IF THE ONLY THING YOU DO IN THE FACE OF A CHALLENGE IS TO TURN TO YOUR TEAMMATES AND SHOUT, “LET’S WIN,” THEN YOU ARE INDULGING IN BAD STRATEGY, SINCE YOU HAVE NOT OUTLINED ANY ACTIONABLE GOALS.

Identifying one or two critical issues in a challenging situation, the pivot points that enhance the effectiveness of an effort, and then concentrating effort on them, characterizes an insightful leader.

To discover the critical factors in a situation and to design a way of coordinating and focusing actions to deal with those factors is to engage in pure strategy work.

Highlighting the biggest challenges to forward progress and initiating a coherent approach to overcome them, are crucial things that need attending to, in a leader’s itinerary.

A good strategy prompts a leader through the nature of the challenge and the means of surmounting it. When General David Petraeus was sent to Iraq in 2007, the idea that he allowed to take hold, was that insurgency could be curbed as long as a large section of the civilian population supported a legitimate government. His strategy was to steer the military’s main focus from making patrols to protecting the civilian population. A populace free of the fear of insurgent retaliation would provide the information needed to combat and degrade the insurgent minority. This strategy made an enormous difference.

In the face of a great challenge, a good strategy smartens up to focus and coordinate efforts to achieve a powerful result that enhances competitiveness and problem-solving effect.

If the only thing you do in the face of a challenge is to turn to your teammates and shout, “let’s win,” then you are indulging in bad strategy, since you have not outlined any actionable goals. The language of broad goals and ambition does not qualify as a good strategy.