Organizational success is a mirage without strategic clarity. But what is strategy? The simplest definition of strategy is a broad roadmap of how an organization will go from here to there. Strategy is the bridge that connects the present (current position) to the future (goals or future destination). As a roadmap, strategy provides direction and coherence to your journey. I’d say that an effective strategy is about the best or fastest route to your destination.

A more technical definition of strategy would be the marketplace actions and moves that help to improve a company’s position and performance relative to the competition. If you look at this definition, you will see the following ideas about strategy:

1) Strategy is about the marketplace. Therefore, what you do internally is not strategy until it helps you improve your position in the marketplace.

2) Strategy is not theory but action. It is not strategy until it is executed or carried out in the marketplace.

3) Strategy is necessary because of competition. However, you might not need strategy if you are a monopoly.

4)Strategy’s ultimate goal is to help you win in the marketplace. If you are not winning, you either have the wrong strategy or faulty implementation.

A company’s strategy will determine which customers it will serve with what products and through which channels/medium. In winning organizations, there is a fit between their view of their competencies, external opportunities, and the unique value they create for their customers. Failure results when one of the three is absent, or there is a misalignment of the three. We help organizations understand and develop winning strategies.