We live in a world often shaped by buzzwords, memes and clichés.

I have been increasingly aware of the dilemma — yes, often conflict — between “can-do” and strategic leadership. Both have a role to play in society and organizations.

During the 2008 financial crisis, Jeremy Grantham described two kinds of executives in his GMO Quarterly Letter. The first, what he called the “Great American Executives,” were chosen for decisiveness, focus, and the ability to act. Left-brain skills. Not for patience. “If they could even spell the word,” he wrote, “they would be fired.”