What’s so clever about being strategic?

When you run a business, it’s not just about living from moment to moment. Though sometimes it might feel like that.

You’ve got to be strategic too.

And INTJs do that better than anybody.

What does being strategic mean?

But what does strategic mean when it comes to your business?

According to the dictionary, strategic is “Relating to the identification of long-term or overall aims and interests and the means of achieving them“.

Sure, when you run a business you’ve got to think about the day-to-day work. For example, as an independent coach, when I start work in the morning, I focus on the client calls or mentoring sessions booked in my diary. Or maybe it’s a mastermind day in which case I’ll be out the house before the rest of the family. On a given day, I will be planning my social media activity; another day I might be dealing with invoices and expenses.

These are all examples of day-to-day operational tasks needed to keep the coaching practice ticking along.

You can’t just focus on today

However to run a successful business, you can’t just focus on what’s happening today. You need to be looking ahead to next week, next month and next year. The long-term. You need to be strategic. So that when it comes to the day-to-day ‘stuff’, you’re doing what fits in with your overall long-term goals. And not frittering away time on social media that’s not taking you in the right direction.

Some of us are naturally better at being future-oriented and thinking strategically. If you’re ‘into’ Myers Brigg, I’m INTJ.

Guess what INTJs are brilliant at. Got it in one. Strategic thinking. I loved this quote from this article on How Future Oriented Each Myers Brigg Personality is:

“INTJs are naturally extremely future-oriented individuals. They are long-term strategic planners, who are constantly focusing on the future.”

My husband drives me nuts

I read that quote this morning after getting really annoyed with my husband for not thinking ahead and planning. It drives me nuts. And even though I know he’s completely different to me when it comes to planning and thinking strategically, it doesn’t stop prevent the irritation!

However it does explain why I’m so good at helping women in business develop an overall strategy for their business so that everything they do on a day-to-day basis is contributing to the long-term plan.

It’s a different way of thinking

Being strategic is not necessarily just being clever. It’s a different way of thinking. It’s about making effective use of the tools you have. It’s being creative with your resources. It’s looking to the future, to your overall aims and goals.

One of my favourite tools when I work with clients is what I call “reverse engineering“. Taking something apart to work out how it works.

First identify what you want in 12 months time. To achieve that, what do you need to have or where do you need to be in 6 months? Then what you need in 3 months; then 1 month, then 1 week and now today.

Simples.

To me anyway.