Strategic kNOw-how is knowing when to say NO to pretty important stuff so that you can say YES to really important stuff. Rather than make a lengthy explanation, here is a real-life example (names have been changed to protect the guilty) of Strategic kNOw-how at work.

Bob and John were two experienced sales professionals in a large technology company. Both had a list of twenty prospects in their respective territories that they were required to contact each quarter. Each was supposed to attend the weekly sales meeting and the monthly training calls. Each was to complete documentation for the seven-step sales process on each major deal to present at the deal reviews. Both were required to turn in their expense reports to the administrator every 30 days.

John was a stellar example of the perfect sales professional. He visited all of his prospects and met his sales quota every quarter. John never missed a sales meeting or training call and came to the deal reviews with all his paperwork perfectly prepared. He promptly turned his expense reports in to the admin on time and even helped jump start her car one evening. The sales manager loved how dependable and efficient John was and always asked him to help train the new sales guys.

Bob, however, was a bit of a free spirit. He tended to cherry-pick his prospect list and focused on the three he felt with the most fertile, leaving the rest mostly untouched. He was typically late or absent from the weekly sales meeting and only attended the training that he felt was pertinent to the current deals he was focused on. He made a compelling verbal case at the deal reviews but only critical parts of the paperwork were filled in. The admin was constantly hounding him for expense reports that were always at least 90 days late. The sales manager was frequently exasperated with Bob and let him know it.

When the unfortunate day came for significant cuts in the sales staff, guess who they laid off? Oh, I forgot to mention Bob ’s one redeeming feature: he always exceeded his sales targets by at least 300%. Now who do you think got the ax that day? John – our conscientious worker who did absolutely everything he was asked to do. Or Bob – the free spirit who got the right thing right: SELL STUFF. Yep, John was out of a job and Bob kept right on selling.

Bob said NO to much of what he was asked to do so that he could say YES to the real strategic measure of success for his job: SELL STUFF. He stood up to significant pressure coming from many directions. But Bob knew what success really was and made sure that his powerful laser focus went right to the heart of the matter, which didn’t leave time for meetings, paperwork or training other sales guys. Everybody liked John (the admin gave him a big party when he left) but Bob got the job and the big bonus.

1. Make sure that your strategic focus is the right one. While you probably won’t get permission for all the NO’s you are going to make along the way, you can sure get confirmation that your YES’ are the right ones.
2. Gather your inner confidence. As you can see in Bob’s case, he had to depend on his own self-confidence to keep going in the face of many dissenting opinions, including that of his boss. This is not a technique for the faint of heart!
3. Begin to question everything you and your organization have been asked to do. Don’t assume that the direction you’ve been given is the right one. Strategic leaders always question status quo and offer alternative opinions.
4. Keep your eye on the strategic ball by passing on any activity that doesn’t support the focus point(s) you’ve defined. Keep those Strategic Meetings With Yourself going to make sure you stay on the straight and narrow.
   

Have a hard time saying No? Here are 6 ways to say 'No' and mean it.

More tips on Saying NO.

Try applying Pareto's Principle, the 80/20 Rule, to your strategic work plan..