PurposeAll leaders must position their firms for future success. However, not all firms should search for information and craft their strategies in the same way. This paper aims to provide a framework, which suggests that firms should adopt different postures depending on extent of environmental uncertainty and whether leaders are optimistic or pessimistic about their firms’ abilities and futures.Design/methodology/approachThis framework was designed by two strategy professors based on both strategy theory and their experience working with and observing firms over many years.FindingsThe framework’s four postures – versatile (high uncertainty, positive sentiment), inquisitive (high uncertainty, negative sentiment), focused (low uncertainty, positive sentiment), and vigilant (low uncertainty, negative sentiment) – call for different behavior as firms seek to understand environmental trends and take strategic actions. The dangers of each posture are briefly discussed.Originality/valueThis paper provides a simple framework to help executives better understand how their firms should search for and implement strategic actions for future success.