Understand the sequence of strategy

- What are we actually talking about when we talk about strategy? The key to keeping it straight is thinking about the path from long term down to short term, from the big picture down to the details of how it's going to get accomplished. At the far end, you have your vision. If we're talking about the individual level, maybe it's that you'll become a leader who helps change the world. So how do you do that? That's where strategy comes in. Strategy is about the big picture choices you make, how you decide which road to go down. You decide to take the job in healthcare rather than in finance, or you decide you're going to become a specialist in artificial intelligence because you believe it's the next important wave. Strategy is being clear and proactive in choosing what you're going to do and especially, this is the part people forget, what you're not going to do. In other words, write down your long-term vision and be clear what it does and doesn't entail. Once you've got your strategy down, it's time to think about goals. How do you operationalize your strategy? How do you make it real? If you want to become a specialist in AI, maybe that means going back to school for a special degree program, or maybe your goal is reading a book a week on AI for the next year. There are a lot of possible ways to achieve your strategy and the ones you pick, those are your goals that you work to accomplish. Getting clear on them keeps you honest and ensures you're actually making progress. So now you can write down the path you're going to take to accomplish your strategy. It could be one thing or a few things, but it shouldn't be 10 because focus will be key here. But we can't stop here because goals by themselves are often too big to just mark down and say, "Oh, I'll do that." They're sometimes complex and they require a lot of steps. So to make sure you don't get lost or distracted, it's important to get clear on your tactics. Tactics are the concrete activities you undertake to make your goals and therefore your strategy and therefore your vision come to life. You can't just say you're going to read a book a week and then expect it to magically happen. Your tactic could be blocking out an hour in your calendar every morning before you start work or deciding that you're going to read every day on the train instead of listen to music. If you wanted to pursue a degree program, maybe the tactics would involve securing informational interviews with students who are currently enrolled in the program to see if it's a fit, or taking a prep course to ensure you score better on the admission test. So now you can write down how you're going to accomplish your goals. When are you going to do it? Every morning before 9:00 a.m.? Once a week on Saturdays? And how will you fit it in and work around obstacles. Maybe you'll listen on audiobook so you can do it while you're cooking dinner, which you need to do anyway. Whatever it is, it pays to think it out, maybe even write it out and be precise. Strategic thinking is a virtue, but to make strategy happen, you have to know how the pieces fit together so you can succeed.