Many of us (myself included) have
undoubtedly used the words strategy and tactic interchangeably at some point in
our lives. Whether it’s in an intense
game of Monopoly, on the soccer pitch, or while ironing out the most successful
business model, strategies and tactics are crucial components. These words, however, are not synonymous;
they are complementary! Strategies and tactics are meant to work in tandem in
order to achieve one’s goals (whether it be driving your opponent to bankruptcy
in Monopoly or becoming the top sports medicine clinic in the area) and one
cannot work effectively without the other.
So let’s hash out those differences…
Strategy, is identifying clear,
broad goals that advance the person or organization. Tactics are the specific
methods a person or organization will employ in order to achieve that strategy.
Going back to the Monopoly example (because, let’s face it, it’s a GREAT game),
if the goal (and therefore strategy)
is to force the opponent into bankruptcy, a tactic
might be to buy all of the orange properties because it’s been found that
players land on those most often and generate the most revenue for their
opponent.
To help clarify the distinction,
here are a few other examples:
Strategy
|
Corresponding Tactic
|
Invade Normandy
|
Tanks, Infantry, Battle Plan
|
Get out of Debt
|
Budget, Pay off Credit Cards
|
Exercise More
|
Hire Personal Trainer
|
Eat Better
|
Work with Dietician
|
Spend more time with my children
|
Commit to getting out of office by 5:30 pm
|
Be more mindful
|
Meditate for 30 minutes before bedtime
|
Choosing to look at a more
relevant example that we see here often at Lake Washington Sports & Spine
is the common strategy to “lose
weight”. Losing weight is the overall
goal for the person, but unless specific tactics
are designed to achieve that strategy, there will be disorder and ultimately
failure in achieving weight loss. If the
strategy is to lose weight, one might
say a tactic is to hire a personal
trainer, commit to seeing them twice a week and cutting out sweets from his/her
diet. On the flip side, it is important
to note that one cannot have tactics without strategies. If this were the case, the person would have
no big picture, no goal to strive toward.
The reason why this important to
us here at LWSS is because all of our patients’ treatment plans are based on
the balanced relationship between strategies and tactics. Patients often come into our office with a strategy, a larger goal they wish to
achieve. Dr. Hyman and Dr. Chimes are
the ones who advise and prescribe different tactics
that will help the patient reach his/her goals.
To help make an even stronger
point is the realization that when patients fail to reach their goals, it’s
usually because of tactical errors, rather than strategic errors. To use a parallel example, why do people hire
accountants? Is it because they need
help with strategy or tactics? Certainly
the accountant can offer strategic advice (like lowering the total amount that
you pay in taxes every year), but the main benefit of an accountant is helping
on the nitty-gritty tactical details, such as taking advantage of certain
deductions, or making purchases before after January 1 because of changes in
the tax code.
Similarly, patients benefit from
physicians the most when they utilize physicians for tactical advice. As Lisa Huynh noted in her Meet the Expert interview,
the thing that separates the good doctors from the great doctors is their
ability to give specific, deliberate, and actionable advice on tactics to
achieve your goals. That is what we
strive to do here at Lake Washington Sports & Spine, and we think it’s part
of the “secret sauce” that makes for a better patient experience.
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