Mastering the art of strategy

Strategy

Strategy is an integral part of our lives and being. Everyone at some point in their lives has employed it. At the very least, each individual employs it at least once on any given day.

On many occasions, we are oblivious to the implementation of strategy that we may never notice when it is employed. It is implemented on such a vast range of day to day scenarios.  

It can be put into practice whilst you are playing a board game, darts, snooker or when you go bowling with friends. It could also be implemented whilst planning your diet for the week, picking out foods rich in a particular nutrient (maybe protein) with the plan to bulk up muscle weight. Yet again, it could be about investing in low carbohydrate and high fibre foods, with the plan to shed some excess weight.

Last but not least, and probably the most common, strategy can be implemented whilst drafting a budget about how you will allocate your income to different day to day needs and wants.

So strategy is nothing new really, but just something people are foreign aware of when implementing such that when it is mentioned as a topic it seems like some complicated and highly tactical game of chess when in actual fact it is an inherent part of your being.

Sound strategy and poor strategy

When one views strategy as being a foreign ‘almighty’ masterplan it is hard to admit that you implemented an ineffective strategy. In actual fact you would have employed a strategy, albeit a poor one. Many people tend to shift the blame, casting it on either themselves, their weaknesses or another individuals’ actions.

Imagine venturing into a business whose profit margin is dependent on bulk sales but implementing it in a scarcely populated area. If the profits do not add up, would you blame it on your work ethic or the strategy under which the idea was implemented? Some console themselves with the thought that they didn’t work hard enough when in actual fact you could work your socks off and still not get as big a profit margin.

Strategy does not imply something always good and productive, some can be misinformed and atrocious to say the least. Many poor strategies are developed from misinformed decisions.

How to devise good strategies

Make informed decisions

Strategy is all about what you know…literally. Strategic planning is about listing whatever you know and then from the information you draft the most suitable way forward.

Going back to our diet example; To lose excess weight one has to know what exactly it was that was in their diet that caused an increase in weight. Having done that, knowing the source of excess calories is not enough, you also have to know what to eat instead of the aforementioned because you wouldn’t want to torment yourself by going on a hunger strike.

So even though you might end up losing some weight because of a positive change in your diet, the person who has the added knowledge about necessary exercise routines on as an addition will definitely get even better results. It is the same in business, sport, or even entertainment. The more vested and knowledgeable you become, the better positioned you are to carve out some sharp strategies.

RELATED Article: Knowledge Is Power

Strategy is an inherent part of your being

To be a master strategist, you have to live strategy. Realize that strategy is not a foreign entity which you only explore when in dire need. Rather, make is a part of your being, it should define your being. The problem with seeking strategy when the situation becomes extremely urgent is that more times than not, it would be too late to successfully turn the situation around.

And to be a strategic being you have to quit the habit of performing a task for the sake of doing it. It all starts with one simple question, ‘Why?’

Ask yourself why you do whatever you do. Be honest with yourself, never take “because it has to be done” as an answer. Always have a precise and succinct reason to why you take whatever route of action you implement.

Always assess each and every decision before undertaking it. Explore other options. It all starts from the smallest of things which may be seemingly harmless eg when you visit the supermarket. Instead of buying a chocolate just because you like chocolates, you should be asking yourself the question, “why do I like chocolates?”

That way you may realize you like them only because they are sweet, but for your health sake, you can’t continuously consume tones of them by the day just because you like them. So by knowing the reason why you like them, you are in a better position to strategise with respect to substituting some of the chocolate with something else that satisfies your need for chocolate but at the same time providing better answers for your health.

In everything, Think Strategy

Challenge yourself to see and plan beyond the immediate in everything you do. Always think two, three or four moves ahead. 

Some things may not appear profitable in the immediate future but a small distance down the line they explode into life. On the contrary, other things seem like a gold mine at first glance but deteriorate at an astronomical rate within a short period of time.

Strategy is about teaching oneself to make decisions based on net output and not the gross settlement. Sometimes you lose battles to win a war. Take a step at a time but always be in position to see four steps ahead.

In the game of chess there are moves they call ‘gambits.’ These moves involve sacrificing a piece and it seems as if you are losing the initiative to your opponent but a few moves down the line you are better positioned to launch a ferocious attack which may end up winning you the game.
It is a highly strategic move of taking a step back just so that you are better positioned to catapult yourself into the lead.

