I hated creating an outline before writing papers in elementary school. Having to stop and plan what I was going to say seemed to stifle the creativity of what I wanted to write. It was so much easier to let whatever I decided at the last minute flow and do the outline afterwards. The worst scenario was having to hand in an outline prior to the paper that would commit me to the chosen topic.
There is something to be said for doing all those tactical items that you like to do because you have conquered them. It makes you feel like you've really gotten a lot done. (And someone has to do it!) It also helps you understand what it takes to do certain things, and it gives you a perspective you would not have otherwise.
Eventually, however, you will find this approach restrictive to achieving anything of larger scale...including jobs that you will find more challenging. Thinking and operating strategically is more than just having a plan. You actually have to follow that plan through to completion. And it helps if you are constantly publishing your goals out there where you remain accountable to them. (Management tends to forget what they've asked you to do 5 minutes ago, let alone weeks or months.)
I am continually surprised how rarely business people act strategically. They want the rank and pay for strategic operations and management without utilizing the skill set. There is a plethora of great business strategy books and other media out there. Something just seems to happen between the digestion and absorption of them into a way of working. It's called laziness.
To be fair, it is even more challenging to act strategically in an environment where you are the only one. You will continually have forces around you trying to get you to "ad lib" on multiple distractors. It might due to remind them that flying by the seat of one's pants is not the same as being nimble. Nimble is that elusive condition where plans and processes have been perfected to sacrificially achieve that state.
If you are working strategically, this is that time of year when all those who have failed to plan will now want to enlist your help in rushing to the finish line. After all, you're making it look easy or perhaps even like you have bandwidth to spare.
If you're on the nonstrategic side of the fence and you like it there, you may see strategic operators as being inflexible even in the light of something better. Committing to a strategy does not mean the strategy is a good one. Sticking to a strategy without watching the surrounding conditions is as bad as not having one at all.
To strike the right balance, It is essential to involve the Master of Strategy when you sit down to plan. He knows all the roadblocks, supporters and detractors that may come up. Most importantly, He knows what will succeed and be the very best road to take, even if it doesn't look like it halfway through. Jesus likes strategy...and He is the most nimble of all.
There is something to be said for doing all those tactical items that you like to do because you have conquered them. It makes you feel like you've really gotten a lot done. (And someone has to do it!) It also helps you understand what it takes to do certain things, and it gives you a perspective you would not have otherwise.
Eventually, however, you will find this approach restrictive to achieving anything of larger scale...including jobs that you will find more challenging. Thinking and operating strategically is more than just having a plan. You actually have to follow that plan through to completion. And it helps if you are constantly publishing your goals out there where you remain accountable to them. (Management tends to forget what they've asked you to do 5 minutes ago, let alone weeks or months.)
I am continually surprised how rarely business people act strategically. They want the rank and pay for strategic operations and management without utilizing the skill set. There is a plethora of great business strategy books and other media out there. Something just seems to happen between the digestion and absorption of them into a way of working. It's called laziness.
To be fair, it is even more challenging to act strategically in an environment where you are the only one. You will continually have forces around you trying to get you to "ad lib" on multiple distractors. It might due to remind them that flying by the seat of one's pants is not the same as being nimble. Nimble is that elusive condition where plans and processes have been perfected to sacrificially achieve that state.
If you are working strategically, this is that time of year when all those who have failed to plan will now want to enlist your help in rushing to the finish line. After all, you're making it look easy or perhaps even like you have bandwidth to spare.
If you're on the nonstrategic side of the fence and you like it there, you may see strategic operators as being inflexible even in the light of something better. Committing to a strategy does not mean the strategy is a good one. Sticking to a strategy without watching the surrounding conditions is as bad as not having one at all.
To strike the right balance, It is essential to involve the Master of Strategy when you sit down to plan. He knows all the roadblocks, supporters and detractors that may come up. Most importantly, He knows what will succeed and be the very best road to take, even if it doesn't look like it halfway through. Jesus likes strategy...and He is the most nimble of all.
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