Simply Strategy

This essay is a starting point available to anyone: how to get the basics right and make strategy useful.

Prologue: Confusion Over Strategy

Strategy is among the most overused yet least understood terms of our time. It is invoked as a solution to everything—from organisational success to personal growth—yet its meaning remains elusive. For something so frequently tied to achievement, this lack of clarity is costly, breeding inefficiency and muddled thinking.

The problem lies in its misuse: it is either overcomplicated, buried under layers of jargon and exclusivity, or oversimplified—reduced to a vague notion of ‘smart ways to get things done’. Both perspectives fail to capture its true depth and purpose. At its core, strategy is a way of changing the principles of action to achieve higher-quality results. This essay results from abstracting different forms and uses of strategy into their essential elements, aiming to provide a universal entry point that offers clarity without chasing exhaustive details.

To address this confusion, I aim to simplify and clarify the concept of strategy, stripping away its semantic mess and distilling it into accessible, practical terms. The goal is to provide a clear understanding that serves as a viable reference point, offering clarity without complications. I hope this foundation is close enough to the nature of the phenomenon to support further understanding and practical usage.

In the seven sections ahead, I will explore the following angles on strategy:

1. EFFICIENCY BOOST: How to solve the ambition-scarcity-unpredictability problem.
2. A SOLUTION FOR GREATER THINGS: Mechanism behind unprecedented achievement.
3. COST OF SWITCHING: The unavoidable cost of balancing the tension between focus and adaptability.
4. USE CASE: When to apply and when to abstain.
5. INSIDE THE STRATEGIST’S MIND: Core practices—clarity, sense-making, planning, learning, and attention control.
6. FRESHLY ACCESSIBLE TO ANYONE: From the skill of rulers to a universally accessible tool for intentional and impactful action.
7. 🔨 APPLICATIONS: Practical implications and takeaways.

Let’s begin.

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EFFICIENCY BOOST

Strategy boosts efficiency through attention control, clarity of intention, making sense of situations, prescribing next steps, and learning from outcomes to effectively manage scarce resources under unpredictable conditions.

Problem Statement

Strategy is the solution to the problem that arises from the concurrent presence of ambition, scarcity, and unpredictability.

Resources like time, finances, and support are finite, while needs are not. This mismatch creates a constant challenge where bold ambitions face the reality of limited resources. Strategy addresses these efficiency deficiencies—situations where no known method yields the desired results. Among several viable options, I choose to focus on strategy because it is specifically designed to overcome these challenges.

Managing scarcity is a nontrivial task, and accumulating or effectively deploying resources takes time. This need for time, combined with the uncertainty introduced by unprecedented ambition, results in unpredictability—the impossibility to predict what will happen or how it will unfold.

Approaches to Boost Efficiency

Strategy is an efficiency boost approach designed to solve the problem of scarcity. When ambition exceeds available resources, and there aren’t enough means to start directly, we are left asking ‘how can it be done?’. The answer lies in finding methods to act more efficiently while also handling continuously changing conditions.

There are two particular approaches which address the scarcity problem:

1. Research is technical, involving the invention of new methods.
2. Strategy is organisational, focused on leveraging existing methods and resources to achieve otherwise unattainable results.

Both approaches demand significant effort, continuous learning, and originality.

• Research is about truth discovery and understanding its implications. Figuring out new truths is indeed hard; therefore, we normally do not expect a high success rate, especially when we choose it for ourselves.

• Strategy is about creating value: how to make more value with each action compared to before. Immediate value and intermediate progress make strategy particularly appealing. It is about ingenuity and practicality—‘how to get more by moving less’—which aligns with our instinctive preference for efficiency, even before realising the mental effort involved.

Way of Strategy

So, what exactly is the way of strategy? Here is a concise overview before we dive into the details.

Strategy involves consistently directing attention toward intentions, making sense of the situation, deciding on next steps, and learning from actions to maximise progress. At its core, it is about enhancing utility and advancing steadily despite challenges.

Attention Control
Attention control is the foundation of this approach. It ensures consistency in pursuing what must be done rather than what merely seems appealing. Sustaining focus in today’s distraction-filled world is a massive challenge—there’s no quick fix or symptomatic treatment. Outstanding results require sustained effort over time.

Clarity of Intention
Clarity of intention means defining desired outcomes from multiple perspectives. It is not only about self-awareness but also about broadening opportunities while safeguarding identity. In our modern world, the rise of democratic society and information technology provides unprecedented freedom. However, this also means facing an overload of information—junk, ads, and propaganda. Refining intentions helps to stay on course and avoid pursuing what is not genuinely wanted.

Making Sense
Making sense involves identifying what truly matters in both the environment and oneself. Amid the endless stream of information, it is essential to shortlist significant factors that align with the cause, effectively filtering out the noise. This becomes a personal dashboard, guiding attention to what is important.

Envisioning Envisioning means summarising the situation and considering possible actions based on known cause-and-effect relationships. It goes beyond mere planning; it prescribes the next steps while embracing the learning that comes from each action. This dynamic process allows adaptation and refinement of the approach based on real-world feedback.

