Where does the word "strategy" come from, and what does it mean today?

It comes from the Greek "strategos" — the "art of leading armies" — and today means a planned, long-term approach to reaching a defined goal.

The military root is telling: strategy has always been about gaining an advantageous position over an opponent or competitor (or at least trying to). Modern usage keeps that core but applies it broadly — business, sport, politics.

Two defining features:

• Long-term orientation — a path you commit to over an extended period.
• Shrinking horizons — in the digital age that "long term" has compressed to roughly 5 years or even less, because markets and technology change so fast.

Tip: The shrinking time horizon is itself a key point: a "long-term" cyber/IT strategy today may only look 3–5 years ahead, because the threat and tech landscape outdates anything longer.

Go deeper:

• Strategos (Wikipedia) — the Greek "army-leader" root the word descends from.