“One of the biggest problems with strategy is that business doesn't have one.” It is common to read this phrase in articles that aim to identify why a business strategy does not work.

And yet, every business has a strategy because strategy is about choices—and the team makes choices every day. The point is that the choices they make do not advance the business.

Effective teams make deliberate choices so that every action the business takes moves toward delivering the value the business exists to deliver.

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Seven Common But Ineffective Business Strategies

Whether you are aware of it or not, you make choices based on SOMETHING. That something and your choices serve as your strategy. Here are seven common but ineffective strategies you may have unwittingly adopted:

1. You are reactive

Whether it's a new idea, a wildfire or a ping to your inbox, you choose to act on what strikes you in that moment. I made the mistake of saying that this type of team is not strategic when I meant to say that they are not intentional. You'll likely be pedaling at full steam, but you're not going anywhere.

2. You do what you want to do

You build what you want to build. The quintessential example is a robotics company that wanted to build X even though all the data they got from their customers told them they needed Y. The company kept building X because that's what they wanted to build. Now, they no longer exist. If you're the only one reaping value, you have a hobbynot business.

3. You do what you've always done

You know the approach works. You're cool doing it. And you of course i don't want the stress of changing it. So you keep going. Sadly, many businesses no longer exist because they failed to evolve. you must be adapted what you do and how you do it because the world changes all the time.

4. You follow the cool new thing

Each day brings new priorities that start with emails like, “See how cold this is. We have to do it.” Sometimes, you start a new thing because you love to create. Sometimes, you do it because the new thing is just more exciting than doing the hard work you have to do. Like a reactive strategy , your team is having a hard time gaining any traction or calming their spinning heads.

5. You spend as little money as possible

You examine each investment in search of the cheapest option, including what can be done for free. Slowly, sometimes on ice, no one wants to work on your team, and your business loses all the resources it needs to do, well, anything.

6. You go after the money

You see a way to get a lot of money in the near term, so you immediately make efforts in that direction. Don't worry about what you did before. Never mind that you (somewhat) want team members to keep doing those things too. If you can deposit a check in the bank today, you will worry about tomorrow later. Unfortunately, you may not have business tomorrow.

7. You follow more

When someone asks for your strategy, you answer, “To be the biggest company in the world!” You follow more markets, more users and more followers. When asked why, you say, “Because we have to be the greatest!” Your team has a hard time making choices and a high probability of running one non-profit business.

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How to make better choices

It's not that companies that make choices in any of these seven ways don't have a strategy; they don't have a special one good strategy. They may even operate using several of these strategies at once, which only compounds the negative effects.

New businesses open every day. We can create products and services faster than ever before. And soon, production will come with pennies on the dollar. The only way to thrive is to focus on delivery meaningful value.

Define the value you provide by engaging the people you serve. Then make choices so that everything you do as a business is geared toward delivering that value. To succeed, you'll need to evaluate how your choices are working—ie, how effectively they deliver value—and adjust accordingly.

Routinely collect data from the people you serve, your team, and the external environment so that you are positioned to evolve your business as value changes, your team grows and the world changes.

You and your team make choices every day. You choose to hold this meeting, approve this software, or launch this product. You must make intentional choices that advance your ability to effectively deliver value. The choices you make—and what you base them on—determine your strategy. And like most things, some strategies work better than others.

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