Tactical vs Strategic : Playing the game at two levels

In any game, some players push forward, and others hold the defense. They’re right there on the field, reading the situation and making tactical moves in real time. Somewhere off the field, the coach is looking at the bigger picture, thinking strategically, and planning for the rest of the game. The opposition is not playing against the coach; it is playing against the players on the field. Both are part of the same game, and both want to win, but they operate in very different ways.

In technology, it’s exactly the same. Strategic roles are about shaping the architecture, thinking about scalability, and planning for what the systems will need a year or two from now. But in the middle of that, customers want to explore new features, run into pipeline issues, or face performance bottlenecks.

Without tactically solving the issues, it’s impossible to gain the customers trust and confidence.

But focusing only on tactical fixes day in and day out, will only delay longterm strategic outcomes.

So which is better? Tactical or strategic?

The real challenge is figuring out how to do both. Being able to shift between solving what’s in front of you right now and thinking about what’s next is one of the marks of a strong leader.

It’s like the classic snake game, you need to grab the food in front of you to survive and also grow, but if you don’t plan your path, you’ll eventually run into a wall or yourself. It’s not something everyone is naturally good at, but it can be developed with practice and support from others.

When that happens, it’s not just winning the game, it’s winning a championship.