‘STRATEGY’ ISN’T A TO-DO LIST

We’ve all seen the classic underdog sports story: a small, overlooked team with limited resources dreams of making it to the championship. They train hard, rally together, and beat the odds. In Japan, high school baseball and the dream of reaching Koshien Stadium capture this spirit. In the West, think of a small college team fighting its way to the NCAA Final Four.

One common factor in all such stories is more often than not a passionate leader declaring, “I’ll take you there!” It’s the kind of line that fires people up. And in business, we hear similar equivalents all the time:

We’ll be No.1 in the industry!

Let’s triple our revenue!

 Now, I’m not about to dispute the fact that high targets and bold words can lift morale but… setting a high target is not the same as having a strategy. In fact, it often hides the fact that there isn’t one. And I will admit here that it’s a mistake I’ve made: thinking that ambitious goals were strategy. They’re not.

So what is it?

A path, not a goal

In his book, Good Strategy, Bad Strategy, Richard P. Rumelt, a leading expert on the subject, defines strategy as:

‘A diagnosis of the challenge, a guiding policy, and coherent action.’

In other words, it isn’t about where you want to go — it’s about how you understand the situation facing you, what choices you make, and the steps you then execute. 

He also highlights four traits of bad strategy:

• It’s vague and empty.
• It avoids real problems.
• It confuses goals with strategy.
• It focuses on the wrong objectives.

Why is not enough

Simon Sinek is an author and well-known and respected inspirational speaker on business leadership. And his book, Start With Why, has been a significant inspiration for me in my work. I’m impressed, in particular, with his argument that great leaders begin with a purpose. Not plans. For him, the power of – to give just one example – Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I have a dream’ speech is that it gave its listeners a purpose. Something to fight for.

That said, though, while purpose is essential, it’s only the first step. It’s not a substitute for strategy. As Sinek himself points out, a compelling purpose unites people, It provides a direction. And when you read that, you may be thinking: aren’t Rumelt and Sinek cancelling each out other?

Working together

The answer is no. There’s no contradiction between what the two say. That’s because purpose inspires and strategy guides. To succeed, you need both. Saying ‘Let’s win the championship!’ can most certainly unite a team. But, as Rumelt points out, without these three factors:

• A clear diagnosis – (What’s the real issue?)
• A guiding policy – (How do we address it?)
• Specific, coherent action –  (What will we actually do?)

… the words are just empty rhetoric.

Skipping these factors and making big promises is like a doctor saying, “You’ll be fine!” without running any tests. It’s pure guesswork. Navigating without a compass. 

A lack of will, not skill

That said though, most failed strategies don’t stem from a lack of knowledge. They fail because leaders lack the will to make hard choices. Because they don’t have:

1. The ability to understand the current reality
2. The courage to choose what truly matters—and ignore the rest.

Even if they’ve conducted a SWOT analysis -  identifying the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of an organisation - often all they’ve done is tick a set of boxes rather than carry out a true, deep diagnosis. Rumelt says, ‘A good diagnosis naturally points to action.’

Just make sure it’s the right action.

Maintain focus

Because another common trap is thinking that the right strategy means trying to do everything. It isn’t. Saying yes to everything is the same as choosing nothing. A good strategy is also defined not just by what you’ll do, but by what you’ll deliberately not do.

Final thoughts

Strategy isn’t a slogan. It’s not about hype or shared dreams. It’s about thinking hard, seeing the whole picture and focussing on the right action. And it takes courage. Courage to make honest assessments. Courage to identify the real challenges. Courage to place your limited resources where they matter most. 

Then you stand a chance of reaching your goal.