David Leftowith, From Lefty\'s Corner,

¶ … David Leftowith, from "Lefty's Corner," on "The Problems of Strategic Planning," stresses the need to link the day-to-day plans of the organization in the real world with the lofty and far reaching long-term and philosophical goals of the organization under question. In other words, strategic managers do not have the luxury of choosing to focus on the trees but not the forest, like members of specific company departments, or on the forest but not the trees like management gurus or technological visionaries. Managers must do both. They must strategically use the short-term data they accrue at the service of long-term organizational goals.

Of course, a manager must always start by aiming high, with one's "greatest aspirations," for the company. Concrete and objective data is required, however, to measure the daily and quarterly goals as stack up, hopefully, in a positive fashion, and help one reach the manager's long-term goals for the organization's future. Such concrete data as sales figures must be from objective sources, and not be subject to other pressures, such as accounting law and needs -- the organization needs a clear outside picture of itself to function and set goals. Also, the data used by strategic manger he must be timely, so it can be utilized in a financially effective and efficient fashion. The data must also be credible, in other words, not from personally interested sources. Some employees may wish to personally skew their sales figures, for instance, to make themselves look better and secure a promotion, or even stress the number of calls made as opposed to sales made -- it is easy to make a call, but not to make a sale, after all!