Hi Reader

A plan is not a strategy. It's essential to understand this distinction to avoid confusion:

A surprising number of businesses don't realize this critical fact. They bypass the crucial step of formulating a strategy and instead, they simply append the word "strategic" to their plan.

It sounds pretty good using 'strategic', right?

But a strategy is not necessarily a traditional "goal". It's not a plan. It's not a specific action. It's much more than that.

What's a strategy?

A strategy is your competitive advantage. It's YOUR unique approach or architecture that YOU adopt to outperform your competitors. It's the secret sauce that enables you to deliver more value to a specific set of customers in a way that others can't replicate.

Every decision you make, every choice you take, needs to be a catalyst for change. That "change" is your ultimate goal. It's the destination you're striving to reach, yet it can't overlook the journey either. Knowing the difference is part of your strategic thinking.

The "plan" is your roadmap. It's the journey and the step-by-step guide that outlines how you'll reach your goal, with your strategy.

But, remember, with every change, with every step forward, you'll need new resources:

• Audience: You may need to train your existing staff to acquire new skills or hire new talent to bring fresh perspectives for your audience.
• Method: You might need to introduce new product capabilities or adopt new analytical tools to stay ahead of the curve.
• Process: You may need to implement new approval steps or remove unnecessary ones to streamline your operations.
• Storytelling: You may need to further define that journey of transformation that you are bringing your audience through.

Don't fall into the trap of calling your plan “strategic” as an excuse to skip the hard work of crafting a real strategy that defines these factors.

Think of it this way:

So, what do you think Strategy is? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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PS - wouldn't it be cool to be able to combine all of these together: strategy, planning, and execution into 1 simple tool? Hit reply and I'll send you the link.

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Doyle "strategy is not planning" Buehler

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