Learning in Practice

Learning in practice is the continuous reflection and adaptation that this approach demands. It’s not about planning every step in advance but about evaluating the outcomes of your current actions and adjusting accordingly. Reality often defies theoretical expectations, so staying open and confident in the face of uncertainty is crucial. Embrace what works, amend what doesn’t, and keep building your toolkit.

These four facets are the essence of strategy.

Their ongoing interaction creates an efficiency boost that directly tackles scarcity. By aligning these components effectively, this method transcends mere resource management. It becomes a powerful tool that pushes us beyond our limits, enabling us to achieve what once seemed impossible. This is how strategy evolves from enhancing efficiency to becoming a pathway to remarkable accomplishments.

SOLUTION FOR GREATER THINGS

Strategy transforms ambition into tangible results, consistently surpassing personal standards even under scarcity and uncertainty.

Smart individuals often intuitively solve complex problems by engaging directly with challenges, naturally developing effective methods. This makes me wonder if there’s an underlying universal pattern waiting to be revealed—one that we could all benefit from if it’s simply and clearly formulated. Recognizing that strategy addresses the problem of ambition, scarcity, and unpredictability, I find it essential to explore how these elements intertwine, starting with the deeply personal nature of ambition.

Personal Ambition
Ambition is inherently subjective. What feels monumental to me might seem trivial to someone else, depending on our respective resources and experiences. Strategy, then, is about achieving results that are significant and impressive within our own realm of possibility.

Pursuing our potential means reaching for ambitions that surpass our previous standards. By consistently outdoing ourselves, we edge closer to the outer limits of human capability—a frontier universally recognized and admired. When we push beyond these boundaries, we touch the essence of greatness. Achievements that exceed our own expectations become impressive to everyone.

Facing Scarcity and Uncertainty
Scarcity—lacking the means, skills, or experience to achieve our goals—is a feeling many of us, especially recent graduates, know all too well. Uncertainty arises when we’re unsure about our situation, the rules, or the best course of action. This is the reality we often face in complex, real-world scenarios.

Yet, despite these challenges, we move forward with partial knowledge and preparation. In this context, I am fascinated by the story of Imhotep, a figure who masterfully navigated scarcity and uncertainty and own ambitions.

Imhotep's Legacy

Around 4,700 years ago, during Egypt’s Third Dynasty, the nation’s boundaries were naturally defined by deserts and the Nile River. After the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, Pharaoh Djoser’s reign marked a pivotal shift from territorial expansion to internal consolidation. Recognizing the diminishing returns of conquest, Djoser and his vizier Imhotep focused on strengthening the state’s foundations.

Imhotep conceived an unprecedented endeavor: constructing the Step Pyramid at the Sahara. This was more than an architectural project—it was a nuanced approach to unify the populace and reinforce the Pharaoh’s divine authority. By bringing together artisans, laborers, and craftsmen from across the kingdom, he created a cultural melting pot, much like an army unites diverse individuals for collective effort and social mobility. Here, unification was forged through collective creation. The ambitious project required innovative techniques, meticulous planning, and coordinated effort over nearly two decades. Imhotep pioneered the use of limestone blocks on a massive scale, symbolizing permanence and the eternal nature of Djoser’s rule.

By centralizing resources and labor, Imhotep mobilized a workforce while ensuring agricultural productivity remained unaffected. He expertly managed the logistics of transporting massive stone blocks, orchestrating one of history’s earliest large-scale construction projects.

The outcomes were profound. The Step Pyramid stood as a testament to architectural innovation and served as a unifying symbol for a consolidated Egypt. It solidified Pharaoh Djoser’s divine status, embodying his godly authority and securing support from religious and political elites. Remarkably, Imhotep maintained his influence as the second most powerful man in Egypt, skillfully navigating the perils of court politics.

In what I might call ‘god-level’ stakeholder management, Imhotep aligned his ambitions with the greater goals of the state and the Pharaoh. By glorifying Djoser and advancing the kingdom’s stability, he elevated his own legacy—eventually being deified himself as a god of wisdom, medicine, and architecture. His story exemplifies how nuanced approaches can solve greater challenges, showing that true brilliance lies in benefiting the whole while subtly securing one’s place in history. We know almost nothing about him as a person—even his birth name is unknown—but the driving force he embodied was remembered by generations as Imhotep, which means The One Who Came in Peace.

Owning a singular, grand strategy places a strategist on the path to embody a great ambition.

COGNITIVE COSTS

Strategy demands attention. But attention is finite, making its cost inevitable. Awareness must precede application.

Cost of Switching Attention

Achieving ambitions greater than oneself demands not only vision and action but also an acute awareness of trade-offs. Among these, the most critical and often overlooked cost is that of attention—the finite cognitive resource that fuels both focused execution and adaptation to new inputs.

Attention Tax

Strategy exacts a portion of mental bandwidth to ensure control and alignment of attention. This ‘attention tax’ necessitates allocating a noticeable tithe (tenth) of the cognitive energy to planning, reflecting, and adjusting. The majority of effort remains dedicated to practical action—getting hands dirty in the real work—but this mental overhead is non-negotiable. It is a matter of balance: without allocating this tithe, action risks becoming blind effort; while with it, there is a cost of taking the time to think, consolidate, and act thoughtfully.

