Chapter 23
Shifting from Tactics to Strategy
It’s hard to lead with trust—and apply a long-term relationship focus—when you are working with people who pay greater attention to short-term tactics than to long-term strategy and pour their resources into immediate details. This chapter provides insight into how to engage with others at a level of shared strategy. It challenges you with four key preparation questions that help shift the conversation from a tactical orientation to a strategic one, and provides specific examples of how to engage in a compelling way.
One issue we hear from clients is that partners often get mired in the details and lose sight of the big picture. In other words, there is tension between strategy and short-term tactics. How often have you experienced the following kind of conflict?
I’m working with a senior-level client on issues of strategic importance to his organization. He is very worried about a particular task on the contract. His sole focus is making sure we meet this one deadline, and I’m concerned it is preventing him from seeing and planning for the bigger picture. He isn’t taking enough time to understand the lessons we’re learning through this task so he can make an informed decision about downstream activities.
I’m thinking this is an issue of my credibility. I need to do a better job of selling the bigger-picture issues I think we should consider in ways that he understands.
Whether you are consulting to an external client, working with ...
