With nearly two decades of military service, I used to think I knew what strategy was. The more I study the subject, the more I realize how difficult it is to understand as a discipline.

I mean, I went to school. I got an MBA, so I should know something about business strategy, right? Hardly. What about my work? I've been doing strategic stuff for the Air Force; I should know a few basics, right?

That's what I thought until a few months ago when a senior leader walked into the office and asked me and a colleague to define it. I didn't know what to say, so I made silly noises instead of answering.

For most people, strategy is a black box of concepts that seem ambiguous and hard to describe. Mainly because of the complexity and hard to quantify topics involved with thinking through the unknown and doing something new. But also, because we are fraught with cognitive biases, the world is noisy, and managing change is incredibly difficult. My experience suggests that understanding strategy requires an appreciation for clarity in communication and planning. It requires respect for the biases that we all have, a genuine appreciation for the qualitative, and an ability to manage change artfully.

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. — Sun Tzu

---

Strategy, as we all know it, has military origins. However, the world has learned that strategic concepts can be cross-functional and have many practical applications. At its roots, the Greek form of the word translates comfortably into "army leader" (stratos for army and egos for leader). According to James Diggle from Cambridge, the first recorded definitions were a commander's plans and the process of waging war. Today, these concepts are applied in military operations, business, sports, and everywhere in our personal lives.

Before the Greeks, Sun Tzu defined strategy as a comprehensive plan that involves understanding oneself and the enemy to achieve victory with minimal conflict. Shaped by the wars in 6th-century Asia, Sun Tzu has been called the father of Eastern military strategy. His Art of War, a timeless masterpiece, influenced many strategists worldwide ever since his bamboo texts were discovered in the 1970s.

From Sun Tzu's perspective, strategy is a way of thinking about one's place in the world. He defined war as a complex interplay of various factors determining success in conflict. His writing emphasized preparation, adaptability, and understanding of one's and the adversary's capabilities. Of all the military strategists, this is the most robust framework for viewing the strategic environment and understanding one's place in it.

Strategic Management

To do this work, people need processes to understand ambiguous or confusing business environments. Especially when planning over extended time horizons. Many successful business strategists have developed tailored frameworks to help bind their systems to only what they can manage.

One of the most renowned business strategists in modern business, Michael Porter, defined strategy as creating a unique and valuable position involving different activities from competitors. His Competitive Strategy became the world's first business best seller. According to Porter, strategy is not about operational effectiveness or being the best but about being unique in a dynamic field of competitors. He emphasized that strategic decisions must involve consciously doing something differently from competitors to achieve sustainable advantage.

For an evolution of Porter's work, I looked to Roger Martin. A 15-year student and colleague of Porter's, Martin described strategy as "an integrated set of choices that compels desired customer action." Martin developed a set of questions for managers to do strategy:

• What is our winning aspiration?
• Where will we play?
• How will we win?
• What capabilities must we have?
• What management systems are required?

Martin describes these questions as an integrated cascade of choices. The answers to each question inform the management practices of the other, maintaining strategic alignment and offering something for managers and planners.

Strategy as Art

Having identified the difference between planning and strategy, what Martin presents to the field is an artistic view of strategy in a way managers can appreciate. Whether from strategy, management, or even marketing, persuasion is the goal. In the military sense, I want to persuade an adversary to submit. In business, I want to persuade customers to buy my product.

It's been well documented that the ability to read and write is the most determining factor of success in a person's life. Except for the most junior levels of the military and business careers, qualitative expertise will drive more people to advanced levels than quantitative capabilities ever will. Understanding the customer, the team, or the adversary will get you promoted in both industry and the profession of arms far more frequently than your ability to crunch numbers ever will.

Choices and Trade-offs

Each strategist emphasizes the necessity of making strategic choices and trade-offs. Sun Tzu advises choosing battles wisely, Porter discusses the importance of strategic positioning and trade-offs, and Martin focuses on making choices that align with a company's aspirations and capabilities.

So, what do I think strategy is? Sun Tzu described strategy as a way of thinking about one's place in the world. Porter defined it as the creation of a unique and valuable position. Martin said it was an integrated set of choices to compel customer behavior. Putting that all together, I think strategy is the art of making choices to influence others. It's been said best by Wayne Dyer:

"Our lives are the sum total of the choices we've made."

By that logic, strategy is choice. Every one of us is a strategist, designing our own lives and knowingly or unknowingly influencing others. How you make those choices is your personal art form and impacts how you will influence others.

Think about it. What's your definition of strategy? What decisions are you making right now to influence others, and where will you be as a result of your decisions?