Motivation - Strategy
Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Sun Tzu
Strategy is a plan of action or a policy designed to achieve a major goal. A strategy describes how the goal will be achieved by the resources needed. Business strategy is a clear set of plans, actions and goals that outlines how a business will compete in a particular market with a product or service.
A good strategy provides a clear roadmap, consisting of a set of guiding principles or rules, that defines the actions people should or should not take and the things they should prioritize or not prioritize to achieve the desired goals. A good strategy brings a sense of focus. It establishes a direction for you to take and it will help sharpen the focus needed in order to reach your goal.
To be a good strategy, it must precisely diagnose the problem being solved. Next a guiding policy that will address that problem must be set and then a set of coherent actions need to be proposed which will deliver that policy.
Strategic thinking skills enable you to use critical thinking to solve complex problems and plan for the future. These skills are essential to accomplish goals, overcome obstacles and address challenges. Here are some tips to use to develop strategic thinking skills. Pause and reflect. Consciously change your style of thinking. Gain experiences and ideas. Discuss these ideas with people who think differently than you. Make decisions about what to do next.
A strategic process is concerned about making decisions. Be proactive. Take initiative and do things before you are asked to or you will need to respond reactively. Understand counter arguments. Constantly optimize and keep up-to-date with news and trends.
Tactics are specific actions to take to affect a given situation. Tactics are the actions that move the strategy forward. A strategy without well-planned tactics will fail. Strategy is the action plan that takes you where you want to go. The tactics are the individual steps and actions that will get you there.
The quote at the beginning of this post was made by Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived around 500 BC. He is credited as the author of “The Art of War”, an influential work of military strategy. It focuses more on alternatives to battle and even to war itself. He suggested delay, the use of spies, the making and keeping of alliances, the uses of deceit, and a willingness to submit, at least temporarily, to more powerful foes. Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.
The picture with today’s post shows a game of chess. My Dad taught me to play chess. Good chess strategy is playing each piece one time to its best square and getting your chess pieces off the starting squares. You want to get your pieces into the game rapidly and positioned where they can accomplish something. Playing the game of chess is good practice in developing the skills needed to develop a good strategy and the tactics that you follow to achieve your goals.
# living life abundantly # published author # Travelling Tuesdays
