Don’t Just Make Noise

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~Sun Tzu

Strategy is everything. And nothing. For strategy to be effective, it must be well-placed, thought-out, and comprehensive. Still, strategy alone will at least get you somewhere. All too often, folks jump into their vision of war-like tactics and pray that attack mode will win them triumph. They’re just making noise.

Don’t just make noise: ALL communication is strategic. If your communication isn’t strategic, you’re wasting your breath.

For a business, strategy is all about creating value. As far as definitions go, the vagueness of that one could make your eyes cross. The truth is, people have been attempting to define “strategy” in an effort to sell it, for longer than the word itself has existed.

As a side note: according to Oxford Languages, the word “strategy” is first noted in the “early 17th century (denoting an army, government, or province under the command or rule of a general): from Greek stratēgia ‘generalship’, ‘province governed by a general’, from stratēgos ‘general’ (see stratagem).”

While the etymology of the word “strategy”, does denote the same war-like behavior described above, I prefer love as my weapon of choice. This means I will always look for the the option that gives a “win” to everyone involved. In my experience, people are happy to give you what you want when you give them what they need.

This often means thinking a little harder…searching a little longer…looking at situations with a fresh set of eyes. After all, “if you always do what you’ve always done,”…right?

Strategy is creating value. Strategy is effective rhetoric. Strategy is accomplishing objectives. Strategy is a happy and fulfilled team. Strategy is ticking off all of your checkboxes in the most efficient way (efficiency is a love language!) with the biggest bang for your buck and in a beautiful tidy package, to boot.

So no, I don’t view strategy as war. I view strategy as love. Don’t just make noise.