In our fast-paced world, how we achieve our goals and succeed can seem like an insurmountable challenge.  Long gone is the era of simple action plans and typical conference calls.  With accelerated advances in technology popping up with every tick of the clock’s second hand, we frequently see ourselves scrambling just to keep up.

The answer to how to keep up and get ahead?

Strategize.

You can have control over your goals.  It just takes a bit of finesse, a dash of patience, and a heaping ton of strategy.   Learning how to strategize is not only empowering and liberating, it’s essential for your ultimate success.

What is strategy?

To strategize is to determine how you will execute what you want to achieve.  It is the solution to the looming “how am I going to manage this?” question.

What makes strategy different?                                                                                                            

Strategies are NOT the same as plans, goals, outcomes, purposes, missions, or even visions.  Let’s break it down.

Plans: Plans are developed to sort through what is needed to complete a goal.  Plans can be lists of resources, milestones, and timeframes.

Goals: Goals are quantifiable results.  The goals are the measurable portions of what you want to achieve (think numbers: for example, a set percentage profit gain).

Outcomes: Outcomes are the aftermath of reaching your goals.  These are the things that happen or result from achieving your ends.

Purposes: Purposes answer the “why am I answering this?” question.  They are ultimately the motivating force behind the action.

Missions: Missions combine your values and your purposes.  Missions are most simply what makes you YOU and your business unique.

Visions: Visions are the realization of the endless possibilities.  They are the “feel” of what you wish to accomplish.  Visions, unlike goals, are intangible and cannot be scientifically measured.

Coming up: “Why Strategize?” and “How to Strategize”