It seems like we end up having this conversation pretty frequently - like every time we debate the potential fit of a new candidate, or when we are assigning positions on the crew of a sailboat racing team. Who is the strategist and who is the tactician?...my question becomes - "Can you truly succeed in one of these roles without being equally successful in another?"
While we all come across individuals who have either by nature, or by design limited themselves to operating in either a "strategic" or "tactical "realm, I have observed that truly successful leaders have usually demonstrated expertise in both areas - I'm really not sure how you can do it any other way.
Going back to my military days - every operating plan was devised based on an overall strategic mission. The top planners, intimately familiar with this mission, would select and assemble the appropriate bundle of tactical moves that, pieced together, would accomplish the strategy. As an officer of the line, it was our job to execute those tactical components to perfection. But as the saying goes - No plan can withstand the test of actual battle. As the execution unfolded, the front line leaders were invariably faced with unexpected circumstances not anticipated by the plan developers. In order to make the right tactical decisions to adjust on the spot, we needed to be intimately familiar with the overall strategy, therefore enabling us to make decisions that not only accomplished our tactical objectives, but also progressed us towards the strategic objectives. Leaders can never de-couple the two.
Conversely, the only way to become a true strategic leader is to have battle-tested knowledge and experience of the tactical environment. Strategic planning has little chance of success if the leaders do not fully understand the capabilities, limitations and dynamics of the "tactical" part of the organization.
Admittedly, there are plenty of people out there who gravitate towards one or the other. I prefer a good mix of both - what's your preference?
No comments:
Post a Comment