On strategy as a way of thinking

Geoff Livingston had an interesting post on strategy at the Buzz Bin that I have been thinking about for a while.

He says,

"Strategy is not valued as an independent thing. Instead, we try to teach it as part of a profession, or hope that good mentorship will lead young minds into strategic thinking. This is a mistake. Based on many of the people I have met in this business, based on the extreme value placed on a great strategic thinker in agencies, we have failed.

And it’s a failure on the part of our education system. I can just see agency execs as well as communications and PR professors’ fingers twitching on their keyboards in angst. They believe they are doing the right thing.

Systematically, this is a failure.

Strategy is not part of a profession. It’s a way of thinking.

…just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions - Sun Tzu

When you think strategically, you think about how to get from A to Z. You do not think of tactics like blogs or press releases.

The farmer does not think I like this hoe, we should use it. No, he/she thinks I need to yield an 8 megaton crop of tomatoes. Given that my soil factor is X, the climate is this, and these are the external elements and diseases common in this land, what are the right tools to get there?

Applied to communications: Who are my stakeholders and what compels them (research)? Do we have the ability serve them (can we win)? If so, given my resources, what’s the best way to do that? Which tools should I use, traditional, social or experimental? Is this strategy fluid enough to adapt to changing market situations?"

It seems to me that in the "Associations 2.0" model we can encourage strategic imagination through all rungs of an organization. And I think the key to that is trust and respect. Trust in younger generations, who can be naturally flexible and strategic in their enthusiasm, as long as we encourage their interest in the industry as a professionally rewarding and FUN place to grow; and respect in our members, whose ideas and participation we need in order to create viral growth.

Dave Webb, another influential social media blogger, shared this in the comments:

1. Regarding Purpose (which has to do with HEART, what you FEEL) - Why do you exist as an organization, or why does this segment, function or activity of your organization exist? What is it that you have been put on earth to do, what is your message to the world? What is your passion, or the heart behind what motivates you? What do you feel it is that that really gets you going with contagious excitement and enthusiasm and makes people want to become engaged with you? If you don’t care, why should anyone else?

2. Regarding Vision (which has to do with CLARITY, what you SEE) - Where are you going with your purpose, what’s the best case, ideal end result you are looking for? What do you see that others need to see? What insight, solution to the problems, or vantage point do you have that others could benefit from? How are you leading others toward that vision? If you can’t see where you’re going, why should anyone follow?

3. Regarding Mission (which has to do with ACTION, what you DO) - How do you carry out your purpose practically? What do you do that gets massive results? What action have you taken that practically demonstrates your ability to accomplish great things? If what you do doesn’t work, why should anyone listen to you?

These are things everyone in an association should be able to know and act on. Associations are mission driven, of course - but how many members or staff can quote the mission? I know I can't, for mine (but then again, I made up a new tagline that I use on my association's website that I thought was better.)



We should all have a 140-character or less version of our mission statement that EVERYONE can use to think and act strategically on behalf of our organizations.

The days of top-down strategic planning and thinking are numbered, that's what I think.