Micro vs. Macro Strategies
“A load–bearing wall or bearing wall is a wall that is an active structural element of a building, which holds the weight of the elements above it, by conducting its weight to a foundation structure below it. Load–bearing walls are one of the earliest forms of construction.” ~wikipedia
Awhile ago, I wrote about the importance of having your foundation (strategy) built so your business can be properly supported.
This week in my additional role as Faculty Fellow of Food Marketing at Niagara University, we were discussing the same importance for retail category management, how first you needed to understand the retailer strategy, then as a category manager how you needed to filter down to a category definition and the role(s) it would ultimately encompass for that retailer. These would be considered “micro-strategies”.
My epiphany was not that micro-strategies exist, but how to better vocalize and visualize the essence of what they represent. If the foundation is your overall strategy for your company, then your values, goals and definitions for success are your micro-strategies, or your load-bearing/supporting walls of the structure. They serve a complementary purpose, but are equally as important to hold up whatever it is you are trying to build – knock one of those babies down, your business will collapse.
So this month, I ask you to consider this. If you already feel you have the best foundation you can have for your company, and you have reviewed it with your key stakeholders and it still makes sense, that’s great! But don’t ignore the next step in making sure you have your micro-strategies set where they need to be to help bring your business success for the upcoming year. Many may have had walls shift for them in the past 12 months, but don’t let them crumble, for your whole “house” could topple down on you if you ignore that crack in the wall – or remove the wrong one.
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Stay tuned for more from TCS next month!
Sarah Heximer, Owner & Chief Visionary Officer
[1] https://review42.com/word-of-mouth-marketing-statistics/#:~:text=According%20to%20word%20of%20mouth,with%20about%209%2D15%20people