Strategy is Leadership, Not a Function
Many companies treat strategy like a separate function—a department, a team, a quarterly exercise. That’s a mistake. Strategy isn’t something you check in on during board meetings. Strategy is leadership. It’s how you run the company.
When strategy becomes a department, it becomes detached from reality. It turns into slides, reports, and workshops. But strategy isn’t about documents. It’s about decisive actions that shape the future.
Strategy Fails When Separated from Execution
When companies create “strategy teams,” they unintentionally separate thinking from doing. This leads to:
- Abstract ideas with no execution. The strategy team makes plans, but no one implements them.
- A disconnect between leadership and the front line. When strategy isn’t integrated into daily decision-making, it loses relevance and impact.
- Slow, bureaucratic responses. While the strategy department is analyzing trends, competitors are already making moves.
The best companies don’t have “strategy teams.” They have leaders who think strategically every day.
Strategy is a Habit, Not a Meeting
Winning companies don’t wait for annual strategy sessions. They integrate strategic thinking into their operations. This means:
- Leaders make strategic decisions constantly, not quarterly.
- Every major decision is evaluated through a strategic lens.
- The CEO drives strategy, not a PowerPoint deck.
Jeff Bezos didn’t delegate Amazon’s long-term strategy to a department. He personally drove it, embedding strategic moves into the company’s DNA.
The CEO’s Role: Own the Strategy
If strategy is not at the center of how you run your company, you don’t have a strategy. You have a set of ideas with no teeth.
CEOs who delegate strategy to a department are already falling behind. The best leaders live and breathe strategy. They drive it through their decisions, culture, and execution.
Conclusion: Strategy Exists in Execution
Strategy isn’t a side function. It’s not an annual review. It’s not a department.
Strategy is leadership. It’s the way you think, decide, and act—every single day.
If your strategy lives in a PowerPoint, you don’t have one. If you’re not driving it, no one else will. The only strategy that matters is the one you execute. Only you can.