The Praxis Method™

Engineering Success through the Hierarchy of Choice

“Strategy” is the most overused and misunderstood word in business.

Most organizations mistake ambition for strategy. They create “wish lists” of goals—increase revenue, improve culture, launch new products—without diagnosing why they aren’t achieving them already.

I take a different approach.

I have developed The Praxis Method™, a proprietary strategic framework that fuses seminal academic theory in the field of strategy with the operational realities of law, business, and public policy. It is not a creative writing exercise. It is a disciplined engineering process designed to solve the “unsolvable” problems facing modern organizations.

The Philosophy: Moving Beyond “Bad Strategy”

Richard Rumelt famously distinguished between “Good Strategy” and “Bad Strategy.” Bad strategy is fluff. It ignores the power of choice. It fails to face the challenge.

The Praxis Method™ is the antidote to Bad Strategy.

It is built on the conviction that true leadership requires the courage to make hard choices. You cannot do everything. To win, you must concentrate limited resources on the one pivot point where they will generate the maximum advantage.

My method forces organizations to move from Ambiguity (doing everything) to Coherence (doing the right thing).

The Methodology: The Strategy Kernel

At the core of my approach is a rigorous application of the “Strategy Kernel.” I don’t start with goals. I start with the truth.

1. The Forensic Diagnosis (The Truth)

Most leaders skip this step. They jump straight to “solutions” without understanding the problem.

• I use a forensic approach to analyze the internal and external landscape.
• I move beyond standard SWOT lists to identify the ‘Crux’—the single, hidden bottleneck that is blocking success.
• The question we answer: “What is really going on here?”

2. The Guiding Policy (The Pivot)

Once the diagnosis is clear, we must choose how to deal with it. This is the Hierarchy of Choice.

• We identify our Strategic Posture: Do we go on Offense (Leverage Strength)? Play Defense (Shore Up Weakness)? Or Change the Game (Neutralize a Competitor)?
• We select the Method of Competition: Are we winning on Cost? Differentiation? Or Focus?
• The question we answer: “Where will we concentrate our force?”

3. Coherent Action (The Execution)

A strategy without a plan is just a speech.

• I translate the Guiding Policy into a Coherent Action Plan where every department, every dollar, and every policy reinforces the others.
• We eliminate conflicting initiatives. If we are playing defense, we do not launch risky new products. Coherence is the multiplier of force.
• The question we answer: “What specifically do we do on Monday morning?”

The Integrator Advantage: A 360-Degree View

Strategy cannot exist in a vacuum. It must survive contact with the real world of regulations, balance sheets, and human dynamics.

As an Integrator, I don’t just design the strategy; I stress-test it against three critical dimensions:

• The Legal Reality: Is the path viable within the regulatory architecture? (My J.D. and regulatory experience ensures we don’t build on sand).
• The Financial Reality: Does the economic model support the mission? (My M.S. in Finance ensures capital allocation aligns with strategic intent).
• The Public Policy Reality: How does the external environment (civic, political, social) impact our success? (My background in public policy allows me to anticipate headwinds).

The Praxis Engine™: Human Insight, Amplified by AI

The modern leader faces a dilemma: we are drowning in data but starving for wisdom. While AI tools are abundant, they often create more noise than signal, leaving organizations with disconnected tactics rather than coherent strategy.

I solve this by combining my judgment as a seasoned executive with The Praxis Engine™—my proprietary, AI-powered strategy platform.

This isn’t just a tool; it is my competitive advantage. It allows me to pressure-test decisions, wargame competitive scenarios, and process complex regulatory landscapes at a speed traditional leadership teams cannot match.

• Speed: I can ingest and analyze massive datasets—legal briefs, financial reports, policy documents—in minutes, accelerating the “Forensic Diagnosis” phase.
• Rigor: I use the Engine to challenge my own assumptions, running “Red Team” simulations to expose weaknesses in a plan before we execute.
• Synthesis: The Engine doesn’t make the decision; I do. But it empowers me to see patterns across law, finance, and policy that remain invisible to others.

Applied Strategy: From Theory to Results

I have applied The Praxis Method™ to solve challenges across every sector:

• In Government: Stabilizing a $800M state healthcare system by diagnosing the root cause of stakeholder friction.
• In Business: Guiding a credit union through a merger and rebranding by identifying a specific differentiation niche.
• In Non-Profits: Turning around a swim club by implementing a “Shore Up Weakness” posture before pivoting to growth.

I don’t hope. I don’t guess. I engineer a path to success.