Strategy is food. 

When this concept emerged from a recent conversation on our team, it was a light switch moment for me. “Yes, of course! Strategy is food!”

Peter Drucker famously noted that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” What he meant, of course, was that without a strong company culture, you might as well forget about executing on your strategy. He’s right. But to turn that analogy inside out…we should ALL eat strategy for breakfast.

Here’s how "strategy is food."

Leaders tend to view “strategy” as a fixed plan of action designed to achieve a major or overall aim. On the company-level, we gather for quarterly meetings to review our progress and recommit to priorities in the months ahead.  On the department and team-level, we may meet more often (weekly standups?) to make sure balls aren’t getting dropped, but strategy is not part of our regular diet.

Strategy ISN’T a fixed plan of action. It’s direction and focus toward a common goal that is continuous and iterative. 

Direction and focus.

Toward a common goal.

That is continuous and iterative.

To perform at our best,...to remain aligned, engaged and energized, we need to be continually feeding that “direction and focus.” 

Back to “strategy is food.” Your body needs fuel everyday. Eating breakfast on Monday doesn’t mean you won’t need breakfast on Tuesday. The daily refueling of your body is an intrinsic need. It’s a continuous process of sustenance — a meal recharges you and gives your body the reserves it needs to meet the challenges of that day.

Strategy works the same. If we re-engage with our “why” on a daily basis, take a few moments to absorb “direction and focus,” that clarity fuels us toward a common goal.

Strategy is food. The “health and vigor” of our organization depends on consuming it daily.