This sounds a bit like business, and it is, but it also applies to your family holiday and any other personal project.
“We need a strategy to fix this” – But what is a strategy anyway?
I notice that many people get confused between strategy and planning. Given an objective, and asked to figure out how to make it happen, they immediately launch into planning, which means they missed a crucial step.
The full process is (in very simple terms)…
1. Vision/mission
2. Objective
3. Strategy
4. Planning
5. Budget
6. Implementation.
And there will be some iteration and looping as you refine your ideas.
Actually, you cannot plan without a strategy, so they didn’t miss it out. They just assumed one, almost unconsciously. And others around them may have made different strategic assumptions, so they will be planning to do things differently, even though they are working towards the same objective. Sound familiar?
Think of an objective you want, then focus on splitting strategy and planning so you understand the difference. An explicit shared strategy is critical input to effective collaborative implementation.
This might be helpful…
Strategy is about understanding your environment and deciding what game you are in and your style of play.
Planning is making choices about how to use what you have and the actions you will take to play the game within the chosen style.
My best wishes, Paul
