Strategy and business execution are uniquely important. Strategic skills allow a leader to create policies, establish direction, and determine how to effectively allocate resources to achieve a larger goal.
Execution, on the other hand, involves the tactical, practical skills needed to put a plan into motion. Strategic thinking allows a leader to craft the future of an organization by making broad decisions, the tactical skills of execution are required to bring the vision to life.
The truth is, the best leaders balance strategic thinking and tactics. Building a strategy that embodies your organization is great, but if you don’t have the chops to turn that strategy into an actionable plan, it’s just a pipe dream.
For many leaders, however, their strength is either in knowing what to do (strategy) or in how to do it (execution)—but not both.
When a leader is balanced in both areas, strategic thinking takes tactical realities into consideration and those very realities are driven by the strategic plan.
One of the best ways for a leader to master the arts of both strategy and business execution is through experiential-based training. Learning in this way works because it mimics the same challenges leaders face every day in the workplace, allowing them to learn by doing–not by simply watching, reading, or listening.