Strategy for Dummies
May 13, 2022
Man, I just went down a rabbit hole! After deciding that this post’s topic is Strategy For Dummies, I checked out the website for the “For Dummies” book series. It’s been a while since I picked up one of those paperbacks with the bright yellow covers, fun cartoons and comforting promise of simplifying what you want to learn. Once I finish this post, I’m heading back to that site to check out all the newest topics!
Strategy is a good topic to simplify as well. Before I got good at it, I’ll admit I was a little confused. What is “strategy” exactly? How does it compare to tactics and planning? And how do I figure this all out?
After doing a lot of research, I came up with a simple explanation:
Strategy = all of the decisions & choices you make in support of your vision.
Still confusing? I can simplify it even further:
- Saying Yes to things that support your goals is strategic.
- Saying No to things that aren’t in alignment with your vision is strategic.
- Saying Yes when you really mean No is not strategic.
It really comes down to this: what are you saying Yes to and what are you saying No to?
Of course, you’ll want to have a strategic plan in place so that you know what your Yeses and Nos are. Making game-time decisions is not the key to long-term success.
