What is a Goal vs a Strategy vs a Tactic?

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.

Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.

- Sun Tzu

The terms goal, strategy and tactics are often used interchangeably in casual conversation - but learning what each is, and where each fits into the picture alongside the other two, was a light bulb moment for me. I previously wrote about the importance of execution, and to me, knowing the precise definition of these three terms is critical to laying a successful foundation for execution.

At its simplest:

Goal – What it is that you want to achieve

Strategy – The methods of how you are going to get there

Tactics – The specific action items taken

Developing a Goal

A goal is a very simple, clear, and almost reductive statement. It is simply “I/we want X”, with no consideration of how X gets accomplished. Most people are familiar with the idea of creating a goal, but many times what people think is a goal is actually a strategy or a tactic. For example, someone making a New Year’s resolution may say “I want to lose weight, so I have a goal of going to the gym 3x per week”. In this example, the true goal is to lose weight – going to the gym 3x per week is a tactic.

Developing a Strategy

Strategies are still fairly simple, but they start involving the question(s) of 'how'. This is often where values, such as those of a mission statement, or critical desires identified by the parties involved, start to become considered.

Continuing the example of a New Years resolution, lets say a person decides that the options are to eat smaller portions (fewer calories in), cook at home more (less processed food), or start exercising (increase calories burned). Those are three strategies. Notice that in our losing weight example, the strategy was not directly mentioned – it was implied by the idea of going to the gym 3x per week.

Developing Tactics

The tactics are the action items where the ‘work’ gets done, the 'what do I need to do?' questions. Thus, going to the gym 3x per week is a tactic. Or, coming up with a menu of potential home cooked meals to prepare during the week is a tactic if one is following a strategy to cook at home more. The tactics can be fairly flexible – if the tactics are not effective in implementing the chosen strategy, they can be adjusted based on newly obtained information.

Putting it all together

The real power of identifying goals, valid strategies, and effective tactics is the flexibility afforded as conditions change, which may otherwise derail forward progress. Going back to our losing weight example – if someone says their goal is to go to the gym 3x per week, and then they are not able to go to the gym for some time (injury, busy work schedule) – it is easy to succumb to a failure mindset and give up. By recognizing that going to the gym 3x per week is just a tactic, which is part of one (but not the only potential) strategy – the overall goal is something that can still be worked toward.