Iterative Gains

The benefits of this approach are neither delayed nor static; they compound. Each iteration—each plan, action, and adjustment—produces incremental productivity gains that, over time, far outweigh the attention invested. Unlike a long-term academic commitment where rewards come years later, strategy operates on a shorter feedback loop. With every iteration, learning sharpens execution, and cumulative gains grow.

However, attention is finite. It can deplete through time constraints, fatigue, loss of motivation, or even a fading sense of purpose. This is why understanding the cost of attention is crucial: it allows one to be deliberate in deciding whether the benefits of this tool outweigh its demands.

Balancing Focus and Flexibility

Employing strategy introduces a challenge: the need to balance focused attention with the flexibility to adapt. On one hand, focus is essential for maintaining discipline, ensuring tasks are carried out efficiently. On the other, strategy requires frequent shifts in attention—to evaluate, plan, and course-correct. These shifts, or what I call ‘switching’, are not without their price.

Cognitive Costs of Switching

Every time attention switches, there’s a cognitive cost. Re-engaging with a new context or rebuilding mental momentum after a shift demands energy. Studies repeatedly highlight the productivity losses associated with multitasking—each transition erodes efficiency by up to 40% (Rubinstein, Meyer, & Evans, 2001). Moving between execution and planning, then back to action, mirrors this challenge.

This underlying tension means that attention must be both focused and switchable. Over-focusing risks rigidity, where unwillingness to adapt compromises effectiveness. Conversely, over-switching results in scattered effort and diminished impact. Mastery lies in navigating this tension with awareness.

Adaptability Takes Effort

Adaptability requires more than just possessing the right traits; adaptation demands conscious effort. Strategy is not a pre-packaged plan; it is a dynamic process, constantly reshaped by new insights, evolving goals, and shifting circumstances. Reflection and reassessment are built into its nature. However, this requires effort—effort that can feel inconvenient when deep focus feels productive. Routines, while increasing efficiency, can also create blind spots, making flexibility harder to reclaim when needed.

Mastering Attention Control

For the strategist, the ultimate skill is attention control—the ability to master both focus and switching. These are not opposites but complementary aspects of a well-managed cognitive toolkit. Even when honed, this balance incurs its own ‘attention tax’, a mental effort that cannot be avoided.

The key is mindfulness: apply the tool only when its benefits outweigh its costs.
So, when is it worth using?

USE CASE

Use strategy when ambition, scarcity, or unpredictability call for it. Choose simpler tools if possible. A strategist is inseparable from execution.

A Tool

Strategy is an approach tool, embodying both its uses and misuses. Knowing when and how to employ strategy is crucial for its effectiveness and for achieving desired outcomes.

Core Applications

The core applications of strategy address three fundamental challenges: ambition, scarcity, and unpredictability.

Ambition Implies High Stakes: Ambition involves pursuing significant goals with substantial impact and personal value, such as building a new product or taking on a leadership role.

Scarcity: Limited resources require resourcefulness and pragmatism, exemplified by managing a tight budget or constrained time.

Unpredictability: Operating in uncertain and complex environments, like facing market shifts or technological disruptions, demands adaptive planning.

For instance, a startup founder contemplating a pivot in the business model faces ambition, scarcity, and unpredictability simultaneously. The founder must balance career and financial risks (high stakes), limited funding or resources (scarcity), and unpredictable market responses (unpredictability).

Less obvious example may be navigating bureaucratic processes. Here, a strategist transforms mundane procedures into purposeful actions by focusing efforts, building alliances, and identifying leverage points within the bureaucracy. In organizations with rigid structures, crafting a strategy to understand key stakeholders and navigate procedures effectively can drive significant changes without formal authority.

Avoiding Overkill

Given the high attention cost of strategy, it’s essential to avoid overusing it when simpler approaches suffice.

Assess Significance: If a goal isn’t subjectively big and significant, relying on experience may be more effective than strategizing. Do not reinvent the wheel. Even if it’s a big change, you likely already know how to navigate relocation or a job switch.

Resource Availability: When you have sufficient resources, it might be more efficient to accept the high price, even if uncomfortable, rather than over-strategizing. For instance, renovating a house with an available budget can be straightforward without meticulously optimizing every cost detail.

Environmental Certainty: In relatively stable environments, avoid seeking a magic pill; follow well-known, effective practices. This prevents mystification over endeavors like weight loss or breaking rules by cheating in chess.

This caution against overkill underscores the importance of applying strategy only when necessary. Simplification and authenticity guide the appropriate use of strategy or recognizing when to forego it.

Example of an edge-case scenario: Preparing for an Iron Man triathlon by planning every single detail—such as researching every piece of equipment—can lead to unnecessary overcomplication. Instead, following a proven training plan or hiring a coach provides effective structure with far less mental strain. In contrast, for someone whose ultimate goal is to make the Iron Man a defining personal achievement, this is where strategy truly fits.

