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What strategy is (and what it isn’t):

Strategy Driven

They’re prescriptions for the way things might operate in an ideal world. Strategy is about the “how.” A policy may have an implementation strategy behind it. Policies address the “what.” How do you move toward a desired end, despite limited means and huge obstacles?

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There Are Two Types of Performance — but Most Organizations Only Focus on One

Harvard Business Review

The first type is known as tactical performance. Tactical performance is how effectively your organization sticks to its strategy. In Precision’s case, good tactical performance required developing rules, checklists, and standard operating procedures and then following them closely.

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Three Ways CIOs Can Connect with the C-Suite

Harvard Business Review

To that end, the role of the CIO must be strategic instead of tactical. Define Your Strategy. CIOs need to develop an affirmative IT strategy that begins by identifying old behaviors to give up, new behaviors to adopt, and remaining behaviors to do differently. This means a lot of change for enterprise IT organizations.

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You’re Never Too Experienced to Fake It Till You Learn It

Harvard Business Review

In my research on how experienced managers and professionals step up to bigger leadership roles, I have observed both the value and the difficulty of returning to our youthful, fake-it-till-you-learn-it strategies. “I went home exhausted each day from playing the role of ‘Director of Operations,’” she said.

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Build a ‘Quick and Nimble’ Culture

Harvard Business Review

He talked with HBR about why a company’s culture is more important than its strategy — and some of the innovative tactics that CEOs have used to help create a high-performing culture. As human beings, we like to operate in small tribes. Excerpts: Why did you focus on culture? It’s the creation of silos.

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How to Apply for a New Job After You’ve Been Fired

Harvard Business Review

“You have a golden moment in your job search where you’re operating at peak confidence and energy. ” This tactic is “attractive and appealing” to hiring managers. “When I was hired, the company said it had a desire to shift its strategy toward mobile and digital.

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The 2010 Execution Round-Up: Six Companies That Couldn't 'Get It.

Strategy Driven

Plus, as a result of a lack of cross-organizational coordination and cooperation, Nokia wasn’t able to improve its proprietary operating system, Symbian, which would have allowed it to support a more sophisticated smartphone. Many innovative ideas became the victims of in-fighting among managers who had competing objectives.