“You’re not strategic enough!”
That’s what my boss said when I asked about a potential promotion to a leadership role.
I was young at the time and I didn’t know what “strategic” meant. And he couldn’t explain it either.
“You need to see the bigger picture. See around corners. Bring the outside in. Connect the dots.” he said.
Ugh. All the buzzwords.
Sorry boss man — I got sh*t to do. I don’t have time to kick my feet up and think “big picture” like you do when I have 37 reqs pinning me down and a boatload of processes and programs to revamp.
🤔 But it dawned on me…if I wanted to get to the next level, I had to figure out what this magical word “strategic” meant and how to apply it on the job.
THE AH-HA MOMENT
Not long after my failed attempt at getting a promotion, I overheard a manager in our strategy department say something that changed my whole perspective on strategy forever.
I was standing outside her office waiting for a conference room to clear out. Her door was ajar so I could hear her lecturing one of her direct reports. This young upstart was disgruntled about not having input into the team strategy.
Clearly frustrated, the strategy manager finally offered some direct feedback:
“If you’re not the one setting the strategy, you have to connect your work to the strategy every chance you get. That’s how you show understanding and build the credibility to have input into the process.”
That hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew she wasn’t talking to me but it felt that way.
IS YOUR 'TO-DO' LIST MAPPING TO THE STRATEGY?
That afternoon I went back to my desk and reviewed the Talent Acquisition strategy slides my boss shared with our team earlier in the year.
And then I looked at my unorganized to-do list and the projects I was working on.
There was a major disconnect.
I was working on things that didn’t ladder up to his strategy.
I was creating projects to solve problems but they didn’t necessarily align with the bigger talent acquisition, HR, or business strategy.
No wonder he thinks I’m not strategic. 🤦🏻
PATIENCE YOUNG GRASSHOPPER
Later that week I scheduled a meeting and revealed my “ah-ha” moment to my boss.
When I pointed out the areas where I wasn't supporting his strategy, he sat back in his chair, put his hands on the back of his head, and said…
“Now you finally get it young grasshopper.”
It was condescending and arrogant. But he was right. So I took the dig in stride.
You're Not Strategic Enough! [How to Fix That]
1972 - TV Series "Kung Fu"
HOW TO LINK STRATEGY TO ACTION
Last week I presented a framework for a simpler, easier way to manage a recruiting function.
I described the first pillar — the strategy pillar — as the key to setting the stage for the clarity you need to avoid chaos.
If you missed that post, here's the TL;DR:
A clear Mission, Vision, and Strategy creates the direction and intention your team needs to move forward with purpose.
Duh...but what good are these things if there’s no action?
That’s where an “Action Plan” comes in!
The action plan is a physical thing.
It’s your documented, detailed plan and tracker, that ensures your day-to-day activities connect to your strategy -- and your bosses strategy -- and your bosses bosses strategy.
That's how you start to become strategic. By working on and within the existing strategy.
To be clear, your action plan is not a to-do list. And it’s not a project plan. It sits somewhere in the middle helping you connect to your strategy, identify your most important projects, prioritize them, and ensure that everything gets done. Like this...
A FREE "ACTION PLANNING" TEMPLATE
I realize that action plans and project plans are not rocket surgery.
It's not AI. It's not some cool, new, whizbang toy. It's literally just a spreadsheet.
But it's the type of low-tech thing that makes leaders -- any leader -- more productive, more successful, and more strategic.
I'll leave you with a simple mockup of the one I use today to run my function. You can easily download it and create something similar to adapt to your environment.