Essential Conditions

Certain conditions are absolutely necessary for pragmatically applying strategy, viewed through environmental and agent-related aspects.

Environmental Conditions:

• Freedom of Action: The ability to make choices and act upon them, including relocating to more favorable environments.
• Optionality: Access to multiple options provides flexibility in planning and execution.
• Traction with Reality: A realistic understanding of the situation ensures that strategies are grounded and executable.

Agent Conditions:

• Control Over Attention and Willpower: Enables strategists to focus, make tough decisions, and perform necessary tasks.
• Adaptable Mindset: The ability to switch attention effectively, balancing deep focus with adaptability, is crucial for continuous learning and strategic adjustment. Strategy is not for those who already know all the answers, like a populist politician; it is for those who learn.

Have you ever wondered why motivational books were virtually non-existent before Samuel Smiles’ genre-defining Self-Help (1859)? Before then, most people lacked essential conditions—like widespread literacy and personal freedom.

Strategist’s Agency

Strategy is inseparable from doing the work. I cannot just decide, “this hard task must be done,” and then expect someone else to take care of it. I must execute the strategy, reflecting my intention and commitment. A strategist should be directly involved in both planning and execution to ensure actions align with the intended cause—this involvement is part of having skin in the game.

Sometimes we forget a simple truth: an organization, company, or team does not exercise strategy on its own but through the agency of particular individuals. Strategies do not execute themselves, nor are they inherently tied to an organization’s existence without active proponents.

When Strategy Fits

Regardless of the type of strategy you aim to develop, getting the basics right is essential. Strategy originated as an art of warfare, evolved into governance and state-building, and is now integral to business, personal careers, learning, and lifestyle. Despite these varied contexts, the use of strategy as a practical problem-solving tool remains universal.

• Right Context Application: Strategy should be applied when ambition, scarcity, or unpredictability are involved. Applying strategy in situations where simpler solutions suffice can lead to unnecessary complexity and wasted effort.
• Acting thoughtfully at the right time is equally important. If I know what I am fighting for, the best moment to act is now, because the current moment has already captured my attention. Conditions are never perfect. Being flexible and adaptable is a way to handle disruptions when life events interfere with plans. I should prioritize progress over perfection; taking practical steps, even if they seem trivial.

These fundamentals ensure that strategy makes sense and delivers value. Ultimately, keep what works for you.

Think ambitiously. Use strategy when ambition, scarcity, or unpredictability call for it. Choose simpler tools if possible. Strategist is inseparable from execution.

INSIDE THE STRATEGIST’S MIND

Strategy is a non-linear behavioural pattern. Mental practices: articulation of the need, making sense of the situation, prescribing what is next, learning from outcomes. Attention control is fundamental.

Non-Linear Pattern

Strategy operates as a non-linear behavioural pattern, encompassing mental practices like articulating needs, making sense of situations, prescribing next steps, and learning from outcomes. At its core, attention control remains fundamental.

Strategist’s Mind

I aim to demystify the strategist’s mental process. There’s no instant magic in a strategist’s mind; it’s not about someone ‘just knowing what to do.’ Instead, it involves navigating a series of trade-offs and dilemmas with deliberate thought.

Non-Linear Flow

Strategy isn’t a straightforward sequence of actions. It’s about moments of reflection—pausing to direct attention inward. Our thinking is inherently non-linear, and so strategy mirrors this dynamic complexity. It’s tempting to view strategy as a neat sequence, but that would be an oversimplification.

Directing Attention

At its essence, strategy dictates where to focus. It involves guiding both self-attention—deciding what to think about—and determining the approach to problem-solving. Our cognitive bandwidth is limited; we can only handle a finite number of tasks or absorb a specific amount of information before mental fatigue sets in. Strategy helps us filter and prioritise amidst the overwhelming influx of information.

Pentathlon of Strategy

I think of strategy as a set of exercises designed to achieve clear thinking, much like a fitness program builds a fit body. Regularly performing certain exercises reduces cognitive load and enhances clarity.

Because these exercises interact more like a network than a rigid structure—dynamic, interrelated, and mutually reinforcing — I call them the Pentathlon of Strategy:

Articulation of the Need

Improving how we express and understand our intentions expands our range of options. There are often simpler or more efficient ways to achieve what we want once we clarify our true needs. You may think of it as “Make a wish masterfully”—intention is not just a wish but also a way in which a wish is made.

Making Sense of the Situation

Assigning significance to important signals amidst a flood of information involves building mental models—our ‘dashboard’—to understand cause-and-effect relationships. Identifying the parameters that are important to consider is crucial. For example, if I want to run a marathon without injury, my weekly mileage matters.

Deciding What Is Next

Prescribing the next journey—objectives, goals, actions, or experiments—requires planning what I can learn to become stronger. This involves computing known cause-and-effects and deciding on the next steps. One decisive point for the effectiveness of strategy is its grip over execution; when the journey is decided, the sails must be set.

