Do You Have a Strategy?

 “All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.” - Sun Tzu

I’m sure you believe you do.

Strategy is a concept commonly confused with tactics. Business leaders and marketers often confuse actions such as initiating change or deploying a series of emails as a strategy, but what they are really doing is calling those actions, or tactics, a strategy. Just as often fearless leaders will create an obscure goal with no roadmap to success. (Assuming they have even defined what success looks like…)

In I Have a Strategy No You Don’t, Howell J. Malham Jr. defines strategy as “a planned, doable sequence of actions designed to achieve a distinct, measurable goal.” He goes on to explain it consists of four main elements:

1. A purpose
2. A plan
3. A sequence of actions or tactics
4. A distinct, measurable goal

Tying all four elements together is a cohesive factor which Malham describes as a megatactic—the narrative. It’s how you sell your idea!

Recently I had the pleasure of sharing this concept (complete with zombie apocalypse role play) with my coworkers. I was tasked with facilitating a learning experience using a visual aid that would engage all styles of adult learners. To achieve this, I created a PowerPoint which is available for download on SlideShare. By the end of the presentation, participants were able to work together to create a strategy. Would your company benefit from a similar exercise?