Jordan Ogren

April 15, 2021

Growth as a strategy will *never work.

“Our strategy is to grow our email list and double our podcast listeners.”

Newsflash: GROWTH IS NOT A STRATEGY.

It should be an outcome of a well-designed strategy. But not the strategy in itself.

Howard Schultz, in his 2011 book Onward wrote: 

“Growth, we now know all too well, is not a strategy. It is a tactic. And when undisciplined growth became a strategy, we lost our way.”

Growth is a tactic. Let that one sink in.

It’s far easier to jump to the result (growth) and say that is your marketing strategy rather than roll your sleeves up and figure out what will drive that growth.

That’s what a strategy is.

Let me make it simple:

If you are not growing, which would make growth a desired outcome (strategy), something is blocking you.

Call it a challenge or obstacle. But you are unable to grow or keep growing.

And if you do not go deep enough and figure out what that challenge is, you will never grow.

So how do you overcome those challenges? Create a strategy.

Good strategy diagnoses the challenges holding you back and outlines the guiding policies and coherent actions (tactics) to overcome those challenges.

When growth is your strategy (for marketing and business), you’re never going to achieve it.

Now, luck could play in your favor, and you could grow your newsletter. But it’s not because of your superb strategy.

When you have a solid strategy to overcome your challenges, you will drive growth regardless of luck.

Which are you betting on: Luck or a sound strategy?

🧠 // JO