The Seven Sins of Strategy

If you’re not content being with the majority of managers dog paddling around in the tactical end of the pool, then it’s time to commit yourself to becoming a better strategist. This is accomplished by understanding the seven sins of strategy and the action steps to avoid them.

Sin #1: Substituting Planning for Thinking. Since thinking is hard work, it’s not uncommon for managers to fall back on strategic planning in an attempt to shape the direction of their business. However, this ignores a crucial distinction—strategic thinking involves the generation of insights—strategic planning involves the application of the insights into an action plan. Relying on strategic planning without strategic thinking is tantamount to an organizational lobotomy because the essential thinking function has been excised. This results in tired, old tactical plans leading to marginally incremental improvement at best while stifling the organization’s potential.