Stop Saying “Be More Strategic”: Turning Vague Feedback Into A Career Superpower with Kelly Lewis and Tiffany Jones

TL;DR: If you have ever been told “you need to be more strategic” with zero useful guidance, this episode is for you. Kelly and Tiffany break down what strategy actually looks like in your day to day work, how to respond when you get that feedback, and how to rebuild your brand inside the company.

In this solo conversation, Kelly Lewis and Tiffany Jones unpack one of the most frustrating pieces of corporate feedback:

“You just need to be more strategic.”

Fresh off their conversation with Ravi Rajani about executive presence and storytelling, Kelly realizes she has more to say. In this episode, she and Tiffany pull the curtain back on what leaders are really looking for when they call someone “strategic” and why so many high performing middle managers still get labeled as tactical.

You will hear them dig into:

• The difference between having a strategy in your head and being seen as strategic

• Why RevOps and enablement leaders get stuck as “doers” even when they are driving critical change

• How to balance tactical execution with long term business outcomes

• The hidden skill of pre communication and why you must stop sounding reactive

They also share two simple frameworks you can start using today:

• Say, Do, Say: Say what you are going to do, do it, then say it again so the right people see the impact.

• SCOR: Situation, Challenges, Opportunity, Recommendation. A concise way to pitch your ideas with data, business impact, and a clear path forward.

If you have ever:

• Looked around corners and spotted problems early, then got labeled as “negative” or “escalating”

• Been told you are not strategic, without examples or support

• Wondered how to repair an internal brand that has quietly become “too tactical”

Kelly and Tiffany walk through the questions to ask, how to respond in your review, and how to use mentors, resources, and cross functional allies to change the narrative.

They also talk about:

• Personal brand inside your company and why people “remember projects, not tasks”

• Naming and productizing your work so your impact sticks

• What great managers should be doing when they give “be more strategic” feedback

• Why real feedback is a gift, even when it pushes someone to leave for a better aligned role

If you are in RevOps, enablement, CS, marketing, or sales leadership and you want to move from trusted executor to trusted strategist, this episode will give you language, tools, and next steps.