Strategy First, Tactics Second (aka—Wake Up!)

When I was in college, I attended a soccer game and, as the crowd roared, watched a player use all of his tactical skills—his dexterity with the ball, his speed, his ability to shift his balance and his course—to get the ball down the field and put it through the goalposts. The only problem was, they were the wrong goalposts. In the heat of the moment he somehow got turned around, became disoriented, and scored a goal for the opposing team.

Now, his tactics were all on the money—his maneuvering of the ball was masterful, he knew exactly when and where to shift his course. It was his strategy that was off—he was aiming in the wrong direction.

I’ve thought about this event many times in the intervening years, as it speaks to something larger, beyond the soccer field: this is something we often do with our lives. All to often, we focus on our tactics and lose sight of our strategy. And we wind up missing the mark.

Ask Yourself These Questions (all different ways of getting at the same issue):

• Am I concentrating on expert maneuvering instead of maneuvering in the right direction? 
  
• Am I getting caught up in doing things right, rather than doing the right things?
  
• Am I spending all of my time on the small stuff, and missing the big stuff?
  
• Am I focusing on efficiency (getting the small stuff right) or effectiveness (getting the big stuff right)?
  
• Am I missing the forest for the trees?
  

Some Examples of Thinking Tactically Rather Than Strategically:

• Working hard to plan a great meeting agenda—without really considering if the meeting is the right one to have at this time
  
• Getting the seasoning just right on the marinated beef you’re serving—forgetting that your guests are vegetarian
  
• Creating a new organizational system for your files on a particular topic—when you have a career make-or-break presentation on that topic the next day (that you haven’t prepared for)
  

Whether it’s lack of focus, procrastination, or fear (it’s typically one or a combination of the three), concentrating on tactics rather than strategy can cost you. Great meeting agendas, delicious seasoning, and organized files are all good things. So is scoring a goal. And yet if you don’t look at the big picture, you may wind up with frustrated meeting attendees, hungry guests, a career blow-up, or failure on the soccer field (or elsewhere).

Strategic thinking is a challenge. Everything around us conspires to draw our focus to the urgent, which most often is about the tactical, the details, the small stuff. And then we're in danger of discovering we’ve been so busy doing things right, that we that we didn't necessarily do the right things.

Be Strategic Today—Right Now. Ask Yourself:

• Am I thinking about the big picture?
  
• Does the next thing I’m going to do make sense within the context of the big picture?
  
• Is it the best move I can make right now to advance me toward my goals?
  
• Is it the best way I can use my time, considering what I really need or want to accomplish?
  

Do the right thing, then do it right.

Strategy first, tactics second.