By Nezha Hami-Eddine Echaïri Business Coach, DG of the Cap RH firm
A strategy is not a one-way street. Let me explain: we consider an action that succeeds, and at the same time, we ask ourselves the question: what if it doesn’t succeed, what to do? These are the famous “what if” scenarios that have been the strength and admiration of the American army since World War II.
Vision vs strategy “Where there is a will, there is a way.” The “will” is the vision. The “way” is the strategy. When we know what we want, we find our way. Morality: every strategy must flow from a vision. Without direction, the ship wanders. A ghost ship, as they say. In Donald Trump’s MAGA politics, there is a “big will.” But for the “way”, his team still surprises. Remember, from the early days of his term, he announced to the whole world the decisions he was going to take to restore the reputation of the USA. This is the famous “Make America great again” (MAGA). This acronym reflects his vision of the USA’s situation, which is losing its shine. To make the USA strong, Donald Trump promised to buy Canada, take over Greenland and the Gulf of Mexico, and tax economies profiting at the expense of the United States.
MAGA strengthened Canada Before this announcement, the Canadian economy was very dependent on its American neighbor, which captured 70% of its exports. The strategy foresaw suffocating the Canadian economy to bring it to its knees. It was then easy to snatch Canada to make it the 51st American state. A bit like a corporate takeover. Perhaps Trump hoped to buy Canada for a “symbolic dollar”? Ottawa resisted. “Buy Canadian” became popular. Some American products and brands were renamed or made French. Canada managed to sell its oil to China, whose production machine is in demand.
However, American refineries, specializing in refining Canadian light oil, are currently facing major difficulties. With this announcement, Canada gained economic maturity. Trump’s team faced the backlash. They had not considered any “what if.” They acted recklessly, as in the days of the Wild West. Yet, historical conditions are not repetitive. Cowboys cannot bring back loot from every outing.
MAGA penalized the average American Today, we are witnessing one of the greatest trade wars of all time. It rivals the commercial war waged by Christian Europe in the 15th century against the Muslim world along the Silk Road. Remember the Crusades. The great geographical discoveries of America, the Cape of Good Hope, and the Suez Canal had the sole ambition of bypassing Muslim countries to deprive them of the financial benefits of this trade.
Let’s be clear, Muslim countries were not unfairly collecting a toll. Throughout the Silk Road, spanning thousands of kilometers, Muslim countries, traversed by caravans, set up caravan sites, shelters, inns, stops, mosques, and other places of worship. They had real expertise in guiding caravans with the help of the stars, and in defending them against bandits and wild animals in the territories they crossed. Of course, this came at a price. But this was not to Europe’s liking.
Man of his word Today, Donald Trump wants to cut off certain countries from the financial benefits represented by their trade with the United States under “Make America great again.” The American president is a man of his word. He does what he says. Many thought it was just campaign bluster. The crowds, applause, cheers, slogans, fervor, it all pumped up the adrenaline.
Despite the commotion, Donald Trump stays the course. Sometimes, he adjusts his promises. His ambition is now not just “Make America great again,” but “Make America rich again.” It’s not bad, but we still talk about MAGA. When he promised to impose high customs duties on countries profiting at the expense of the USA, no one believed him. Not even the business elite. Proof is, the American stock market experienced a tremor the day after the official announcement of these duties. This only means one thing: Wall Street financiers did not give any credence to his promise. If they did, they would have prepared a plan.
Achilles’ heel One of his first announcements, the purchase of Canada, fell through. Let’s not forget, Donald Trump is a man of showbiz. He excels in center stage moves to stun his audience before delivering the final blow. For us coaches, the vision is the desired situation.
Dreaming is not forbidden. On the contrary, we must dream more. After dreaming, we come back down to operationalize the vision. It’s a strategy that will turn dreams into reality. And that, in my opinion, is the Achilles’ heel of the “trumpist” vision. The tariffs aim to increase the prices of targeted products to protect the national economy and generate additional customs revenue for the state coffers. But local importers integrate this tax into the selling price. In the end, it’s the American consumer who suffers.
