Building Strategy into the Everyday

A grounded approach to turning big visions into steady, everyday practice.

A mentor once told me that strategic thinking takes time — so take it.

I didn’t fully understand what he meant until he trained our team to work differently. He didn’t treat strategy as something you saved for retreats, big meetings, or polished plans. He treated it as a daily discipline — a way of operating with intention instead of urgency.

He trained our team to weave strategic thinking into the smallest parts of the day: the quick morning huddles, the planning conversations, the quiet decisions no one else sees, and even the way we organized our time. He slowed us down just enough to ask better questions—and he modeled how to keep the work aligned without making it heavier.

Over time, our team became skillful in the practice. We integrated strategy into everything: member engagement cycles, budget decisions, program adjustments, leadership transitions, partnerships, and grant deliverables. Nothing felt separate or special — it was simply how we worked. And because of that, we moved the needle farther and faster than anyone expected.

That early training shaped how I see everything.

As my responsibilities grew — overseeing national membership portfolios and leading long-term, multimillion-dollar projects with federal agencies and pharmaceutical partners — the same truth kept resurfacing: even the most talented organizations struggle when strategy isn’t built into daily work.

Not because they lack skill. Not because they lack passion. But because they lack space.

No room to think. No rhythm for reflection. No structure that helps people make decisions rooted in mission instead of pressure.

Once you see that pattern, you can’t unsee it.

And you realize: the more you practice strategy in your daily work, the clearer and more confident your leadership becomes.

Not as a retreat. Not as an annual ritual. But as something living — embedded into meetings, conversations, choices, and the unglamorous moments when someone finally asks, “Does this still make sense?”

When strategy sits outside the daily work, it becomes ornamental — something we admire but rarely use. When strategy moves into the daily work, everything steadies. Decisions get clearer. Priorities sharpen. The frantic pace slows. People breathe again.

And yes — it takes time. But it pays you back tenfold.

Where Strategy Breaks (and Why It’s Not Your Fault)

I’ve seen organizations — grassroots groups, community foundations, professional associations, public-sector teams — all facing the same core issue: the strategy was written over here while the real work was happening over there.

It breaks when:

• the work outpaces the plan,

• the plan never made space for real life,

• the process didn’t include the people doing the work,

• no time or structure existed for reflection,

• decisions lived in inboxes instead of in shared understanding.

Strategy succeeds when:

• people make space to think,

• teams use simple rhythms of reflection,

• decisions get tied back to mission,

• ownership is clear,

• adjustments happen early,

• and the community’s voice actually shapes direction.

None of that requires a retreat. It requires practice.

A Real-World Lesson in Community-Rooted Strategy

During a multi-year, participatory evaluation I was hired to lead for an Albuquerque-based, globally reaching cultural organization — one grounded in Afro-diasporic storytelling — I watched this lesson unfold again. The Executive Director treats strategy as a living conversation. She takes the time. She invites community wisdom. She engages youth, elders, artists, organizers — not as participants, but as co-creators.

At their annual event, strategy didn’t happen behind the scenes. It happened in storytelling circles, community dialogues, informal gatherings, and open feedback sessions. These weren’t side activities — they were intentional spaces where truth could surface and guide the organization’s future direction.

Ideas moved directly from community voice into organizational planning — shaping future festivals, partnerships, and year-round initiatives.

It was a vivid example of what happens when strategy is rooted in community and built into everyday practice.

The strategy becomes clearer. More grounded. And naturally woven into the work that keeps the mission alive.

A Foolproof Formula for Strategic Thinking (At Any Scale)

High-level by design — because the deeper mastery comes through guided practice.

Some perpetuate the myth that strategic thinking is a talent you’re either born with or not. Not at all true!

It’s a skill — and an easy-to-learn one.

The secret is knowing what makes a question strategic.

Here is the Strategic Question Formula I use — a simple, high-level structure you can apply in real time:

Pause → Purpose → People → Path → Proof

This is the architecture behind every truly strategic question.

You can take any reactive question and transform it with these five dimensions.

Pause

•   Interrupt urgency.

•   Ask yourself: “What am I actually deciding here?”

Purpose

•    Zoom out to the mission and long-term goals.

•    Ask yourself: “Why does this matter?”

People

•    Consider whose voices, leadership, or experiences should shape the decision.

•    Ask yourself: “Who is impacted — and who needs to be involved?”

Path

•    Look for the most sustainable path, not the fastest one.

•    Ask yourself: “What approach protects our capacity and mission?”

Proof

•     Define what success looks like.

•      Ask yourself: “How will we know this worked?”

This is how you shift your thinking from reacting to leading.

And because I want this to stay high-level — intentionally — the depth, nuance, and practice (the part that makes it stick) is something I teach when I coach leaders.

Invitation to Practice

If your organization feels stretched or stuck in reaction mode, you’re not alone. Most leaders are doing their best in systems that leave very little room to think. The good news is that anyone willing to practice can develop strong strategic thinking skills. It begins with small shifts in how you approach your everyday work — and with a little guidance, it becomes a steady skill you can rely on.

If you want to build that practice, strengthen your clarity, and lead with more intention and confidence, I can help you get there. Together, we can make strategy part of your daily rhythm — not another task, but a way of working that brings more ease, alignment, and impact.

Let’s build a strategic practice that supports you, your team, and the mission you’re carrying. You don’t have to do it alone.