There is a great deal of confusion in business about the range of topics that consultants and academics have introduced to business owners and line managers over the past 50 years or more.

Topics such as:

• Vision
• Mission
• Purpose
• Focus versus broad approach to markets
• Strategy and Strategic Plans
• Leading indicators
• Trailing indicators
• Tactical plans
• Implementation for success
• Blah, Blah, Blah

In order to cut through the Blah you need to understand some basic terms.

Let me help

Strategy is future think. Strategy is about outcomes. Everything we do (tactics) should be focused on our desired/stated outcomes, which lead us to our Aspiration.

Whenever we are “doing” we are using Tactics to achieve outcomes.

This means we must stand back and take an objective view of the business – Strategy. This is difficult to do as we would much rather be “doing” things – tactics.

The truth is simple. You must have a Vision (or Aspiration) to work towards or your efforts may be wasted. Let me give you a well known example of lack of Aspiration.

I quote from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll – when Alice meets the Cheshire Cat.

Alice says:

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“The depends a good deal on where you want to get to” said the Cat.

“I don’t much care where –“ said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go” said the Cat.

Is this the way you run your business and your life?

The rest of the terminology is consult speak – hence my approach to a practical, one page, focused future think I call the One Page Business Plan – 1PBP®.