Summary:
- Every result follows a simple structure: Goal → Strategy → Tactics.
- The goal is what you want. Strategy is how you plan to get there. Tactics are the daily actions.
- Problems happen when these three are not aligned.
- You can execute tactics perfectly and still fail if the strategy is wrong.
- Some strategies create small, indirect gains, but they are still inefficient if misaligned.
- In dentistry, goals are usually clear, like patient volume, case mix, or insurance mix.
- Tactics are everywhere, ads, tools, scripts, and software.
- The real question is not which tactic is best, but which strategy supports your goal.
- If results are not improving, stop chasing better tactics. Fix the strategy first.
Anytime we go out to try to accomplish something, we are following a three-tier framework. This is a diagram I have in my workbook, and it illustrates that at the top are goals. Goals are the ultimate outcomes we are trying to achieve. Whenever you do an activity, you have a goal in mind, and you take actions in hopes of reaching that goal.
Strategy sits below the goal. Strategy is the how. It is how we plan to achieve whatever that goal is. Tactics sit below strategy. Tactics are the day-to-day, action-based execution that pushes the strategy forward and helps realize the goal.
The big problem happens when these three layers are out of alignment.
Let me give you an example. Let’s say my goal is to get into Harvard Dental School. That is an ambitious goal and takes a lot of work. Now let’s say my strategy is to get into Harvard Dental School by building the world’s largest house of cards. Let’s also say my tactics are excellent. I find the best cards, the perfect foundation, and the ideal angles. I execute flawlessly and end up in the Guinness Book of World Records for the tallest house of cards. Even with perfect execution, I still will not get into Harvard Dental School because my strategy was lousy. It was not aligned with the goal.
Here is another example. Let’s say my goal is to run a marathon faster. My strategy is to accomplish that by swimming daily to improve my cardio. My tactics are solid, and I swim every day. When I run the marathon, I do improve my time. The strategy was not directly aligned, but it still produced some residual results because it indirectly supported the goal.
This is typically what happens when it comes to getting more new patients. The goal is usually very clear. You know how many new patients you want per month, what types of treatments you want to provide, what types of patients you want, and what insurance mix you are aiming for. Tactics are also very clear. There is endless content on tactics. These are the best ads, the best landing pages, the best scripts, and the best tools.
The real question is which tactics you should be using. Should you be building a house of cards, or should you be running faster? That question is answered by strategy. Strategy determines which tactics are worth doing.
If you have a clear goal and you understand many of the tactics, but your results are not supporting your goal, stop looking for better tactics. The tactics are not the problem. The strategy is.