Most companies have strategies. Some are formal, while others are informal. Some mix strategy and tactics in the same breath, while others build strategies with no path to execution. Others build tactical programs without an eye to an overarching strategy. No matter who your favorite strategist or tactician is, the consensus from history is that you need both. Equally important is taking inventory of each business strategy that informs your plans.

Years ago my friend Elizabeth Gooding (Inkjet Insight) was my partner in a session we called “What’s your Strategy Strategy?” It evolved from our conversations about the many strategies we were asked to help craft. Among the many were:

That isn’t all that we identified. There were so many strategies in play at the companies we were dealing with that we came to recognize an interesting disconnect. Within the bounds of any business, there were multiple, often competing, strategies. They were built with the best intentions, but often in silos that resulted in a plethora of PowerPoint decks with catchy titles like “Marketing Strategy” and “Sales Strategy” that were the result of department-centric exercises. While the intent was a blueprint for success, the result was a series of disconnected plans that had little chance of moving the company forward.