I posted on my blog about a great definition of leadership that Peter Senge shared at a conference last week (a capacity in the human community to shape its future). One of my reactions when I heard that definition was “Hmmm. That sounds like strategy.” So I decided to look up the definition of strategy at dictionary.com. Here’s what I found:
the science or art of combining and employing the means of war in planning and directing large military movements and operations.
a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result:
Yuck. No wonder we’re so focused on the plan in strategic planning. Strategy is, by dictionary definition at least, a plan (and a command-and-control one at that). I suppose this makes sense: the word itself comes from a Greek word pertaining to “general.”
Interestingly, if you keep scrolling on dictionary.com you get to the medical dictionary definition of the word:
an adaptation or complex of adaptations (as of behavior, metabolism, or structure) that serves or appears to serve an important function in achieving evolutionary success
I like that one better. So here are some conclusions to think about.
First, strategy is a living thing. For organizations, it makes more sense to think about the medical definition of strategy than the military one.
Second, there is very little distinction between “leadership” and “strategy.” Both are capacities. Both are distributed throughout an organization. If you’re developing one (i.e., a strategic planning process, or a leadership development program) in isolation of the other, you’re wasting energy.
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