In coaching conversations, we often hear the same line:
“I know I’m supposed to be more strategic, but I don’t know where to start.”
Here’s the secret most people miss: strategy isn’t born from doing more—it’s born from discernment.
Discernment is the ability to pause long enough to ask, “What’s actually worth my time, energy, and focus?”
Without it, even the best plan becomes noise.
Step 1: Create a Moment of Stillness
Before any planning session or big decision, stop.
No screen, no pen, no input—just space to notice what’s pulling at you.
Discernment requires quiet. The mind that’s flooded with urgency can’t see clearly enough to lead.
Step 2: Ask Better Questions
Once you’ve slowed down, move from reactive questions to reflective ones:
What is this really about?
What outcome matters most?
What would this look like if it were simple?
When we work with high-performing clients, this step alone often surfaces the real strategy hiding beneath the busyness.
Step 3: Use the “Yes-But-Why” Test
Take any potential focus or project and test it through this quick filter:
“Yes, this is worth doing—but why now?”
If the “why” feels thin, it’s not strategy—it’s distraction.
Strong discernment means saying no, not out of fear, but out of focus.
Step 4: Align Resources Before Momentum
Strategy is execution with intention.
Before charging ahead, list what you’ll need—time, people, tools, clarity—and make sure they’re in place.
We tell clients: momentum without readiness just creates motion.
From the Coaches
Discernment is one of our favorite words.
It’s how you protect what matters most while still growing what’s next.
Every major shift we’ve made in our own work has started with the same question: “Is this movement or progress?”
If you can answer that honestly, strategy begins to form on its own.
Call to Action
Before you make your next big move, pause for 10 quiet minutes.
Ask: What deserves my yes this season—and what doesn’t?
That’s where real strategy lives.