This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans

Strategy is a Philosophy: It is not a rigid to-do list but a consistent philosophy of becoming and change.
Strategy vs. Tactics: Tactics are the specific actions taken to finish a task; strategy is the long-term direction that gives those actions meaning.
Strategic Tension: True strategy requires the discipline to sacrifice short-term tactical gains in favor of long-term goals.
Infinite Games: Strategy is about playing games where the goal is to keep playing, rather than “winning” and ending the game.
Choosing Your Game: Every field has rules and players; strategy involves deciding which game you are actually playing and if it’s worth winning.
Active Choice: Strategy is defined by what you choose not to do just as much as what you choose to do.
The Goal is Change: A strategy that doesn’t aim to change a system or a behavior is merely a list of chores.

Planting Seeds: Strategy requires a long-term horizon, often involving planting seeds for a harvest you may not personally see.
Persistent Incrementalism: Significant change rarely happens through “big bang” moments; it is the result of daily, consistent choices.
The Dip: Strategists anticipate the difficult middle period of a project and decide in advance if they have the resources to push through.
Short-termism is a Trap: Focusing on immediate metrics often leads to tactical hacks that undermine long-term strategic health.
Urgency vs. Importance: Tactics often feel urgent, but strategy is always important; successful leaders prioritize the latter.

Outcomes are Systemic: You cannot change an outcome without changing the underlying system that produces it.
Feedback Loops: Strategy involves identifying and adjusting the loops that reinforce or inhibit progress within a system.
Zooming Out: To be strategic, one must step back from the immediate problem to see the broader system at play.
Nodes and Links: Systems are made of connections; changing how parts of a system interact is more effective than changing the parts themselves.
Leverage Points: A good strategy identifies the specific place in a system where a small shift can cause a large result.

The Power of Empathy: Real strategy starts by understanding the worldview of the people you seek to serve.
Don’t Change Minds: It is nearly impossible to change someone’s mind; instead, offer a solution that aligns with their existing beliefs.
Smallest Viable Market: Focus on the smallest group of people who would truly miss you if you were gone to create maximum impact.
Specific Over General: Trying to appeal to everyone makes your strategy invisible; being specific makes it indispensable.
Status and Affiliation: People are motivated by how an action affects their status within a group or their affiliation with others.
Solving “Their” Problem: Strategy is not about solving your problem (sales); it is about solving the customer’s problem in their own language.

Culture as Strategy: Culture is the most powerful system; “People like us do things like this” is the ultimate strategic lever.
The Narrative Shift: Success involves moving a group from an old story (“the way things were”) to a new story (“the way we are now”).
Stories Over Data: While data informs strategy, stories are what move people to adopt new systems and behaviors.
The Existing Story: You must first acknowledge the story your audience currently tells themselves before you can offer a new one.
Enrolling Others: A strategy only works if others choose to join the journey and adopt the new narrative.

Strategic Risk: Avoiding all risk is a tactical choice that usually leads to long-term strategic failure.
Knowing When to Quit: Strategic quitting is letting go of a tactic or “dead end” to save resources for a more viable path.
The Cost of “Better”: Simply being “better” is a tactical race; being different in a way that matters is a strategic choice.
Edge Cases: Strategy is often found at the edges of a system where the rules are still being written.
Resilience: A strategic plan must be robust enough to survive tactical failures along the way.

Race to the Bottom: Competing on price is a tactical game that anyone can play but no one wins long-term.
Race to the Top: The strategic choice is to compete on connection, trust, and remarkable value.
Changing the Rules: If you cannot win the current game, the strategic move is to change the rules of the game itself.
Zero-Sum vs. Positive-Sum: Tactics are often zero-sum (I win, you lose); great strategies are often positive-sum (everyone benefits).

The Scarcity of Attention: Because attention is scarce, strategy must be designed to be worth the audience’s time.
Remarkability: Being remarkable is a strategic choice to build something that people want to talk about.
Authority vs. Responsibility: Strategy requires taking responsibility for the outcome, regardless of who has the formal authority.
Simplicity: A strategy that cannot be explained simply is likely just a collection of complex tactics.
Alignment: Every tactic used by an organization must align with and reinforce the overarching strategy.

Building Assets: Strategy focuses on building long-term assets like trust, permission, and brand equity.
The Value of Trust: Trust is a strategic asset that takes years to build but allows tactics to work much faster.
Permission Marketing: The strategic goal is to earn the right to talk to people who actually want to hear from you.
First-Mover Disadvantage: Sometimes the strategic move is to let others test the waters and then build a better system once the path is clear.
The Network Effect: Strategies that benefit from more people joining become stronger and more defensible over time.

Strategic Humility: Recognizing that you don’t control the system, but you can influence it through consistent choices.
Action is Information: Sometimes the best way to inform a strategy is to take a tactical action and observe the system’s response.
Strategy is Never Finished: Because systems and cultures are always evolving, the work of strategy is a continuous process.