phase 4 or Phase 5 activities.

The mistake? They tried to jump to Phase 4 and 5 without ever completing Phase 1: Building Infrastructure.

They attempted to change leadership or impose policy changes before they had established the necessary leverage to support them. They tried to harvest the fruit before planting the tree. Because they skipped the foundational phases—building the tribe and neutralizing the opposition—the status quo maintains the position of strength and nothing fundamentally changes.

The result wasn't just a wasted $10 million; it was the total burnout. They fought battles instead of orchestrating a war.

The "Artillery First" Principle

History is littered with examples of failures born from poor sequencing.

Military strategists have known this for centuries. You do not send the infantry (the "ask") before you have used the artillery (the "narrative") to soften the defenses.

In the business world, we see this when companies announce a controversial policy change before cultivating the internal culture to support it. The result is immediate rejection. The "tribe" (one of the four pillars of our F.A.T.E. Plus formula) reacts with hostility not because the idea was bad, but because the introduction was abrupt.

The Searle Method: Working Backwards

How do we fix this? We start at the end.

When we take on a client, we don't ask, "What do you want to do?" We ask, "What does the victory look like?"

Once we have the endgame, we reverse-engineer the timeline. We map the critical path. We identify which domino needs to fall first to make the second one inevitable.

Activity makes you feel like you're moving. Sequencing determines where you land.

Don't just make moves. Build a chain reaction.