Strategy is the single driving cue. With this cue, you have a clear direction. It lights the way. Sets your tone. Ensures the feel. Drives nuance. It changes habit and creates craving. There is only one strategy. All else are tactics that support it. You can decide to revise a tactic. But you should feel secure and unwavering about the strategy for longterm goals, even thru inevitable short-term failures. So, coming up with the strategy is a big and enduring deal that ripples into everything, from culture to product to management decisions. Strategy is not to be confused with best practice. If the strategy does not differentiate you from your competitors, it is not a strategy. There’s a reason Starbucks’ strategy was “the third place” and not “the best coffee.” The third place drove all tactical plans, from store design to process to menu to…everything. A true strategist has a creative-analytic mind that knows how to use research and instinct, often counterintuitive, to blueprint a company’s unique culture and story for competitive advantage. Creativity applied to analysis is the key separator of good and great strategists.