The Real Edge in Business? Strategic Thinking
In today’s business landscape—where markets shift overnight and disruption is business-as-usual—the real edge isn’t speed or funding. It’s how you think.
The smartest companies don’t just have strategies. They think strategically—constantly, deliberately, and across every function. It’s not just about what they plan. It’s how they decide, adapt, and act, day in and day out.
Nearly 10% of public companies fail each year. Not because they lack vision, but because they mistake strategy for a static plan.
Strategy = Thinking, Not Just Planning
According to The Strategy Book by Max McKeown, strategy begins with thought—and only then becomes action. It’s about choosing the smartest path to your goals using the resources at hand. And more importantly, it demands agility: the ability to pivot, test, and evolve based on changing circumstances.
In a complex world, McKeown reminds us, the key to strategic advantage lies in recognizing what you can control (decisions, mindset, execution) and designing a strategy that thrives amid what you can’t (customer preferences, competitor moves, economic shifts).
The Four Strategic Habits of Successful Firms
BCG’s “Four Best Practices for Strategic Planning” highlights the shift from linear plans to dynamic habits:
Think across time horizons – Manage short-term, mid-term, and long-term simultaneously.
Reignite dialogue annually – Don’t recycle last year’s playbook. Ask bold, new questions.
Involve more people – The more perspectives, the better the outcomes (and the buy-in).
Link strategy to execution – A brilliant strategy that’s not implemented is a missed opportunity.
Strategy is everybody’s business—and every day’s business.
Choosing the Right Strategic Advantage
In What’s Your Competitive Advantage?, Bowman and Raspin explore seven distinct strategic paths—from low cost to innovation, from specialization to simplicity.
Their key insight: don’t try to be everything to everyone. Pick a strategy, align capabilities around it, and measure what matters. Many organizations stumble by blending too many strategies into one diluted mess.
Smart strategy is about tradeoffs, clarity, and ruthless alignment.
From Reactive to Strategic: 3 Questions to Ask Weekly
Even high-performing businesses can slip into reactive execution. Strategic thinking is how you break that pattern. Start by asking these three questions every week:
What changed this week—and how does it affect our assumptions?
Are we still solving the right problems—or just executing plans?
What’s one action we took that reflects strategic intent?
These aren’t abstract—they’re habit-forming. Use them in team meetings, project reviews, and leadership check-ins. Strategy is a muscle, not a memo.
A Strategy Checklist for Leaders
If you want your strategy to deliver, make sure it does all five of these:
✅ Addresses real competitive positioning
✅ Aligns with current (and future) customer needs
✅ Mobilizes the organization, not just leadership
✅ Prioritizes execution and adaptability
✅ Includes metrics and feedback loops
Final Thought
Strategic thinking isn’t reserved for the boardroom. It belongs in sales meetings, hiring decisions, product designs, and vendor contracts. In a world where execution is table stakes, thinking strategically is what sets winners apart.
So ask yourself—are you thinking tactically… or strategically?