Strategy recap 1: Don’t think about Strategy, but think strategically

We finished the first half of our courses, such as Strategy, Organisational Behaviour, Marketing, etc. I’m trying to recap my course and want to know how differently I think compared to 6 months ago.

First, strategy. The name “Strategy” is fascinating, as a strategy has a flavour that could magically solve any issue. I wanted to know the definition of Strategy in the class. I was the person who always cared about the definition of the word, as I thought I could not think of anything without defining the meaning of the word.

The professor said, “Don’t stick to the definition of Strategy. The definition always changes.” But I thought, “How can I learn strategy without the definition?” The professor taught some important points to study Strategy;
1. Academic worlds continue creating new definitions of Strategy based on their demand as new and young professors need to create new ones to prove their academic records.
2. Strategy is the neverending series of choices, and we need to think about it from (1) Directions, (2) Plans, and (3) Resources.
3. The important questions to think about Strategy from a financial perspective are: (1) Where does our revenue come from? (2) What are the factors of costs on the business? (3) Where does our profit come from?
4. The important questions to think about Strategy from an operational perspective are: (1) Who is our customer? (2) What do we sell? (3) How do we sell it?

What I percept 6 months ago.
1. Don’t think about the definition of Strategy or Strategy itself, but think about how to think strategically.
2. Strategy is not static but dynamic, like water. This is not a static point but a flow.
3. When we review the series of choices we thought strategically afterwards, we can see the bulk of the process and call it Strategy. However, we can only see the strategy as it flows, as if we can’t figure out water.

What I think now.
My concept of strategy has stayed the same. My definition of Strategy is how to win without a fight. To do so, we need to think and choose strategically. To do so, we need to learn how to think strategically, which we call Frameworks. Frameworks are just the means, not the end. The Strategy class provided us with useful frameworks for thinking.