A Ticket To No Where

The word strategy gets used a lot.

It’s one of those comfort words that make us feel we’re fully engaged in our business. An invisible force field, inside whose protection only good things happen. After all, who ever went out of business while working on a new strategy.

The problem is that a strategy is not a destination.

Instead, it’s the means by which you move your business.

The temptation to add the word forward to the end of that sentence is one I’ve come to respect. And resist.

Direction is contextual. And requires you know where you have come from. And where you’re headed.

Working on a new strategy without knowing where you want to take your business is like buying a ticket before you’ve decided where you want to go.

Don't be surprised if you're disappointed where you end up.