Years ago, I prided myself on saving the day.

A job offer gone wrong, an interview scheduling nightmare, a rogue hiring manager – I was ready and willing to jump in to fix whatever was broken.  

And I assumed this was the key to being viewed positively by the organization. 

If I could squash all the problems, I thought – that would get me to the next level!

But it didn’t. 

All it did was make me look reactive and “tactical”. 

STRATEGIC VS TACTICAL – WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

First of all, there’s nothing wrong with being tactical. 

In fact, when you’re an emerging leader, it’s important for you to be able to get things done. It’s a right of passage. But when you’re overly focused on fire-fighting and short-term thinking, you’re at risk of being branded as “tactical”.  

Being tactical typically means you struggle to see the big picture or you spend too much time in the weeds, failing to see opportunities to make systemic improvements. And this very thing can prevent you from advancing to higher levels of leadership. 

To bring some additional clarity to the strategic vs tactical debate, let’s look at their definitions:

Tactical Thinkers are focused on short-term, immediate actions, and day-to-day solutions. They typically react to problems and deal with them in the moment, as they arise. They struggle to prioritize what’s most important and get distracted easily.

Strategic Thinkers are focused on how things work as a system. They look at the bigger picture, focus on a small number of important outcomes, and pursue long-term goals in partnership with the business. They create proactive solutions that predict and prevent issues so they don’t happen in the first place.

The following graphic expands on these definitions to provide some examples of how a tactical leader acts versus a strategic one:

HOW TO SHIFT FROM A TACTICAL TO A STRATEGIC LEADER

One of the hardest competencies for an emerging leader to learn is “strategic thinking”.  When your job is mostly hands-on, in-the-weeds work, it’s hard to build this skill when you’re drowning in a to-do list. I get it. 

But if you want to get to the next level, you must develop this capability. 

Here are three super simple things you can do today to begin shifting your mindset from tactical to strategic:

1. Just Pause:  The next time you encounter a problem, instead of going into solution mode – just pause. Consider finding the root cause and see if there’s a bigger issue at play. Then, fix that.
   

2. Reflect: Find 30 minutes each week to step away from your inbox and think about the challenges you faced in the prior week. Look for opportunities to simplify, reduce, streamline, and optimize your work. Discuss these with your team and boss.
   

3. Build Systems: Take one area that you’ve identified that routinely has challenges and build a system or standard operating procedure (SOP) to prevent issues from happening again.

While these behaviors aren’t revolutionary, they represent the things that strategic leaders do every week to appear less reactive and more in control. 

THE KEY TO ADVANCING

If you want to get to the next level, the reality is, your senior leaders need to view you as strategic. 

They need to have confidence that you can lift your head up out of the weeds, observe what’s happening around you, and build long-term solutions that drive the overall business strategy. 

In my last 20 years as a talent acquisition manager working with hiring managers on internal promotions, the ability to be a strategic thinker is the #1 thing that holds people back.  

It won’t happen overnight, but you can develop this competency. Start by learning more about it using the resources below and dedicating time each day to thinking outside your normal problem-solution grind. 

Over time, the right people will notice your new perspective and you’ll be positioned for advancement to the next level.

// Supporting Resources

Here is a list of high-value assets based on the article.

Further Reading...

• Why Promising Careers Stall: The Hidden Behaviors and Traits That Hold High Achievers Back by Korn Ferry: This article is all about common behaviors and traits that can hinder career advancement, even for high-performing employees. ​Read Here
  

• The Big Lie of Strategic Planning (Harvard Business Review) by Roger L. Martin: This article delves into the shortcomings of traditional strategic planning and argues that it often leads to a focus on budgeting and initiatives rather than making the crucial choices that define a competitive strategy. ​Read Here
  

• Strategic Thinking at the Top by Ellen F. Goldman: This article examines how executives develop expertise in strategic thinking and is available as a PDF on ResearchGate, a platform for researchers. ​Read Here

Podcast Episodes to Listen to...

• The Difference Between a Plan and a Strategy - HBR Cast This is another great resource where Martin breaks down the common pitfalls of strategic planning and offers a clear, actionable framework for developing a real strategy. ​Listen Here
  

• What Sets the World’s Best CEOs Apart - McKinsey and Company This episode discusses new research on the six mindsets and practices that distinguish top-performing CEOs from the rest, with a strong focus on how they approach strategy.​Listen Here
  

• Why Talent Acquisition Can Drive An HR Revolution - The Recruiting Future Podcast This episode directly addresses how TA teams can evolve from a support function to a strategic one by using their unique skills and agile mindset. ​Listen Here

Visual Frameworks (Images/PDFs)...

• VMOST Analysis (Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategy, Tactics): A simple, cascading pyramid diagram that visually demonstrates how every tactical action should directly support a higher-level strategic objective. ​See Here

Actionable Blog Posts...

• Are you a Firefighter or an Architect? McGeachy Consulting: This article uses the analogy in the context of managing workflow and processes, advocating for a shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive system design. ​Read Here​
  

• "Strategic vs. Tactical Planning: Understanding the Differences" Planview: The provided article explains the difference between strategic and tactical planning and how they work together within an organization. ​Read Here