It has been said that an army without a general is as good as dead. Alexander the Great in his great conquest against Persia knew this very fact. In decisive battle with the king of Persia he took his cavalry and drove them straight up the middle to kill the king. The same principle applies to your business. If you led anything disarm, distract, or eliminate your management and leadership from play, the consequences will be dire.

This does not mean that your employees are incompetent; what it means is that their talents need the organization of the leader to put them to use in the most effective way. Return for a moment to the analogy of the army and its general. Even in the most basic and primitive armies there exists a distinction between skills. There are some who are more accurate in their attacks and therefore use precision weaponry while others have the strength and stamina to be able to use less accurate, yet more damaging methods. Some soldiers have a keen use of their senses, and others may be talented in the use of range weaponry.

So to it is in a business. The simplest business follows the divisions of an army. As both a business and an army become more sophisticated, new divisions and talents are required. An army eventually comes to require the same skills as a corporation. Look at the military today. They are equipped with engineers, financial officers, medical officers, and recruiters.

Does this remind you of your business? The only difference between an army and a company is the product of its efforts. Your business must learn to have strategy and tactics the same as an army. These strategies cannot remain with the top executives. The management and employees all the way down the corporate ladder must understand the company strategy.

What is Strategic Management?

Strategic Management is the ability that any man may have to critically think and decipher how to use the skills and inventory he has in the best way possible to achieve his goals and the most productive outcome. It is amazing how many times strategy is thrown out the window because of a rushed situation. Management is extended to all men. Whether they are asked to manage other employees or simply manage their tasks and workload, they must use strategy to accomplish their objectives for the best possible outcome. Strategy and tactics are the difference between victory and defeat.

It is forethought and execution of premeditated plans that help to accomplish the higher goals that we set. What is management without strategy? It is but a useless name.