A day in the life of a strategist

Scan, scrutinize, select, score...scan, scrutinize, select, score...

A typical day?

Read 971 emails. Delete 898. Respond to 71 (without thought). Respond to 2 (with thought).

Rinse. Repeat.

I’m kidding. Sort of.

Last year I wrote about what I consider to be a virtuous cycle—that strategists’ should continually scan, scrutinize, select, and then score how they’ve done for feedback.  

So the first part of the strategist’s day is spent scanning. Think of it like hiking up to the top of a guard tower, climbing the 96 steps or 101 floors, grabbing the binoculars, and simply, quietly, looking all around. I remember bringing cadets to the historical battlefield at Gettysburg for military staff rides where we’d talk through what decisions were made by key leaders in that great battle. We’d often start the day at the top of a National Park Service constructed tower that enabled us to see in all directions to visualize the oncoming attack or defense.

This is how to think about the strategist’s day-break. Scan. Find a way to know something about the world you live in. Read news, real news, not just opinion. I run, very early in the morning, and find it helpful to listen to podcasts that incorporate a worldly perspective, including Fareed Zakaria’s “GPS,” and even Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” (just out in audio).