In other businesses and sports there is the concept of counter attacking. The idea is to take a defensive position so as to invite pressure which you then decimate by attacking from the blind side, exposing the opponent’s defensive frailties. 

Think outside the box

....sounds cliche I know. But it just had to be said. I enjoy saying it just as little as you like hearing it but sometimes a cliche quote really is more than just a candy cane for the brain. And it is in these situations that you really moan how meaningful words have been watered down into flat phrases.

Strategy is not for the rigid. You have to be willing to go against the conventional ways of doing things if it is what it takes to make it. 

If need be, you have to draft your unique formation in accordance to the challenge that lies before you. Because some times the recognized formations do not offer much assistance to your cause.

It is the reason many people are seemingly stagnant in their businesses or projects. They fear to drown once they jump off the boat of recognized theories. However, they fail to realize that if the boat is going north and they intend to go to the south they have to abandon the boat and swim to shore! You might get wet in the process or even tire beyond expectation but you would have made it to the shore wouldn’t you??

Don’t fear failure

A strategist’s worst nemesis is the fear of failure. Fear of failure cripples you from implementing the boldest of strategies. 

So even though you might experience some profit from playing safeties in your strategies, it is just a slice from a potentially huge cake.

First and foremost, playing safe is never a guarantee to succeed. This world seems to have an unending love affair with upsets. For every growing certainty there always seems to be a tasty upset brewing. So even though one may feel comfortable with passive strategies, there is no guarantee in strategy. 

Otherwise, it wouldn’t defeat the whole purpose of calling it a strategy wouldn't it. Instead, it would be more appropriate calling a ‘Solution’ since the result would be guaranteed.

Secondly, fear of failure in strategic planning is literally the definition of settlingfor less.

When you settle for less you would have forfeited your potential to mediocrity 

Don't get it wrong, mediocrity is NOT poverty or suffering as some have been made to believe. 

You actually get quite comfortable whilst rooted in mediocrity, after all, it is the reason the majority of the people on this planet are buried mediocre. 

So to extend potential beyond the limitations of mediocrity, you cannot afford settle for mediocre thought process and strategy.

RELATED Article: Never Settle for Less

Thirdly, the biggest reward more often than not is hidden behind the boldest strategies. This is because it is a road very few people are willing to tread and therefore has more gems within it. On the contrary, a road everyone else uses is likely to yield very little reward.

Difference between a good strategy and a winning strategy

There is a difference between good strategy and a winning strategy. Many times it used to haunt me how I would find myself failing even when I knew I could not have planned or done any of my actions better. 

Sometimes the misfortune would extend to my favourite team as well. There were some games I would just feel that the team executed everything so well with utmost precision and very little error but would still be baffled by the fact that the match was lost. 

It made me realize that sometimes we are so consumed with the need for perfection to an extent that we forget the number one principle of strategic planning: Get the job done.

In both instances, the strategy would have been a good one, but it takes more than being good to devise a winning strategy. A good strategy may be sound and disciplined but it may not be a winning strategy. A winning strategy on the other hand may not be the prettiest looking but in the end it is the one that gets the job done.

A winning strategy is not only dependent on you, but is equally dependent on the opposition as well. It is about anticipating the best counter offence your challenge could offer and then planning and acting accordance to the worst that can be done to you by the challenge you face.

Planning a winning strategy is all about playing to the weakness of whatever obstacle lies before you. It may not be as pretty as a good strategy but sometimes it is all that needs to be done to get a breakthrough. This is where thinking outside the box is particularly handy.

Good strategy may advise you that attack is the best form of defense and will point out how quick you are with your punches. On the other hand, a winning strategy would point to the fact that pound for pound you may not be as strong as your opponent and would instead advise you to lean on the ropes and absorb the punches until your opponent wears down.

In conclusion...

Strategy is really not a foreign entity, it is something that lies within you. All you need to do is embrace and being a part of your being just much as your finger is part of your hand. 

There is no need to dramatize and overplay it. No-matter the excitement, you never use your fingers to walk do you? 

Be natural and use it appropriately. 

Above all, in all strategies always remember the golden principle: GET THE JOB DONE! After all, it is the reason you employ strategies.