Stop using the word "Strategise"

Here’s a bit of a rant.

Could everyone please stop listing "strategy" as a skill unless they're genuinely a strategist? It undermines our work and the entire industry.

Strategy isn’t just a skill; it’s a career. You can’t be a strategist and juggle fifty other roles simultaneously. You can be a creative strategist or a creative planner, but that’s still within the strategic realm.

Just because you’ve written a few strategy slides doesn’t make you a strategist. Strategy isn’t something you can template.

I often see job applicants' CVs, and let’s take an example from a marketing manager with 2 years of experience. They typically state:

“I have a strong background from XXX and XXX, and 2 years of experience. I bring expertise in strategy, client servicing, social media, content creation, and managing creative campaigns.”

You’re an account executive learning to be an account manager. The only accurate claims there are client servicing and managing creative campaigns. You should add managing client relations, assisting in content creation, and deploying strategy. You’re not a strategist.