Strategic Doer
Combine strategic judgment with hands-on execution at every level of the work.
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 97%
The Strategic Doer model separates occasional capital-S Strategy from the strategic thinking required throughout execution. Capital-S Strategy focuses the organization by choosing a small subset of possible priorities. Once those priorities are selected, strategic thinking determines how to achieve the strongest outcome through day-to-day judgment, craft, and adaptation. Even a defined assignment contains choices about goals, evidence, audience, sequencing, and trade-offs. A Strategic Doer therefore asks why the task matters, considers multiple variables, and uses domain expertise to improve execution rather than merely completing instructions. Leaders practice the model by remaining close to primary data and the culture of the channels they oversee. This proximity strengthens their feedback, helps them notice overlooked signals, and makes future high-level strategy more grounded.
Origin
Wes Kao developed the term while distinguishing high-level organizational strategy from the strategic judgment exercised continuously by people doing the work.
Core principles
- 01Big-S strategy chooses where to focus.
- 02Strategic thinking improves how chosen work is executed.
- 03Judgment is required even inside tightly scoped tasks.
- 04Leaders remain effective by staying close to craft and primary data.
- 05Doing and thinking strategically are complementary, not competing roles.
How to run it
- 1
Identify the chosen priority
Clarify which organizational objective or focused bet the task supports. Understand what successful execution is supposed to change.
Pro tip Ask what business outcome motivated the assignment.
Watch out Do not optimize a task without understanding why it exists.
- 2
Map the decision variables
Look beyond the first obvious criterion and identify the dimensions that affect the outcome. These may include revenue, customer fit, representation, channel norms, timing, or sales usefulness.
Pro tip List variables before generating recommendations.
Watch out A convenient relationship or familiar option may represent only one relevant dimension.
- 3
Apply craft judgment
Use domain expertise to weigh trade-offs and choose an execution approach. Stay specific enough to account for the culture and nuances of the medium.
Pro tip Review real work and primary evidence rather than relying only on summaries.
Watch out Generic frameworks cannot replace knowledge of the craft.
- 4
Execute and inspect
Do or closely examine the work, watching for information that changes the plan. Adapt when primary data contradicts an initial interpretation.
Pro tip Ask to see the original email, campaign, customer response, or work product.
Watch out Secondhand interpretations can hide important signals.
- 5
Feed learning back into strategy
Use execution-level discoveries to improve future prioritization and decisions. Treat strategy and execution as a continuous information loop.
Pro tip Document channel-specific and customer-specific patterns for later decisions.
Watch out Do not let seniority create distance from the evidence needed for sound judgment.
In the wild
An employee is asked to suggest customers for case studies and initially lists people with whom they have good relationships. A more strategic approach starts from the goal of attracting desirable customers, then weighs revenue potential, use as sales collateral, target-customer fit, and representation across industries.
→ The final case-study portfolio supports customer acquisition rather than merely reflecting convenient relationships.
A direct report interprets an instructor's response as a lack of interest in another cohort. Wes reviews the original email and reaches the opposite conclusion: the instructor did not explicitly agree, but also did not say no, leaving a viable sales opportunity.
→ Access to primary data enables better judgment and creates a coaching opportunity.
Common mistakes
Equating strategy with seniority
Moving upward does not mean abandoning execution to think abstractly. Strategic value often comes from applying judgment inside the work.
Using only the obvious variable
A task may look defined while still containing several consequential choices. Considering only convenience produces shallow execution.
Drifting away from primary data
Leaders who rely on summaries miss nuances their experience might otherwise reveal. Distance also weakens the specificity of their feedback.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for marketers, startup operators, and leaders who must make strong decisions while remaining close to the work.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for narrowly procedural roles where judgment and adaptation are intentionally constrained.
From the transcript
“not everyone is responsible for crafting a highle strategy but I would say that everyone is responsible for strategic thinking”
“strategic thinking is all day every day really”
“I like the term um strategic doer because there's a strategic part but it's also like the doer is a noun the noun is important…”
From the episode
Everything I Learned From Seth Godin in 50 Minutes - Wes Kao
Wes Kao