Everyone Says 'Be Strategic.' Here’s How to Actually Do It.

💡The Traits of a Strategic Thinker - Framework Attempt

I once walked into a leadership (steering) meeting with a well-prepared pitch.

But I failed miserably. Why? The conversation went in all kinds of directions. There was not clear narrative, it wasn’t clear “what’s at stake” and I didn’t provide options or tradeoffs for my ask. It’s been a few years, but I still remember how I wasted my own and my execs ’ time.

The feedback from my former executive, after the chaotic turnout:

“Be more strategic.”

It’s something we’ve all heard — at work, in interviews, in career planning. In moments when direction is needed, for tough decisions or for critical situations that require a solution, and of course, in job interviews.

But what does it actually mean to be strategic? I used to think it was just a soft expression without much meaning until I learned to make it more useful and turned it into a framework.

I love frameworks, but only if I can remember them when I need them. So I needed a fancy name or acronym for it - something like SMART or STRIKE, for example, although they are taken and overused already. I wanted to use CLASSY, but that had too many letters — I need it to be simple.

Let’s do something that we can all keep in mind for when we need it…

aha… MIND

| M - Match Patterns - See structure in chaos. Big picture thinking.

| I - Influence via Narrative - Turn noise into a clear story that guides action.

| N - Navigate Tradeoffs - Highlight the results of tough choices - different outcomes.

| D - Drive Leverage - Prioritize for impact and focus effort where it matters most.

So, how does the MIND framework help to prepare a strategy or even a presentation that requires a decision or inputs from stakeholders or executives?

It helps me ask myself:

• “Am I showing the pattern this fits into?”

• “Am I guiding the story, or are we all over the place?”

• “Am I calling out the tradeoffs?” - cost, time, lost focus, etc.

• “Am I steering towards a beneficial decision, focusing on the most important lever?”

Quick Self-Evaluation Questions

For roadmaps, exec reviews or 0-1 builds — this is your strategic gut check:

When you are in one of these moments, you are likely making high-stakes plans. To start off right, pause and ask yourself:

💭 “Am I just reacting… or am I proactive, seeing a pattern? How does this fit in the bigger picture?”

💭 “Is there a story or mission that others can rally around?”

💭 “Did I call out the tradeoffs?” - Every decision has tradeoffs.

💭 “Am I suggesting spending time where it makes the most impact, or is it just noise?”

If you think through all these questions first, then, my friend, you are being strategic. No doubt about it.

And no, you won’t always have clear answers for all of the questions. But the important thing is to ask them and start thinking. If you are stuck, pull in others to share their thoughts.

🔥 Pro tip - keep these questions in MIND when others present to you, too. Raise the bar for everyone to be strategic in their decisions.

Personal Update - The New New Name & Branding

I teased at the top, and in past emails, we are going through a full-blown rebranding. Techtalesandtactics is a mouthful. And I heard people forget what the exact name was. It didn’t bother me until I thought of this new name and the complete theme with it. It’s a whole vibe, and it fits so well.

You see, I'm usually sitting down to write, research, and think about the topics late at night. All this is written in the glow of a desk lamp. Burning the midnight oil.

That’s the moment when time slows down. Slack is quiet, no more meetings, kids are asleep. Time to think. I love that time. And I love that this newsletter forces me to take the time to think. Otherwise, I would probably end up being frustrated in Counter-Strike or Call of Duty.

So, the bulk of my newsletter work happens after dark. And it’s all about strategy. So what better name than…. “Strategy After Dark”

It’s like a written “strategy night radio” for tech minds and strategic builders. And the colors will also convey that mood.

In the sense of “build in public,” I am sharing half-baked styles here, so if you have any feedback, please let me know.

Now I have to figure out how to best transition this whole site and email with minimal disruption for you all. This email will eventually come from a new domain: strategyafterdark.com - Yes, I got that one 🙂 

So, that’s the update. Rolling this out in the following weeks and hope you all like it.