tacticians
Masters of maneuver
Tacticians are people skilled in tactics—the art of arranging and maneuvering forces to achieve immediate objectives.
The term applies to military commanders planning battlefield movements, but extends to anyone adept at short-term strategic thinking: political tacticians, chess tacticians, business tacticians.
The campaign's tacticians decided to focus resources on swing states.
A tactician excels at the how of execution rather than the broader why of strategy.
Designers of careful plans
- commandersMilitary authority figures
- generalsBroad statements or commanders
- battlefieldCombat engagement area
- maneuversPlanned strategic movements
flanking · siege · cavalry · infantry · Sun Tzu · Clausewitz · Napoleon · fortification
Elite strategic board players
- grandmastersHighest-titled experts
- gambitsTactical opening sacrifices
- openingsAvailable positions or gaps
- endgameConcluding phase of competition
sacrifice · checkmate · shogi · board games · calculation · combinations · tempo · initiative
Those who arrange agreements
- deal-makersThose who negotiate agreements
- positioningArranging in specific locations
- leverageBorrowed capital for amplified returns
- competitive advantageFactor enabling market outperformance
market entry · pivot · acquisition · pricing strategy · stakeholders · boardroom · consultants · due diligence
Those who instruct athletes
- game plansPredetermined approaches to competition
- formationsArranged structures or patterns
- matchupsPaired competitive encounters
- adjustmentsChanges to improve fit
timeouts · substitutions · scouting · film study · set pieces · counter-attack · pressing · zone defense
Those who execute missions
- campaign managersThose running electoral efforts
- lobbyistsPaid political persuaders
- coalition buildingCreating partnerships among groups
- pollingSystematic opinion gathering
swing voters · messaging · opposition research · fundraising · endorsements · gerrymandering · ground game · debates
strategists
Designers of careful plans
- commandersMilitary authority figures
- generalsBroad statements or commanders
- battlefieldCombat engagement area
maneuvers · flanking · siege · cavalry · infantry · Sun Tzu · Clausewitz · Napoleon · fortification · ambush
chess masters
Elite strategic board players
- grandmastersHighest-titled experts
- gambitsTactical opening sacrifices
- openingsAvailable positions or gaps
endgame · sacrifice · checkmate · shogi · board games · calculation · combinations · tempo · initiative · zugzwang
negotiators
Those who arrange agreements
- deal-makersThose who negotiate agreements
- positioningArranging in specific locations
- leverageBorrowed capital for amplified returns
competitive advantage · market entry · pivot · acquisition · pricing strategy · stakeholders · boardroom · consultants · due diligence · portfolio
coaches
Those who instruct athletes
- game plansPredetermined approaches to competition
- formationsArranged structures or patterns
- matchupsPaired competitive encounters
adjustments · timeouts · substitutions · scouting · film study · set pieces · counter-attack · pressing · zone defense · blitz
operatives
Those who execute missions
- campaign managersThose running electoral efforts
- lobbyistsPaid political persuaders
- coalition buildingCreating partnerships among groups
polling · swing voters · messaging · opposition research · fundraising · endorsements · gerrymandering · ground game · debates · spin
- military historybattles, soldiers, campaigns, officers, battlefields
- military leadersGeorge Washington, Napoleon, generals, general, commander
- War Figuressoldiers, generals, commanders, combatants, military commanders
- leadersleader, boss, leaders, bosses, chiefs
tacticiansstrategists
Designers of careful plans
visionaries · architects · theorists · policymakers · futurists
tacticiansbrawlers
People who engage in fistfights
berserkers · brutes · bulldozers · blunt instruments · strongmen
tacticianshotheads
Impetuous, easily angered people
brawlers · berserkers · loose cannons · blunderers · gamblers
- military tacticianWar strategy specialist