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3 Simple Ways To Distinguish Between Strategy and Tactics

Posted by in Business Coaching | 6 comments

Undoubtedly you have sat through many meetings to plan your business throughout your career. Many times (possibly too many to count) you have discussed the strategy your company is going to take, deciding on who will do what when and how. Yet do you realize that you have just spent countless hours discussing tactics?  Do you know the difference between strategy and tactics?

Without going through a dictionary definition of the two, here are three things for each you can remember.  This will help you keep your perspective (or sanity) during business planning meetings.  You will look like the smartest person in the room.

Point A to B 3 Simple Ways To Distinguish Between Strategy and Tactics

A Course of Action

Strategy is:

  • Quite simple the big picture of where you want to go and who you want to be.  It is the end to your means.   Or to make it really simple for some… it is your goal(s).
  • It is the road map that all actions are to align with in the advancement of your business goals.
  • A plan that is always looking forward into the future with a visualization of the end.

Tactics are:

  • The day-to-day actions you and your team are going to take to help you achieve you goals.  They are the courses of action that will be followed by the different divisions of your company in the achievement of your strategic success.
  • Always adjusting to the business environment, new information, and resources you have at your disposal.
  • They are what you do to win.

So, next time you are stuck in a business-planning meeting remember the three items for strategy and the three items for tactics.  If your meeting on strategy starts to get bogged down in the nuances of who will do what and when, you can put a stop to it.

  • http://www.davidgoldsmith.com David Goldsmith

    I view Strategy and Tactics differently.

    Strategy is were you are going. #1 or #2 in the locomotive business (Using Drucker and Welch with GE Example) They could have decided to go into the door manufacturing business. This strategic decision is huge.

    Tactics are the selection of activities you believe will get you to your strategy and details to get you there. This is the plan. To focus on next generation locomotion instead of me too products which will give us 35% of the market. To make this happen we’ll use the Wisconsin plant, move some aerospace engine designers to the group, invest $30M in tooling upgrades, hire XYZ to do all the marketing… etc.

    David Goldsmith

  • http://www.vongehrconsulting.com/ Von Gehr Consulting Group

    David,

    You are quite right when using those two examples. You could add that the decision on the strategy selected by GE was a component of a greater strategy — to be the #1 business in the world. Either way, each decision has a huge impact on meeting those goals. It would not make sense to expect to become a multi-billion dollar company by making buggy whips.

    You have nailed tactics dead on. They should be flexible to allow you to reach your overall goals.

    Most business meetings tend to focus on the tactics portion than they do the overall strategy.

  • http://www.vongehrconsulting.com Von Gehr Consulting Group

    David,

    You are quite right when using those two examples. You could add that the decision on the strategy selected by GE was a component of a greater strategy — to be the #1 business in the world. Either way, each decision has a huge impact on meeting those goals. It would not make sense to expect to become a multi-billion dollar company by making buggy whips.

    You have nailed tactics dead on. They should be flexible to allow you to reach your overall goals.

    Most business meetings tend to focus on the tactics portion than they do the overall strategy.

  • Roger Dinkins

    David,

    I see strategy as a sweeping vision while tactics are the day-to-day grind to achieve goals or the strategy.

    Roger

  • Roger Dinkins

    David,

    I see strategy as a sweeping vision while tactics are the day-to-day grind to achieve goals or the strategy.

    Roger

  • http://www.davidgoldsmith.com/ David Goldsmith

    I view Strategy and Tactics differently.

    Strategy is were you are going. #1 or #2 in the locomotive business (Using Drucker and Welch with GE Example) They could have decided to go into the door manufacturing business. This strategic decision is huge.

    Tactics are the selection of activities you believe will get you to your strategy and details to get you there. This is the plan. To focus on next generation locomotion instead of me too products which will give us 35% of the market. To make this happen we'll use the Wisconsin plant, move some aerospace engine designers to the group, invest $30M in tooling upgrades, hire XYZ to do all the marketing… etc.

    David Goldsmith