Strategy to tactical and back again

Finding the balance of time and remembering to step between strategic and tactical activity is hard. It takes discipline and practice.

We all do it... sleeves up and in the trenches. The team are busy and you want to be leading by example, which is great.

You might be energised when things go a bit pear shaped and you know you can make a real difference - you can fix what’s broken quickly.

Your boss is calling on you to help - they need you to get in to the detail - a volunteer is needed.

You have a list of things to do a mile long and you are head down stuck in . You feel guilty asking your team to do more. A month later and you are still there.

You are feeling a little overwhelmed and its just more comfortable being in a place, doing what you know so well.

So many scenarios that draw you in. There is nothing wrong with this and delivering well, can give you a confidence boost. It’s just knowing how to move back and forwards.

Whether to focus on leading your people well, empowering others or just ensuring you are on the right path and not veering from the broader strategy, find a trigger or activity, that will remind you to lift your head.

Some suggestions ;

• Find that word, phrase, visual, person or discipline that will get you out of there and use it. Stick a post it note on your computer, with whatever phrase / word you need. STOP will do it.

• Use your weekly meeting with yourself to reflect and reset for the next week. Don’t beat yourself up - just reset. It will take time to become natural.

• Have the business strategic plan close by, to prompt a "should I be doing this?" question to yourself.

• How can you draw on your team or your colleagues to help solve or do what needs to be done - you don’t have to do everything yourself. Others are more than capable and you are not doing your team any favors, by fixing everything for them. How are they going to stretch and learn?

• Look across the business. Is there someone developing, that you can get involved and you can be their guide? Yes I know that it’s faster if you do it yourself, we have spoken about this before! It is important though, for many reasons.
  

Do work on this. You need to be able work on, rather than always in the business, if you want to progress your career. Find your trigger and be disciplined. There is a balance, you just need to find it. Until next time Lisa