January 4, 2019 – Osasu Oviawe

Is flexibility a Strategy or a Tactic?

Strategies and Tactics are aimed at achieving the goal.

To understand their differences, let us use the popular PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle.

A strategy is the PC (no to Political Correctness, but Plan and Check), while Tactics is the DA (yes to Double Action, Do and Act).

Strategy requires planning execution and checking alignment of execution to the goal.

Tactics requires doing (executing the plan) and acting on feedback from checks on alignment of execution to the goal.

Strategies and Tactics feed off eachother in the iterative PDCA loop. They are not important in themselves. They matter as much as they are able to continually improve on our ability to deliver the goal.

Flexibility breeds formlessness. It is desirable for short term speed of adaptation, but undesirable for long term compounding of strengths.

Flexibility is a tactic.

– Osasu Oviawe

1 John 3:7-10
Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous.
He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
No one born of God commits sin; for God’s nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God.
By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.

Homily:
We are what we do.
We make our choice between righteousness and devilishness by our actions.
If you seek righteousness, do what is right.

Right thinking is important, but sometimes our thoughts fail us.

Despite knowing what is right, the fire in our hearts, sometimes, sends smoke to our brains, clouding judgment. The nobler the passion, the lighter the cloud. Right actions help to clear the fog.

“It is easier to act yourself into a new way of thinking, than it is to think yourself into a new way of acting” – Millard Fuller.

For youths that might find this message unsettling, do not despair. The bible summarises it differently here –

Ecclesiastes 11:7-9
Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

However many years anyone may live, let them enjoy them all. But let them remember the days of darkness, for there will be many. Everything to come is meaningless.

You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.

Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

Do what is right.