Strategy and ideology are equally important but when one gets put ahead of the other you run into problems.
Put ideology ahead of strategy you end up doing stupid shit like not voting or joining cultish fraud left groups. If all you care about is validating your analysis instead of thinking tactically to gain the most materially for the most people then you are not helping the left.
Put strategy ahead of ideology you end up selling out important beliefs. If all one cares about is getting socialists elected and not about holding them accountable, about laying out a socialist program for society, and building alternatives to capitalism all at the same time, one is not helping the left.
Leftists should have a strong idealogical core. They should also use that ideology to think and act as tactically as possible.
I don’t think it’s that complicated.
James J Jackson 
Reminds me of Kant’s saying: Theory without praxis is empty, praxis without theory is blind. (Theorie ohne Praxis ist leer, Praxis ohne Theorie ist blind.)
James- do you have a hero?