PILLAR FIVE
COURAGE
Strategic Courage
strategy is the first pillar of Batitude
A goal tells you what you want to accomplish. A strategy explains how you intend to make it happen.
Without a strategy, a goal is little more than a wish. You have no direction, no way to measure your progress, and no basis for deciding whether you should continue, adjust, or try something different.
Strategy does not have to be complicated. It is not necessarily a five-year business plan, a mission statement, or a long document sitting in a binder that nobody reads.
Strategy is deciding where you want to go and intentionally creating the conditions that make it more likely you will get there.
Notice I said “more likely.”
Strategy does not guarantee success or eliminate uncertainty. Life does not work that way. Strategy gives you direction, helps you prepare, and gives luck somewhere to land.
Strategy in Action
If you have read my introduction, you already know I have a bit of a Batman problem. It probably will not surprise you to learn that I also collect autographs.
When I was younger, I wanted to build my collection, but autographs were expensive. I was beginning my career and starting a family, so spending large amounts of money on collectibles was not exactly responsible.
My goal was simple: acquire the autographs I wanted while spending as little money as possible.
That may sound like wishful thinking. It was, until I developed a strategy.
I did not have a lot of money, but I had web-development skills at a time when the internet was still new. I understood the autograph industry, had relationships with dealers, and knew the problems both dealers and collectors were experiencing.
Dealers could reach customers through eBay, but the fees kept growing and the platform stood between them and their customers. Building lasting relationships was difficult. Collectors had their own frustrations finding reputable dealers and desirable inventory.
I saw an opportunity to solve both problems. I created a website where autograph dealers could sell their inventory for free. I was not trying to build the next eBay. I was creating access:
VALUE FIRST
The website did not succeed because I was smarter than everyone else. It succeeded because I asked a different question.
“How do I get what I want?”
“Whose problem can I solve?”
I wanted better access to autographs. Instead of focusing only on what I wanted, I created something valuable for dealers and collectors. Once I solved their problem, my original goal became a natural outcome.
That is one of the most important lessons within the Strategy pillar.
A strong strategy should not simply extract value from other people. It should create value for them.
When your strategy helps others, you do more than move toward a goal. You build relationships, expand your resources, and develop a reputation as someone who solves problems.
Those benefits frequently become more valuable than the original goal.
