Strategic vs Tactical Planning: Why You Need Both to Grow

As someone who has helped drive growth strategies for clients across industries, I've noticed a common theme with companies that can't seem to gain sustainable traction: they lack an overarching vision to guide their efforts.

Too many businesses get so bogged down in the daily grind of tactical execution that they forget to pause and ask the bigger picture questions. They're so focused on the "how" that they've lost sight of the "why" behind their drive for growth.

Don't get me wrong — strong execution and rolling up your sleeves is vital. You can't simply strategize your way to success without putting in the hard work. However, operating without a clear vision is like sailing across an ocean without any navigation. You'll expend tremendous effort while aimlessly drifting without a destination in mind.

Strategic vs tactical planning: what’s the difference?

Strategic planning is about defining long-term goals, vision, and direction — the “why” and “where.”

Tactical planning focuses on the short-term actions and tools used to achieve those strategic goals — the “how” and “when.”

To break it down even further:

 Stepping back will save you

time

The most successful growth strategies start by taking a step back to thoughtfully determine where you want to go as an organization and why that path to growth genuinely matters. You have to dig into answering:

• Who are we today as a company?
• Who do we aspire to become?
• What does achievable, realistic growth look like 3 years, 5 years, 10 years from now?
• Why are we the best solution for the customers/markets we want to serve?
• What values, principles and ethos will guide how we grow?

Without a coherent vision, you're just checking boxes rather than purposefully scaling up in an intentional, authentic way aligned with your brand's core strengths and identity. Playing follow-the-leader by mimicking competitors' moves becomes the default.

Listen to CEO Jen Lawrence discuss which approach will serve you best, when, and why.

But with a crisp growth vision that everyone in the company understands and believes in, you create a powerful decision-making filter. Every hire, product decision, marketing initiative, partnership and more can be evaluated through that lens of "Does this get us closer to realizing our vision?"

Nike: an example of the two approaches in action

🧠 Strategic approach

Situation:

In the early 2010s, Nike began shifting from being just a footwear and apparel brand to becoming a direct-to-consumer (DTC) digital powerhouse. Instead of relying heavily on retail partners, they built a strategy to:

• Strengthen their brand experience
• Own the customer relationship
• Drive digital transformation

Strategic moves

• Invested in apps like Nike Training Club and SNKRS
• Prioritized sustainability and social purpose messaging
• Acquired data analytics companies
• Closed wholesale accounts with less brand control

Wins

✅ Increased margins by cutting out middlemen
✅ Grew loyalty with digital community-building
✅ Strengthened long-term brand value and innovation perception

Challenges

⚠️ Required long-term investment and upfront risk
⚠️ Needed cultural and operational shifts internally
⚠️ Alienated some retail partners initially

🛠️ Tactical Approach

Situation:

To boost sales around a product launch (e.g., a new Jordan sneaker), Nike executes highly targeted, short-term campaigns.

Tactical moves

• Sneaker drops via SNKRS app
• Time-limited promotions and geo-targeted push notifications
• Collaborations with influencers and micro-creators
• Pop-up events or AR try-on experiences

Wins

✅ Hype-driven product sellouts in minutes
✅ High social media buzz and cultural relevance
✅ Real-time feedback loops and data capture

Challenges

⚠️ Risk of consumer fatigue if every drop feels the same
⚠️ Success is often dependent on momentary hype
⚠️ Doesn’t build long-term equity without tying back to a vision

🎯 The takeaways

• When Nike acts strategically, it lays the groundwork for sustainable differentiation and brand control.
• When Nike acts tactically, it generates short-term wins and cultural relevance — but those tactics only work because they’re built on a larger strategic foundation.

🚨 Without strategy: the tactics become noise.
🔥 Without tactics: the strategy never reaches the market.

Remember: everyone creates tactics

At the end of the day, you (and every one of your competitors) will execute some arrangement of tactics, whether that's blogs, videos, downloadable offers, webinars, or something else entirely. What matters is the vision you use to determine when, how, and what you'll produce. 

The best growth visions are rational yet aspirational. They're achievable yet expansive in ambition. They're distinctive in a way that differentiates you from the competition while creating tangible value for the markets you want to dominate.

Maybe most importantly, a well-articulated vision provides inspirational context about the "why" behind your daily work. It's energizing for teams to know they aren't just arbitrarily chasing growth for growth's sake through growth hacking tactics du jour. They're united in working towards an elevated, motivating long-term purpose for scaling up in an impactful way.

Without a coherent vision, you're just checking boxes rather than purposefully scaling up in an intentional, authentic way aligned with your brand's core strengths and identity. 

So if your growth has felt stagnant, plagued by ambiguity or misalignment in your organization, take a beat. Dare to draft a bold, cogent vision that provides that critical strategic context before diving back into execution. With that guiding force, your daily efforts can be purposeful rather than haphazard.

After all, having a clear vision for future growth is what separates having a viable business from having an exit strategy. Transcend chasing hollow growth metrics and increase value for your employees, customers, and communities. That's the most sustainable path to scalable success.

Struggling to switch up your mindset?

It can be tricky. And I struggle with it myself from time to time, so I'm here to share some tips if you need them.