A wild encounter during a company onsite in Rancho Mirage, California. | Photo by Erik Johnson
Be more strategic every day with 'little s' strategy
"Be more strategic." A boss has probably told you this during an annual review. Maybe you even wrote it down as a professional development goal. It sounds important — like the kind of thing successful people do. But what does it actually mean?
Strategy gets thrown around so much that it has become almost meaningless. It is a catchall for "thinking more critically and doing better work" without any clarity on what that looks like in practice.
There are two types of strategy: the one with a big "S" and the one with a little "s." Both are important, but the big S gets all the attention. It should not.
In my experience, strategy with a big S only happens every so often. These are the major moves — entering new markets, sunsetting product lines, pivoting the business model, making a major acquisition. Big S strategy defines the direction for the entire company.
Very few among us make those decisions in their career. And that is fine. You do not need to be a big S person or in a role where big S decisions are expected to be made to be strategic in your work.
What you can do — what you should do — is focus on strategy with a little "s."
Think of little s strategy as goal-aligned decisions. It means you do everything you can to make decisions, and especially hard ones, that are aligned with the larger strategic framework of your company's goals and product goals. (This assumes those goals exist; if they do not or are contradictory, you are likely experiencing major organizational challenges. You might want to read this post next.)
Here is the key point: You make dozens of strategic decisions every day, whether you realize it or not, such as:
How to sequence the work
Who to team up with
What trade-offs to accept
Whether to extend a deadline or hold firm
How to respond to an urgent request
Each decision is an opportunity to demonstrate strategic thinking. Just ask yourself:
Does this choice advance our goals?
How does this fit into everything else we are trying to accomplish?
Am I considering the trade-offs clearly?
What is the broader impact beyond the immediate ask?
How quickly can I get this done at a high quality?
These small, yet mighty strategic choices build the muscle memory of connecting your work to what matters most. Over time, you will start to viscerally react to what does not immediately feel aligned to broader company goals. You will see the gaps faster and spot the misalignments before they become problems.
Little s strategy expands your analytical thinking and engages you in the big S mindset while you continually add value.
One day, you may even look at the big S strategy and think that you could define a better approach. Good. That ambition is valuable, and you should honor it within yourself. It is also the kind of thinking that will serve you well if you want to progress to making big S decisions at your current company or someplace new.
If you believe you have a better big S than what is currently defined, talk through it with your manager. Back it with evidence. Show how your thinking connects to market realities, customer needs, and business outcomes.
Promote your idea for deeper consideration, but make sure you fire-test it in your own mind and poke at your assumptions to see where you might be wrong. Do this because others will.
The best way to add value when you are not making the big S decisions is to focus on leveraging little s decision-making to implement brilliantly within the current framework. That is not limiting — it is where the real work happens at successful companies.
Every decision you make is a chance to demonstrate that you understand the goals and can advance them through your work.
Little s strategy is available to you right now. Being strategic is not a future state. It is a daily practice. So stop waiting for a strategic role and start making strategic choices. Your teammates need you to, even if they do not quite know it yet.
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