Strategy—a word that means something different to nearly everyone you ask. For some, it’s the counterpart to tactics: where tactical thinking drills down into the details, strategy soars at 30,000 feet, painting the big picture. Others view it more pragmatically as simply another word for “plan.” And then there are those who’ve seen it reduced to a corporate ritual: that Microsoft Word template used to rubber-stamp decisions already made in the C-suite.

At its foundation, Enterprise Architecture serves as the bridge between business outcomes and IT investments. This bridging function necessarily requires business strategy as its cornerstone—but here’s where things get interesting. When I mention “business strategy,” you might envision a formal document, complete with carefully crafted vision statements, missions, goals, and cascading objectives. Or perhaps you think of something less structured but equally powerful: the core idea that captures both destination and journey. Either way, as Enterprise Architects, we expect to have this strategic foundation. Yet for many of us, it remains an elusive target, never quite matching our expectations.

The role of IT in corporate strategy typically falls into one of two camps. In companies with deeper roots—say, those over 40 years old—technology often remains an afterthought. This persists despite the obvious reality that today’s businesses, regardless of size, cannot function without technology. The old mindset of “IT as the department that handles computers” stubbornly lingers. In contrast, younger organizations often embrace technology as a core strategic component from day one, weaving IT directly into their business strategy.

In this series, we’re embarking on a winding journey through the landscape of strategy. We’ll explore its highest principles through compelling examples from both military and business history—from Napoleon’s battlefield brilliance to Schwarzkopf’s modern warfare, from Walmart’s retail dominance to Cisco’s technological innovation. Along the way, we’ll examine the warning signs and organizational barriers that can derail even the most promising strategic initiatives.

Before we dive deeper, let’s get crystal clear on what I mean by “strategy.” It’s particularly important since I started by pointing out how this word means something different to everyone – and boy, has business-speak gone wild with it. These days, slap a discount on your product? Congratulations, you’ve got a “low-price strategy.” Send some emails? That’s your “marketing strategy.” Process a few spreadsheets? Welcome to your “IT strategy” (I’m guilty as charged on that last one, and yes, I’m cringing).

The term has been so overused and misused that Harvard Business Review dedicated the first seven pages of their strategy manifesto just explaining what strategy isn’t. That should tell you something.

So, for this series, here’s my stake in the ground: strategy is a careful plan or method comprising three essential elements – a diagnosis, a guiding policy, and coherent actions. If you’re thinking “my strategy is to never quit until I win,” we’re going to have to park that conversation until we do a deep dive into motivational speaking.

Time to let you get back to your scrolling – I can feel the Instagram reels calling your name. Coming up next, we’ll dive into how to spot a strategy that’s more holes than Swiss cheese, setting us up for some epic tales of David-versus-Goliath victories where solid strategy helped the underdogs triumph. Stay tuned – this is where it gets really interesting. Catch you on the flip side! ~Ciao