“You’re playing a game whether you realize it or not, and seeing the game helps you play it better” – Seth Godin

I was forwarded Zillow’s “strategy document” last week and was asked if I had any opinions on it. I read the document, as much as I could since a lot of it was redacted (blacked out), and put it aside. Later I called my friend telling him my thoughts. Here are those thoughts.I was forwarded Zillow’s “strategy document” last week and asked if I had any opinions on it. I read what I could (most of it was blacked) and set it aside. Later, I called my friend and walked him through my thoughts. Here they are.

First, I was surprised at how early this came out. December 2024.

Then I thought: of course Zillow would be drafting something like this early. They’re a big company, and big companies plan ahead. They have responsibilities to employees and shareholders.

The document read like it came from a team that didn’t give a hoot about optics. That wasn’t their job. And honestly, you don’t want anyone crafting a strategic document with those biases anyway. You want cold, hard, black-and-white suggestions.

Some of the ideas were smart. Some weren’t. I have no clue how senior or junior the authors were, or what context they were given.

I didn’t plan to write anything about it, and what I definitely didn’t expect was for people to lose their freaking minds over a strategic plan. Then again, most of them were just using it to push their own agendas.

Every business should have a strategic plan. Having one is a good idea. You should do one.

And in my opinion, if your plan doesn’t have at least a few crazy ideas, you didn’t push hard enough.