Learning from Outcomes

Assessing results and integrating feedback ensures continuous improvement. Embracing what works and being comfortable with being wrong refines our strategy over time. This continuous learning process is essential for adapting and evolving our approach.

Attention Control

Fundamental to all other disciplines, attention control enables commitment and effective execution. It permeates every exercise, making the rest possible. Without mastering attention control, the other disciplines cannot stay aligned to the commitment.

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What It Means to Strategize

To strategise means controlling your attention, thinking in specific ways, and making actionable conclusions. Attention control is paramount—it facilitates commitment and execution across all disciplines. These practices are not new; they are the essential ingredients for crafting a strategy, much like a recipe combines ingredients to create a dish. The ‘secret sauce’ lies in how these disciplines synergise to empower specific causes. Every tool or thought model outside this core set serves as a particular device to excel in these five disciplines.

Sustaining Practices

Maintaining Pentathlon’s disciplines is akin to staying physically fit—it requires consistent effort and commitment. These mental exercises are energy-consuming, leading many to avoid them. However, dedication to these disciplines is equivalent to effective strategising, much like regular workouts represent steps in building a strong body.

Runner’s Mnemonic

To help remember these disciplines, I use a runner’s mnemonic: “Look inside myself, look around, look ahead, beneath my feet, and behind.” This maps to strategy as follows:

• Inside is intention
• Around is making sense of context
• Ahead are next steps
• Beneath are current actions and attention
• Behind is learning from outcomes

Practical Considerations

Owning a strategy demands significant effort, much like holding a full-time job. It can be draining and resource-intensive, so it’s best applied to endeavours that hold substantial personal value.It’s often challenging to feel confident about being on a path toward something great, especially when starting from scratch. However, recognising the value of sustained effort ensures it’s invested wisely.

FRESHLY ACCESSIBLE TO ANYONE

Strategy evolved from rulers’ exclusive art to a concept accessible to all. Enabled by societal changes, anyone can now apply strategy to realize potential, despite inherent challenges.

A Brief History of Strategy

Strategy as a tool has become broadly accessible only in recent history. For millennia, its domain was the prerogative of rulers and generals, primarily applied to state building and warfare. These leaders, out of necessity, learned to organize and lead at the scale of entire societies, guiding others to achieve survival and prosperity. Over time, their accumulated wisdom and methods were passed down, forming the foundational practices.

As the concept matured, so did the language to describe it, reflecting both linguistic and conceptual growth. The evolution of the term ‘strategy’ mirrors the shift from an exclusive art to a communicable concept, enabling learning and wider access.

Etymology

Before the Word: Roots of Strategy

It’s amusing to consider that in the time of Imhotep, there was no specific term for ‘strategy.’ There was simply a wise figure, practicing what we might today call strategy, long before the concept obtained a formal name.

In Ancient Egypt, attributes like wisdom, foresight, and careful planning were not compartmentalised into grand theories; they were the mark of a ‘sage’ or ‘great architect.’ Imhotep, with his unmatched insight, eventually became a figure so extraordinary that the Egyptians didn’t just label him; they deified him. Rather than confining his qualities to words, they elevated him to the realm of gods, suggesting that the essence of strategy might be better captured in legacy than in language.

West and East Cultural Divergence

The evolution of the word “strategy” follows distinct paths in Western and Eastern traditions, reflecting cultural perspectives on leadership and warfare. In 5th century BCE Greece, “στρατηγία” (strategía) emerged as the “art of the general,” focusing on battlefield tactics and leadership—embodied by historical figures like Pericles and later solidified by Thucydides’ accounts of war.

In contrast, around the same period in ancient China, Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” presented strategy through the term “兵法” (bīngfǎ, meaning “military methods”), centring on adaptability, deception, and indirect tactics. This concept of strategy in China was deeply philosophical, extending beyond mere command to include psychological insight and adaptive thinking, shaping a broader cultural approach to conflict and planning.

Originally in the West, the emphasis of strategy was on extraordinary results and personal qualities, while in the East, strategy represented a higher form of craftsmanship—methods elevated to art.

From Experience to Theory

The Western tradition of strategy carried forth these persona-driven elements, particularly evident in figures like Hannibal of Carthage. Mentored by his father, Hamilcar Barca, Hannibal emphasised character and direct mentorship inspired by Greek traditions. This approach necessitated that generals develop their strategies through personal experience and high-stakes encounters. For instance, Hannibal’s enemy, Scipio Africanus, famously adapted Hannibal’s own tactics from Cannae and used them effectively to defeat Hannibal on his home ground, ending the Second Punic War. This learning by doing reinforced a model of strategy as a craft honed through real-time adaptation rather than a formalised, codified system.

In the Modern Age

Over the centuries, both traditions expanded beyond military uses to include statecraft, political manoeuvring, and organisational planning. Western emphasis on personal virtue evolved alongside Eastern philosophy, which embedded psychological insight and adaptability. The term ‘strategy’ entered English from French (‘stratégie’) in the late 18th century, influenced by Greek and Latin ideas. Notable Western thinkers contributed concepts such as political manipulation (Machiavelli), war as an extension of politics (Clausewitz), and realpolitik (Bismarck). By the late 19th century, Western influence in China led to the term ‘战略’ (zhànlüè), combining ‘war’ (zhàn) and ‘plan’ (lüè), signifying the multidisciplinary nature of strategy. By then, military thought evolved into a broader framework encompassing also politics and business.

