Most “strategic plans” aren’t strategy. They’re just plans.
In business, we treat planning as if it’s some sacred ritual. I’ve seen it firsthand in commercial teams of international government departments—those rooms filled with whiteboards, dashboards, and KPIs. We’d map out the year ahead in impressive detail: market visits, stakeholder engagements, sector priorities, and quarterly goals. Everyone felt productive. There was structure. There was clarity. There was action. But underneath all that order, I often wondered—were we actually making strategic choices or just planning well
But here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Most of us aren’t playing to win.
They’re just planning to play.
And we need to talk about that.
Strategy ≠ Planning
A plan is a list of things you’re going to do. That’s it.
A strategy is a theory about how you’ll win.
“A strategy is an integrative set of choices that positions you on a playing field of your choice in a way that you win.”
– Roger Martin, Playing to Win
Most “strategic plans” are just bundles of departmental goals:
- “We’ll launch an AI-based product.”
- “We’ll open five new stores.”
- “We’ll invest in employee upskilling.”
These are fine goals. But they’re not strategy.
They don’t answer why these actions matter, how they fit together, or what victory looks like.
What Strategy Sounds Like
Good strategy is bold. It’s a bet. A coherent one.
It says:
- “This is where we choose to play.”
- “This is how we’ll be better than anyone else.”
- “These are the capabilities we need.”
And then it follows up with: “If we’re right, we win.”
Planning feels better because it’s about things we can control—budgets, hiring, marketing campaigns. But strategy deals with outcomes we don’t control: how markets shift, what customers prefer, and how competitors move.
And that’s what makes it hard.
And powerful.
Case Study 1: Southwest Airlines
When U.S. airlines were planning routes, tweaking seating classes, and negotiating airport slots, Southwest Airlines was strategising.
Their target wasn’t other airlines. It was Greyhound.
They chose to compete with buses—offering a faster, friendlier alternative for short-distance, budget travellers.
Their strategy:
- Fly point-to-point, not hub-and-spoke
- Use only one aircraft type (737s) to cut maintenance and training costs
- Skip meals and extras—short flights only
- Book directly, not through agencies
They didn’t aim to participate. They aimed to win in a specific game.
As Roger Martin writes in Playing to Win (Harvard Business Review Press, 2013), “Southwest didn’t want a bigger slice of the existing airline pie. They made a new pie.”
Today, they carry more passenger seat miles than any other U.S. airline.
🟢 Source
Case Study 2: IndiGo Airlines
Back home, we saw a similar playbook from IndiGo Airlines.
While rivals competed with frills—meals, lounges, loyalty schemes—IndiGo doubled down on simplicity and speed:
- One aircraft type (Airbus A320) for consistency
- A no-nonsense, on-time reputation
- Focused on Tier-1 and Tier-2 domestic travelers
IndiGo wasn’t trying to beat Jet Airways or Kingfisher at their own game.
They redefined the game: become the Uber of Indian skies—on time, every time.
And it worked. As of 2023, IndiGo controls 55%+ of the Indian domestic aviation market and remains profitable where others collapsed.
Case study 2: Tanishq (by Titan)
Let’s shift from skies to gold.
Tanishq, the jewellery arm of Titan, entered one of the most emotionally charged and informally governed markets in India—jewellery.
The challenge?
Convince buyers who trusted their local jeweller for decades to buy from a brand.
Tanishq didn’t just open stores. It crafted a new emotional positioning:
- Purity certifications to tackle trust deficits
- Buyback guarantees for peace of mind
- Marketing that celebrated modern Indian women—not just brides
They weren’t just selling gold. They were selling confidence.
And they chose to play in Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns, where brand penetration was low—but aspiration was rising.
Today, Tanishq is worth over ₹30,000 crore and has transformed how Indians think about branded jewellery.
Why Strategy Makes You Nervous (and That’s Good)
Planning feels good because it’s neat. You can check things off.
Strategy feels messy—because it’s uncertain.
But that’s how you know it’s real.
Great strategy involves angst. You’re betting on customer behaviour, competitor responses, macro shifts—all things beyond your control.
And that’s okay.
“You can’t be certain. But you can be clear.”
– (Something I’d say if I were Simon Sinek)
A One-Page Strategy That Wins
I remember the Trade Network Meetings during my time with the Dutch embassy, where each department had to prepare a two-page strategy and planning document. They were simple, focused, and surprisingly clear. That exercise stuck with me. It showed me that good strategy doesn’t need to be complex to be powerful. In fact, the clearer it is, the more useful it becomes.
Taking a cue from that process, I’ve come to believe if you can’t write your strategy on one page, it might not be a strategy yet.
Try this:
- Where will we play?
- How will we win?
- What capabilities do we need?
- What systems will support us?
- What must be true for this to work?
Then go out. Act. Observe. Tweak.
Because strategy isn’t a verdict. It’s a journey.
Playing to Participate vs. Playing to Win
Here’s the big reveal:
Most companies are playing not to lose.
Only a few are playing to win.
And while most are busy crafting neat Gantt charts, someone else is out there building a theory of the future—and placing a smart, strategic bet on it.
Final Thought
Planning will get you organised.
Strategy will get you somewhere worth going.
So next time someone hands you a “strategic plan”, ask them this:
“Where are we playing?”
“How are we going to win?”
If they can’t answer clearly, they aren’t strategising. They’re just planning to play.
And you?
You’re here to play to win.
📚 Resources & Further Reading
- Roger Martin & A.G. Lafley, Playing to Win (Harvard Business Review Press)
- Richard Rumelt, Good Strategy Bad Strategy (Crown Publishing)
- “The Big Lie of Strategic Planning” – HBR Article
- “How IndiGo Became the Market Leader” – Business Standard
- “How Tanishq Rewrote India’s Jewellery Story” – Economic Times
