Running a business can be like juggling a thousand priorities. 

One of the biggest challenges I see business owners face is making changes without fully thinking them through strategically. Not because they don’t want to—but because they’re balancing:

  • Strategic thinking.
  • Tactical implementation.
  • … And the daily whirlwind of  . . . duh . . . running their business 🙂

Timelines, resources, and urgency force us into “just get it done” mode. But here’s the truth: rushing into tactics without a clear strategy invites chaos. Missteps can lead to wasted resources, frustrated teams, and projects that underdeliver.

Here’s what you can do:

Let’s be real. You probably don’t have the luxury of devoting an entire team to a new project – so everyone else can just work on “business as usual”. 

But here’s what can work:

  1. Segment Your Time: Your brain can only hold one thought at a time. Dedicate specific moments for strategy—separate from tactics or day-to-day operations. Whether it’s an hour a week, 15 minutes during a team meeting, or a full day once a month, creating space for strategy is key. Even small, consistent efforts can prevent costly “wish-we-thought-of-that” moments later.
  2. Start with the Framework: For big projects, focus on the overarching picture. Lay down guardrails, address key questions, and outline milestones:
    • What are we trying to accomplish?
    • How does this impact other areas of the business?
    • What resources and timelines are needed?
  3. Think Incrementally: You don’t need to solve every challenge upfront. Tackle strategy one piece at a time. Focus on what needs to happen in the next week, month, or quarter to move closer to your goal without overloading yourself or your team.

A Simple Framework for Strategic Thinking

Here’s how to break it down into manageable steps:

  • Week 1: Define the goal and list any unknowns or questions you need to answer.
  • Weeks 2–3: Identify the key players or resources you’ll need and schedule time to gather input.
  • Weeks 4+: Develop a strategic roadmap. Outline the major steps, timelines, and resources needed for implementation, and define clear metrics to measure success. Use this stage to refine your strategy based on input and make sure everyone is on the same page before execution begins.

Example: Reducing Employee Burnout

  • Week 1: Identify signs of burnout within your team. Look at factors like workload, overtime, and vacation use.
  • Weeks 2–3: Survey employees to understand what’s contributing to stress and gather feedback on what they’d find helpful.
  • Weeks 4+: Develop a strategic plan for tackling burnout. This could include drafting a proposed workload redistribution plan, outlining policies for flexible schedules, or creating a framework for employee feedback loops to monitor stress levels over time. Present the plan to leadership or team members for further input.

Big Picture – 

Here’s how this strategic approach works in the real world:

  • Small Project: Currently we are transitioning to a new CRM. Dumping our current data into it without a plan is a recipe for “garbage in, garbage out.” Instead, we defined what we wanted the CRM to do and mapped our pipeline before diving into tactics.
  • Big Project: One of our clients is launching a multi-year educational program. It would be great if they had weeks to get everyone together and map out every detail.  They don’t. But they were able to get the key players in a room for half a day to establish the framework and major milestones. And, most importantly, discuss where this project overlapped with other initiatives they already have in progress. Now, they’ll chip away at the smaller bits of strategy piece by piece before starting the implementation.

Need Help Finding Clarity?

If balancing strategy, tactics, and everything else on your plate feels impossible, I can help. Let’s jump on Zoom to map out what’s overwhelming you and find a clear path forward.

Click here to schedule a time to talk.

Because sometimes, having an outside perspective makes all the difference.