Contributors

Indirect Observer

In studying strategy, one core challenge is its inherent problem of observability. Strategy is rarely recorded by the practitioners themselves, especially in its formative stages. For example, we marvel at ancient wonders like the Egyptian pyramids, yet no manual exists detailing how they were conceived or constructed. This lack of documentation limits our understanding to indirect observations—interpretations derived from outcomes rather than direct accounts. Those who enact strategy often do so intuitively or under conditions too dynamic and unpredictable to allow precise record-keeping. As a result, much of what we know about historical strategies is reconstructed from the visible traces left behind, while the nuanced thinking and unrecorded adjustments remain speculative.

Body of Knowledge Development

The body of knowledge around strategy has developed progressively, scaling from applications in state and military contexts down to individual use. Originating with rulers and generals whose decisions shaped entire societies. During the Age of Discoveries, captains of global trading corporations, such as those of the Dutch East India Company, operated like small states, demonstrating how smaller actors could exercise strategic agency. This transition expanded further during the early Industrial Revolution, as the push for increased productivity made aspects of strategy relevant beyond warfare: structured planning, long-term resource management, approaches to address competition, and many others.

From there, strategy began to be applied at the team level during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly with the rise of scientific management and industrial enterprises. This fostered specialized and coordinated efforts within teams, emphasizing productivity through mass production and division of labor. Concepts like teamwork, division of labor, and middle management emerged, aligning specialized groups within enterprises to work towards common goals effectively, reflecting the increasing need for systematic coordination and management. Finally, from the mid-20th century onward, strategy adapted to the individual, empowering personal decision-making and goal achievement through self-help literature, productivity blogs and podcasts, and life coaching.

This dynamic led to frameworks tailored to the distinct challenges of each field. The integration of interdisciplinary insights—from economics, psychology, and sociology—allowed specialized frameworks to emerge, transitioning strategy from intuitive practices to formalized methods.

Contributors and Concepts

Throughout millennia, many individuals have contributed to the body of knowledge about strategy with their words as well as their actions. This list is not comprehensive but serves as a showcase of great strategists and their contributions.

• Confucius (5th century BCE): Pioneered ethical governance, arguing that virtuous leadership promotes loyalty and societal harmony. Leaders should act morally to guide and inspire others.
• Sun Tzu (5th century BCE): Chinese general and strategist; emphasized knowing oneself and the enemy to exploit shifting circumstances effectively, often through deception. His work, ‘The Art of War,’ underscores foresight and adaptability in warfare strategy.
• Aristotle (4th century BCE): Pioneered logical reasoning and systematic inquiry; as Alexander the Great’s teacher, he instilled disciplined decision-making foundational in governance and warfare.
• Marcus Aurelius (2nd century CE), Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher; his ‘Meditations’ teaches focus on controlling inner responses to external events, aligning actions with purpose, and viewing obstacles as opportunities for growth, fostering resilience and adaptability.
• Machiavelli (16th century): Secretary to the Florentine Republic, he used his political experience to craft ‘The Prince,’ advocating pragmatic, often ruthless, realism in governance.
• Miyamoto Musashi (17th century): Undefeated in 62 duels, this legendary swordsman taught adaptability and situational awareness in ‘The Book of Five Rings,’ extending strategic mastery beyond combat to ‘Develop an intuitive judgement and understanding for everything’.
• Adam Smith (18th century) (Philosopher and economist); “The Wealth of Nations” introduced foundational ideas on market competition, division of labor, and value creation, emphasizing how specialization and efficient resource use can drive competitive advantage. (He explained positioning and long-term wealth generation in organizations and societies.)
• Carl von Clausewitz (19th century) Prussian military theorist; author of ‘On War,’ introducing concepts like friction, the “fog of war,” and war as a continuation of politics.

The list is long, but I have to at least mention these notable authors who expanded the understanding of strategy application in particular context: Thucydides, Adam Smith, Frederick Taylor, Peter Drucker, Michael Porter, Henry Mintzberg, John Boyd, Liddell Hart, Carl Jung, and Viktor Frankl.

Practitioners and Achievements

• Imhotep (27th century BCE) Ancient Egyptian architect, vizier, and polymath; known for organizing Egypt’s first monumental stone construction, the Step Pyramid, demonstrating early large-scale planning and resource management.
• Henry the Navigator (15th century): Single-handed initiator of the Age of Discovery.
• Vasco da Gama (15th century): Pioneered maritime trade routes to India.
• Benjamin Franklin (18th century): Diplomat and statesman, his strategic foresight in securing French support for the American Revolution balanced short-term gains with long-term alliances.
• Otto von Bismarck (19th century) statesman and architect of German unification; implemented Realpolitik, favouring pragmatic diplomacy and calculated military engagements to achieve national consolidation.

