"Be More Strategic" Is Lousy Feedback. Here's What Strategic Leaders Actually Do.
"She's not strategic enough." "He lacks a strategic mindset." "We need you to be more strategic."
If you've spent any time in corporate America, you've heard it. Maybe you've said it. Maybe it's been said about you. And here's the problem: almost nobody who says it can tell you what it means.
I recently started working with a new client whose goal is to become "more strategic." Good goal. Common goal. It's one of the most frequent things I hear from leaders and the people who sponsor their development.
It's also one of the most useless pieces of feedback in business — as usually delivered.
Tell someone to "be more strategic" and you've handed them a fog bank. No direction. No target. No way to know if they're getting better. They'll nod, go back to their desk, and maybe start using the word "synergy" more often.
That's not development. That's a guessing game.
Where "Strategic" Actually Comes From
"Strategic" entered English in the early 1800s from the French stratégique, which traces back to the Greek stratēgikos — "of or for a general; fitted for command." That comes from strategos: commander of an army.
As a former Marine officer, that definition lands with me. Fit for command. Not "good at PowerPoint." Not "uses big words in meetings." Fit to command.
A commander doesn't get to own one piece of the battlefield and ignore the rest. They have to understand how logistics, intelligence, fires, and maneuver fit together. They have to see the whole fight, then drop down to fix the thing that's about to break, then climb back up. And they don't show up to their boss with a problem and a shrug. They show up with a recommendation.
That's strategic. And notice — every piece of it is something you can watch someone do.
Don't Mistake Style for Substance
Be wary of favoring style over substance.
Over the years I've sat across the table from plenty of very polished people — sharp dressers, beautiful decks, confident vocabulary. Some were genuinely strategic. Plenty weren't. They could talk about the big picture all day. They couldn't tell you how the plant actually ran, what the customer actually cared about, or what would break first if the plan went sideways.
When we judge whether someone is strategic, we too often grade the presentation instead of the thinking. That's one reason the label gets handed out — and withheld — so unevenly.
Look past the delivery to the behaviors underneath.
Why Strategic Thinking Matters
This isn't a semantic squabble. Strategic thinking is one of the biggest separators in leadership.
A large global study by Management Research Group of 60,000 managers and executives found that a strategic approach to leadership was, on average, 10 times more important to perceived effectiveness than the other behaviors studied — twice as important as communication and nearly 50 times more important than hands-on tactical behavior.
And it's rare. A Strategy& (PwC) survey of 700 executives found that only 8% of leaders were rated very effective at both strategy and execution.
So it's the skill that matters most, and almost nobody does it well. You'd think we'd be precise about what it means. Instead we throw the word around like confetti.
Diagnose Before You Prescribe
A good doctor doesn't hand you a prescription the second you walk in. They ask questions. They run tests. They figure out what's actually wrong — then they treat it.
Leadership development should work the same way. "Not strategic" isn't a diagnosis. It's a symptom. The real question is: which strategic behaviors are missing?
Because here's the thing — "strategic" isn't one muscle. It's five.
5 Behaviors of Strategic Leaders
These are the behaviors I look for, assess, and coach. Every one of them is observable. Every one can be improved.
1. They think and act cross-functionally.
Strategic leaders don't just run their function — they understand how it connects to everyone else's. The sales leader knows what a rush order does to the plant floor. The ops leader knows what a late shipment does to the customer relationship and the quarter.
What it looks like: They ask "who else does this affect?" before deciding. They build relationships across departments before they need them.
2. They zoom out — and zoom in.
They scan the horizon: markets, competitors, customers, the risks coming over the hill, and the opportunities worth seizing before someone else does. But they can also dive into the details when it matters, then climb back up. The best leaders control their altitude. They don't live at 30,000 feet, and they don't live in the weeds.
What it looks like: They can explain the three-year picture and the one number that's off this month. They know when to dig in and when to get out of the way.
3. They connect the dots.
They see patterns other people miss. Customer complaints about late orders, a spike in plant overtime, and rising turnover on second shift can look like three problems owned by three departments. The strategic leader sees the thread: chronic overtime burns people out, burned-out people quit, and short-staffed shifts ship late. One root cause. Three symptoms.
What it looks like: They link what's happening in one corner of the business to what's happening in another — and they say it out loud.
4. They bring solutions, not just problems.
Anyone can spot a problem. Strategic leaders walk into the boss's office with the problem, two or three options, and a recommendation.
What it looks like: "Here's the issue, here's what I recommend, here's what it'll cost, and here's the risk if we wait."
5. They make choices — including what not to do.
Strategy is choosing. Leaders who say yes to everything aren't strategic; they're busy. Real strategic leaders set priorities, make trade-offs, and protect their team's focus. That includes strategic quitting: deliberately killing the project, product, or habit that no longer earns its keep, so time and money can go where they'll matter most.
What it looks like: They can tell you the three things that matter most this quarter — and the things they've deliberately put on hold.
How to Actually Coach Someone to Be More Strategic
Once you've named the behaviors, coaching gets a whole lot simpler. Here's how I approach it:
Define it with the sponsor first. Before I work with the leader, I ask the boss: "When you say 'more strategic,' what would you see them doing differently in six months?" That answer becomes the target.
Diagnose with real data. A 360 assessment and tools like PXT Select show where the gaps actually are. Maybe the leader is great at connecting dots but never brings recommendations. That's a very different coaching plan than someone who can't get out of the weeds.
Pick one or two behaviors. Not all five. Work the gaps that matter most for this role, right now.
Get reps. Real situations, real meetings, real decisions. Prep before, debrief after.
Measure it. Did they bring options to the last three leadership meetings? Did peers notice a difference? Check back with the sponsor and the people around them.
That's how a fuzzy label turns into a development plan with teeth.
Start Here This Week
You don't need a coach to start. Try this:
Rewrite the feedback. If you're about to tell someone to "be more strategic," stop. Name the specific behavior instead.
Ask one cross-functional question in every meeting this week: "How does this hit the other side of the business?"
Never bring a problem alone. Next time you raise an issue, bring at least two options and your recommendation.
Block 30 minutes on Friday to zoom out. What threat — or opportunity — is coming over the horizon that nobody's talking about?
Write down what you're NOT doing. If you can't name it, you haven't made a choice yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Here are the ones I hear most often — from leaders working on this, and from the executives who sponsor them.
What does it mean to be strategic at work? Being strategic means thinking and acting beyond your own function: seeing the big picture, connecting dots across the business, moving between big-picture thinking and key details, bringing recommendations instead of just problems, and making clear choices about priorities.
Can strategic thinking be learned? Yes. Strategic thinking is a set of behaviors, not a fixed trait. With clear targets, real practice, and honest feedback, leaders can build these skills — often faster than they expect.
How do you coach someone to be more strategic? Start by defining what "strategic" looks like in their role, diagnose the specific gaps with a 360 assessment or other data, focus on one or two behaviors, practice them in real situations, and measure the change over time.
What's the difference between strategic and tactical leadership? Tactical leadership is about executing the work in front of you. Strategic leadership is about deciding which work matters most, how it connects to the rest of the business, and where things are headed. The best leaders do both — and know when to switch.
Ready to Turn "Be More Strategic" Into Something Real?
If you've been told you need to be more strategic — or you've been saying it about someone on your team — let's make it concrete. We'll figure out what's actually missing, build a plan around the behaviors that matter, and track whether it's working.
No buzzwords. No guesswork. Just leaders who are fit for command.
That's what we do at Catalyst Point.
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