Why Strategic THINKING
matters more than THE Strategy

​Dear Reader,​

​Will I meet you later today in Frankfurt?

"We can't move forward until leadership finishes the strategy."

I've heard this from countless product teams. Roadmap planning is on hold. OKRs feel arbitrary. Discovery lacks direction. Everything hinges on THE strategy document, which is perpetually "almost done."

Here's what nobody wants to hear: You're using the absence of a perfect strategy as permission to avoid strategic thinking.

That's Alibi Progress in disguise.

The Real Problem

Many teams, consciously or subconsciously, treat strategy like something that happens to them—a document that gets presented in an all-hands, then everyone can finally do their jobs strategically.

Except while you're waiting for perfect strategic clarity from above, your users are choosing alternatives, and your team is prioritizing whoever screams loudest.

The absence of THE strategy doesn't exempt you from thinking strategically. It makes strategic thinking more critical, not less.

What Strategic Thinking Actually Looks Like

Strategic thinking means turning from the strategic process to the actual core questions:

Instead of: "What features should we build?"
​Ask: "Which customer problems, if solved, would most directly contribute to our company's current priorities?"

Instead of: "Leadership hasn't told us who to focus on."
​Ask: "Based on what we know about business goals, which segments would we focus on if we had to choose today?"

Instead of: "Which of Helmer's 7 Powers is the right one to focus on?"

Ask: "How can we convince audiences to choose us over alternatives?"

Notice the pattern? Strategic thinking means making explicit choices within your context, even when that context is imperfect.

Stop Waiting, Start Deciding

If your company strategy is vague, you still have information: revenue targets, acquisition signals, problems your CEO keeps mentioning, and where resources actually go.

Write down what you believe these signals mean for your product. Make it an assumption: "Based on our Q3 priorities and sales focus on enterprise, I believe we should prioritize large accounts over SMBs for the next two quarters."

That's a strategic choice. It might be wrong. But it's actionable and provokes (in a healthy way) a conversation.

The Real Risk

THE strategy you're waiting for probably won't be as clear as you hope. Company strategy is often necessarily broad or incomplete.

The risk isn't making the wrong strategic choices while waiting. The risk is making no strategic choices at all—just reacting to whatever feels urgent.

Your Move

Strategic thinking is your job—whether you're an IC or a leader. Not because you set company strategy, but because you translate strategic context into decisive action.

This week: Identify one decision you've deferred waiting for "strategic clarity." Make the most informed choice you can. Write down your reasoning and share it with stakeholders and team members.

Thank you for Practicing Product,

​Tim​

Join my In-Person Workshops in Berlin

I'm excited to bring my beloved in-person workshops back to Berlin in January 2026. You can choose between 1-day workshops on Product Strategy, Product OKRs, or Product ​Discovery, or opt for the full 3-day experience for you or your team.

(reach out for custom team quotes)

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Who is Tim Herbig?

As a Product Management Coach, I guide Product Teams to measure the real progress of their evidence-informed decisions.

I focus on better practices to connect the dots of Product Strategy, Product OKRs, and Product Discovery.