Among strategy’s renowned yet blood-stained figures are Alexander III of Macedon, Pyrrhus of Epirus, Hannibal Barca, Scipio Africanus, Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, and Napoleon Bonaparte—each a master of conquest who reshaped history through calculated force at the cost of countless lives.

Change of Conditions

The evolution of conditions enabling broader adoption of strategy can be attributed to several interlinked factors: legal reforms, economic transformation, increased literacy, and technological advancements. Democracies and expanding legal rights offered unprecedented freedoms, empowering individuals to act with autonomy. The industrial revolution and the rise of capitalism redefined how individuals and organisations operated, introducing competition and innovation as driving forces. Coupled with the spread of education and literacy, these changes created an environment where long-term planning and structured approaches were no longer exclusive to elites but increasingly accessible to a wider range of people. Finally, technological advancements facilitated the dissemination of knowledge and made tools more efficient and accessible. This shift marked a transition from survival-focused efforts to goals of flourishing and prosperity,( as individuals and organisations gained tools for adapting to and excelling within complex systems.)

Each of these factors deepened accessibility in unique ways:

• Legal reforms: Expanding property rights and freedoms enabled individuals to innovate, make independent decisions, and plan for long-term goals, fostering autonomy.
• Economic transformation: Industrialisation demonstrated that structured planning and decision-making could yield competitive and financial advantages, scaling-down strategy approach to businesses and later — to individuals.
• Increased literacy: Educational advancements equipped people with conceptual tools for problem-solving, making strategic frameworks more broadly understood and applicable.
• Technological advancements: Innovations like printing and computing facilitated knowledge dissemination and efficient analysis, enabling individuals to adopt and refine strategic methodologies.

These intertwined factors created feedback loops: as more individuals adopted frameworks for achieving goals, the body of knowledge expanded and refined, further lowering the barriers to participation (in new ways of value creation and building lives). The lesser the scale of operations, the more specialized approaches developed, reaching down to teams, products, and even individuals managing careers and personal wellbeing.

Absence of Conditions

The trend of conditions becoming better is neither linear nor guaranteed. Conditions that enable application of strategy can regress or vanish, removing the need or ability to adapt. One striking example is the planned economy of the USSR, where the centralized political system under the Communist Party dictated production targets for every enterprise through five-year plans. This imposed conditions opposite to those required, disabling the strategy of an enterprise by design.

This rigidity erased the need for localized decision-making, as enterprises were not required to anticipate, compete, or adapt. When every objective is predetermined and there is no need for independent action, is it still strategy when all choices are already made?

Other factors which provide little room for strategy include dogmatism, where change is suppressed by rigid adherence to unchallengeable principles; extreme bureaucracy, which limits adaptability in large organizations or states by prioritizing compliance over creativity; and algorithmic systems that, while not completely cancelling choices, deliberately constrain individual autonomy and decision-making. Examples include centralised interpretations of the doctrine in some major religious institutions, layers of administrative control in certain UN agencies or heavily state-regulated enterprises, and platforms like gig economy systems or China’s social credit system.

State of Affairs Now

The 21st century has ushered in profound changes that have reshaped the landscape in which strategy is developed and applied. These transformations are characterized by unprecedented levels of democratization, globalization, and digitalization. Together, they have not only expanded the horizons of what is possible but also introduced new complexities that strategists must navigate.

1. Democratization

The spread of democratic ideals has significantly impacted how individuals and organizations operate. With increased freedoms and rights, more people have the autonomy to make decisions that affect their personal and professional lives.

• Empowerment of Individuals: Democratic societies encourage participation and initiative, allowing individuals to strive for and achieve changes in their environments. This empowerment fosters innovation and enables people to take strategic actions that were previously restricted.
• Access to Resources: Greater transparency and accountability in democratic systems often lead to more equitable access to information and resources, which are critical for effective strategy formulation.

2. Globalization

Globalization has interconnected markets, cultures, and ideas on an unprecedented scale.

• Interconnected Markets: Businesses now operate in a global marketplace, facing competition and opportunities beyond their local environments. This necessitates strategies that consider international dynamics, cross-cultural communication, and global supply chains.
• Cultural Exchange: The blending of cultures introduces new perspectives and demands adaptability in strategy to cater to diverse populations.

3. Digitalization

Digital technology has revolutionized how we live and work, offering both significant advantages and notable challenges.

Positive Aspects

• Remote Value Creation: The digital economy allows for the creation of value independent of location. Services and products can be developed and delivered remotely, expanding potential markets and enabling flexible work arrangements.
• Mobility of Talent: Professionals can work from anywhere, giving organizations access to a global talent pool. This mobility enhances collaboration and innovation but also intensifies competition for skilled individuals.
• Access to Information: Digital platforms provide vast amounts of data and analytical tools that can inform strategic decisions, making sophisticated methodologies accessible to more people.

Negative Aspects

• Information Overload: The abundance of data, including low-quality or misleading information, can overwhelm individuals, making it challenging to discern valuable insights necessary for strategic planning.
• Reduction of Attention Span: The rapid pace of digital content consumption, particularly through social media, has been linked to decreased attention spans. This shift can undermine the ability to engage in deep, focused thinking required for long-term strategy development.

