A strategy is useless if it isn’t clear and actionable. Sadly, that’s exactly what most strategies are, and why so many organizations struggle to implement them.

One easy test to see whether or not your strategy offers clarity is what I simply call the “not” test, and it goes like this:

Does your strategy tell you what you’re not doing?

You see, not all “plans” are strategic in nature. To be so, it must be directional, meaning the elements of it are all oriented toward movement in one direction. As such, it is inherently selective and intentional; it has considered the trade-offs and opportunity costs of not choosing X in order to pursue Y.

In other words, a strategies are designed to support a goal.

“Working to reduce world hunger” is not a strategy. It is a goal, and one that is so large and broad as to have no actionable insight. A thousand organizations can make this their mission, and they’ll find a thousand different ways to do it—a thousand different strategies.

Between the lines of a clearly articulated strategy is all the things you won’t do. If you are solving world hunger by delivering food and supplies to war-torn nations, then you are NOT investing in a local food bank. You are NOT planning operations in stable democracies.

But why? Why not do all you can in the name of your grand mission? This question is why I recommend companies narrow their mission statements. But here’s the answer: because the only way you’ll become the very best in the world at what you do is through focus.

It’s not uncommon for me to include “not” statements in brand strategy documents. “Our brand is fun, but not childish.” “Our brand stands for free speech, but we do not condone its abuse in the name of hate.”

Greater clarity and more effective focus. That’s the power of NOT.