Resolution 1: Strategic — The 10,000-Foot View

The View From Above

Strategic resolution sees patterns invisible from ground level. It operates at the highest altitude, where individual details blur but macro patterns become clear.

Time Horizon: 3–10+ Years (Long enough for trends to materialize, short enough to be actionable)

What Strategic Resolution Sees

• Market Forces: Supply, demand, pricing pressure, buyer power
• Competitive Dynamics: Who’s winning, who’s losing, why the gap exists
• Long-term Trends: Demographic, technological, regulatory shifts
• Paradigm Shifts: Fundamental changes in how industries operate
• Industry Evolution: Birth, growth, maturity, decline cycles

Questions Strategic Resolution Asks

• “Where is the market going?”
• “What game are we really playing?”
• “What’s the 10-year trajectory?”
• “What paradigm shifts are underway?”
• “Who will be the winners and losers?”
• “What would make our current strategy obsolete?”

Key Characteristics

• High abstraction, low detail
• Pattern recognition over precision
• Directional, not specific
• “Where to play” decisions
• Irreversible or costly to reverse

The Danger: The Strategist Trap

Vision without execution.

People who live at strategic resolution often:

• See patterns everywhere but can’t act on them
• Have accurate predictions that never become plans
• Become disconnected from operational reality
• Frustrate teams with “big picture” that never lands

The insight without the action is worthless. Strategy must translate to structure, then operations.

This is part of a comprehensive analysis. Read the full analysis on The Business Engineer.