Accessible to Anyone

In today’s world, the application of strategy is more accessible yet more complex than ever before. Democratization empowers individuals, globalization expands horizons, and digitalization accelerates possibilities—all while introducing new challenges that require careful navigation.

Accessibility Does Not Mean Ease

While strategy is accessible, I recognize that accessibility doesn’t equate to simplicity. Significant changes in my life—such as moving to a new country or switching careers—have demanded substantial effort and dedication. The environment always resists change, ready to nullify trivial efforts. However, accessibility means that if I commit wholeheartedly and give my best, the likelihood of success increases. The tools and knowledge are within reach; it’s up to me to utilize them effectively.

Full Potential

Achieving full potential is something many of us aspire to, and strategy is one of not the many reliable tools that transforms potential into tangible success. Unlike other approaches based on values, beliefs, or habits, strategy offers a utility-based framework with built-in progress evaluation. It acts as a dynamic process, aligning my inherent capabilities with real-world opportunities.

A Path Worth Pursuing

Engaging in great ambition within strategy gives my life a profound sense of significance. My actions become expressions of my intentions, embodying the causes and goals I genuinely care about. This purposeful approach minimizes regrets, as I know I’m actively pursuing what matters most to me.

Moreover, strategy is an exercise of my free will. In a deterministic world, crafting and executing my own path allows me to avoid the limitations of my circumstances. It’s a means of transforming potential into reality, showcasing what I’m truly capable of when I act with intention.

As Sun Tzu illustrated by framing warfare an art, strategy, when approached with wisdom and creativity, becomes more than just a plan — it becomes a form of personal expression and fulfillment.

Act for Your Own Benefit

Now is the time for me—and for all of us—to embrace the accessibility of strategy. I have the opportunity to create my own game, choose my own way, and write my own story every day. Whether I’m aiming for personal growth, professional success, or making a broader impact, strategy is a valuable tool at my disposal.

And as we stand on the cusp of an era where strategy may soon become available to nonhuman entities, the importance of honing our own abilities becomes even more significant—a topic ripe for future exploration.

Still skeptical? Talk strategy with a friend — it’s eye-opening and one of the best conversations you’ll ever have. It’s an opportunity to share visions, challenge ideas, and inspire each other toward greater achievements.

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APPLICATIONS

When ambition calls for strategy. Disciplines ground it. Tools flex it. Words sharpen it.

Practical Implications

My greatest wish is for you, the reader, to draw your own actionable conclusions from this essay. At the same time, I want to share my perspective on how to practically apply the fundamental aspects of strategy, so you have a starting point to adapt and make it your own.

Narrow Use

Strategy is not a cure-all. It is a tool best suited to answer ‘how’ when facing something big and daunting—ambition outpacing resources, conditions in flux, and no easy answers. In these moments, embrace its methods; otherwise, rely on simpler means.

No Preferences

Tools should serve you, not the other way around. As Musashi said, “In all things, have no preferences.” Use what works, discard what doesn’t. Adapt methods to your situation. This approach respects your individuality and saves energy for what truly matters.

The Five Disciplines

Recall the five key practices: clarifying intention, making sense of context, envisioning next steps, learning from outcomes, and managing attention. They form a pentathlon. Each one supports the others, ensuring coherence and resilience.

Building Inventory

Like a game character equipping gear, choose simple aids—journaling for clarity, dashboards for understanding, rough timelines for planning, quick retrospectives for learning, and short focus sessions for attention control. Disciplines act as placeholders for tools; they must be addressed to ensure coherence. Specific techniques, however, are optional enhancements selected to suit current conditions. This collectively exhaustive set of tools, by working together, transform abstract principles into tangible acts.

Coherence Over Perfection

Do not chase a perfect tool. Instead, ensure each discipline is addressed. Over time, a combined set of methods will feel natural, productive, and aligned with your direction.

Inventiveness: Continuous Updating

Circumstances change, new tools emerge, and personal preferences shift. Keep experimenting. Think of it as cost-weighted retooling—trade old methods for new ones if they offer better returns on your effort. Reinvention keeps you nimble.

Precise Words

Precision in language reflects clarity in thought.

I’m careful with language. I avoid calling every tool or effort “strategic” as if slapping that label on makes it better. Words shape thought, and I want my words to reflect genuine insight. I prefer saying, “I have a plan” or “I’m testing an approach” rather than mystifying it. Precision keeps me honest and connected to reality.

Available to You

Strategy is no longer the domain of an elite; it is accessible to anyone willing to think critically and act intentionally. Today’s world, more open and informed, gives you the freedom and means to apply a variety of tools in alignment with the intention. If it matters deeply, commit wholeheartedly. The greater the ambition, the more it will help.

More Strategists, Please

There is no shortage of challenges or dreams—only a shortage of people ready to tackle them with care and insight. The world needs more doers who think, learners who adapt — the world needs more strategists.

I hope this essay was helpful. Use what works, leave what doesn’t, and shape your way forward. 🚀