Move beyond goal setting, build a strategy that inspires action.
- Lions Pride Leadership
- Nov 5
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 6
Move Beyond Goal Setting: Build a Strategy That Inspires Action
Through the 5 Levels of Strategy™
Every leader starts with vision, but not every vision becomes reality.
As we step toward 2026, many leaders will repeat the same cycle: new goals, same frustrations. Progress stalls not because leaders lack drive, but because their vision and execution aren’t aligned.
At Lions Pride Leadership, we’ve seen breakthroughs happen when leaders intentionally connect their purpose and vision to our S.C.A.L.E. Method™, anchored within the 5 Levels of Strategy™:
Share Common Vision
Challenge the Process
Always Speak to the Heart
Lead by Example
Empower Decision-Making and Action
Here’s how these principles can help you build your 2026 Annual Game Plan with precision and purpose — by aligning your leadership approach through all five levels of strategy.
Level 1: Tactical
Turning Intentions into Action (Day-to-Day to Week-to-Week)
This is where most organizations live, in motion, but not always in momentum. Tactical leadership focuses on execution, the habits and rhythms that build consistency. At this level, your leadership must
connect daily action to deeper meaning. Teams lose focus when they can’t see how their effort contributes to the larger mission. In fact, research shows only 37 percent of employees understand how their work connects to company strategy, a gap that breeds frustration and disengagement. As Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines once said:
“We’re not in the airline business serving people; we’re in the people business serving airlines.”
Tactical excellence happens when every team member understands the why behind their work.
Through the S.C.A.L.E. Method™, this level requires you to:
Share Common Vision daily, not annually.
Lead by Example in the small things.
Keep daily operations anchored to purpose.
Tactical alignment transforms activity into impact.
Level 2: Operational
Aligning Systems and Culture (Month-to-Month to Quarter-to-Quarter)
Operational strategy turns movement into momentum. It’s where systems, communication, and accountability unite to support the mission.
At this level, leaders must challenge the Process. Monthly and quarterly reviews are more than scorecards; they’re opportunities to refine and realign.
Ask yourself:
What systems are working and which need simplification?
Are we still building culture, or just managing chaos?
Steve Jobs mastered this level. His relentless pursuit of simplicity created clarity, not by adding more, but by removing what distracted from excellence.
Operational leadership is about rhythm and refinement. It transforms goals into systems and systems into results.
Level 3: Strategic
Connecting Meaning to Metrics (Rolling 24 Months)
The Strategic level is where leadership expands from managing activity to multiplying capacity. You’re now designing frameworks that align purpose with performance.
Quarterly and bi-annual strategy conversations should invite reflection:
Are our goals aligned with our values?
Are we developing leaders who can carry vision, not just complete tasks?
Here, you Always Speak to the Heart. Data matters, but meaning drives sustainable growth. When Howard Schultz led Starbucks, he didn’t focus on selling coffee — he focused on building community. That shift turned a product into a purpose. Strategic leaders empower others to think, decide, and lead — because empowered people sustain momentum far longer than managed ones.
Level 4: Foresight
Anticipating the Future (2 to 10 Years)
Foresight moves leadership from reacting to anticipating. It’s the discipline of preparing today for tomorrow’s opportunities.
This is where you intentionally step into futuring: reading cultural shifts, technological trends, and generational changes to design for what’s next.
Leaders at this level:
Imagine beyond the current market.
Build adaptive systems that thrive in uncertainty.
Ask: What future are we creating with today’s choices?
Foresight leaders Empower Decision-Making and Action by cultivating curiosity and courage within their teams. They don’t wait for certainty; they act on conviction. Planning 2–10 years ahead doesn’t mean predicting perfectly — it means positioning wisely.
Level 5: Legacy
Building for Generations (10 to 30 Years and Beyond)
The highest level of strategy is Legacy, where vision outlives the leader. It’s about building people, principles, and systems that carry forward your impact for generations. Legacy leadership shifts focus from success to significance. The key question becomes:
Who will carry this vision when I’m gone?
Satya Nadella’s transformation of Microsoft from a “know-it-all” to a “learn-it-all” culture is a masterclass in legacy building. He didn’t just improve products; he reshaped how people think, learn, and lead. At this level, leaders invest in succession, mentorship, and cultural DNA. Legacy strategy is about embedding values so deeply that they guide decisions long after the founder’s voice is silent.
Bringing It All Together
Final Thought
Goal-setting creates direction, but strategy creates alignment. When leaders intentionally operate through the 5 Levels of Strategy™, they move from managing activity to multiplying impact, from chasing results to building something that endures. Because great leaders don’t just build plans…
They build people, systems, and legacies.
Your Next Step: Design Your 2026 Annual Game Plan
Every leader ends the year one of two ways: intentionally growing or drifting by default.
Now is the time to plan with intention. Before the year begins, define your 2026 outcomes, connect your quarterly goals, and align your team’s focus with your organization’s long-term purpose and vision.
Don't forget to download your free Annual Game Plan tool from your newsletter to help you start strong!
Comments