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In the rush to make an impact, many organizations dive headfirst into tactics: a shiny new website, a social media blitz, or a revamped email campaign. While these tactics are often significant, launching into them without a clear strategy is like setting sail without a map. Tactics alone won’t ensure success if the underlying goals and objectives aren’t in place.
Here, we’ll explore why a strong strategy is the foundation of an effective strategic plan. We will also outline common missteps that organizations make when prioritizing “doing” before identifying what they’re doing and why they’re doing it.
Mistake #1: Going Tactical Too Soon
One of the biggest pitfalls in strategic planning is the rush to go tactical. Teams often want to see results right away, so they jump into projects and campaigns that look impressive on the surface. However, these efforts can quickly become scattered without a clear strategic framework and fail to deliver meaningful outcomes.
Solution: Start with the “big picture.” What are you ultimately trying to achieve? Defining your strategy—your high-level approach to achieving your mission—ensures that every effort aligns with your organization’s purpose. Think of strategy as the “why” behind every tactic. When this is clear, tactical decisions become easier and more effective because an overarching plan drives them.
Mistake #2: Confusing Tactics with Goals
Another common mistake is conflating goals with tactics. It’s easy to think, “We need a new website” or “We need to ramp up our social media.” But these aren’t goals in and of themselves—they’re means to an end. Actual goals are broad outcomes or achievements that align with your organization’s mission and values, such as improving customer engagement, increasing market share or enhancing brand visibility.
Solution: Define clear, strategic goals before determining the tactics to support them. Start by asking, “What do we want to achieve, and why is it important to our organization’s mission?” Once you have a goal in place, you can decide on the tactics that will help you reach it. For instance, if the goal is to enhance customer engagement, a tactic like social media may be relevant—but it’s now rooted in a strategic intent rather than a tactical whim.
Mistake #3: Skipping Objectives
Defining measurable objectives with goals in place is crucial, yet many teams skip this step. Objectives serve as the bridge between your high-level goals and day-to-day tactics. Without objectives, assessing whether your efforts are moving the needle toward your goals is nearly impossible.
Solution: Develop SMART objectives for each goal—objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. For example, if your goal is to increase customer engagement, an objective might be, “Increase social media interactions by 20% within six months.” SMART objectives create clarity and give teams a concrete target to aim for, making it easier to monitor progress and adjust as needed.
Mistake #4: Lack of Measurement and Evaluation Plans
Once tactical execution begins, getting caught up in “doing” is easy without checking if your efforts are working. Many organizations implement tactics without pre-defined metrics for success, leading to wasted resources and missed opportunities for improvement.
Solution: Before rolling out any tactic, ask yourself, “How will we know if this is working?” Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each objective and build in regular evaluation points to assess progress. This ensures that your team remains aligned with strategic goals and allows tactical adjustments based on actual results. Whether it’s a monthly check-in or a quarterly review, regular measurement and evaluation keep your strategy on track and responsive to changing circumstances.
Best Practices for Staying Strategic
A strategic-first approach requires discipline and structure. Here are some best practices to help ensure you stay focused:
Start with Why: Make it a rule to always begin with why. Why is this goal or tactic important? Why does it align with our broader mission?
Map Goals to Tactics: Clearly outline which tactics will support each goal. This mapping process helps prevent tactical overload and keeps teams focused on high-priority actions.
Cultivate a Strategy-First Culture: Ensure your team understands strategy's importance and how it guides daily work. This can involve training, regular strategy check-ins or reinforcing strategic alignment in team meetings.
Revisit and Revise: Strategies are not static; they should evolve as circumstances change. Make regular adjustments to ensure your tactics remain relevant to your goals and your goals align with your mission.
Park your Tactics: As you have strategic conversations, your planning team will automatically start throwing out ideas for great tactics. While working your way through developing your strategy and goals, create a parking lot or list of tactics that come up. This helps your team and leaders make sure they feel heard. Once you are ready to start developing tactics, revisit the list and incorporate any that fit your needs!
In strategic planning, jumping into tactics without first identifying strategy, goals and objectives is a recipe for wasted effort and missed opportunities. Taking the time to outline your strategic direction and align every tactic with a meaningful goal not only improves execution but also strengthens your organization’s ability to make a real impact.
So, the next time you’re tempted to dive into tactics, remember, don’t try to satisfy before you identify! By putting strategy first, you’re setting your organization up for long-term success, guided by a clear vision and actionable steps toward achieving it. If you want to chat about how your organization can develop an implementable strategic plan, reach out to us and set up a meeting. Our team of experienced strategic planning consultants can assist at any stage of your process!