It's amazing what a quick Google Search of business strategy turns up. Where are the deep thoughts and exchange of ideas that the internet is supposed to foster? Behind a login prompt and request for payment, mostly.
But developing strategy is not rocket science.
Is it difficult? Yes. But only because it requires hard thinking (which we typically don't want to do).
What makes it hard? The fact that the devil is in the details. Creating and executing effective strategies cannot be done with superficial analysis or argument by analogy. It requires real honest-to-god heavy lifting to be effective.
And maybe that is why people want to charge for advice and services on strategy development.
Maybe it's just because they don't want people to truly understand.
Over the next few posts, I'd like to collect may thoughts on strategy.
Let's start with the fundamentals. From the dictionary:
strategy |ˈstratəjē| noun ( pl. -gies)
• a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim : time to develop a coherent economic strategy | shifts in marketing strategy.
• the art of planning and directing overall military operations and movements in a war or battle. Often contrasted with tactics (see tactic ).
• a plan for such military operations and movements : nonprovocative defense strategies.
ORIGIN early 19th cent.: from French stratégie, from Greek stratēgia ‘generalship,’ from stratēgos (see stratagem ).
"To achieve a major or overall aim"-- this is an important concept. If you can't state what your objective is, you don't have a strategy to achieve it. How often have you been in a business setting and asked yourself "why are we doing this?" It might just be because you don't know what your true aim or objective is.