Strategy is defined by where resources actually go, not by stated intentions

Christensen borrows a core idea from organizational strategy: a company's real strategy isn't what leadership announces in a mission statement, it's revealed by how time, money, and talent are actually allocated day to day, since resource allocation decisions consistently override stated priorities when the two conflict.

He applies this directly to individuals: someone might sincerely say family matters most to them, but if virtually all their discretionary time, energy, and attention flow toward work because work offers more immediate, visible feedback, then work is functionally their real strategy, regardless of what they'd claim if asked.

This reframing is deliberately uncomfortable, because it removes the comfort of good intentions and forces an honest audit of where a person's actual hours and attention go, which Christensen argues is the only reliable signal of what someone is truly prioritizing.

Takeaway: check where your time and energy actually go, not what you say your priorities are, to find your real strategy.