How

 To  Master  Strategic  Thinking  

 
Carey-Ann Oestreicher
CEO at Potential Unlimited, using her strategically holistic style of coaching to build successful, balanced
people.

One of the top skills that the leaders we work with want to develop is their ability to think
strategically. The world we live in has become so fast-paced that there is a lot of pressure
on leaders to think more holistically about how they can streamline processes and
leverage opportunities in order to be the very best in their sector.
An executive coach's role is to be a sounding board for his or her clients. To ask the
powerful questions that lead the client to the best solutions. Through the one-on-one
coaching process, I have learned that a lot of really smart people doubt their ability to be
strategic thinkers. Some clients have even asked me, "What does the word 'strategy'
really mean anyway?"

Where I find people struggle with strategy is mostly on two fronts. First, the term
"strategic thinking" has become a business buzz phrase, so it can mean different things to
different people. The concept of strategy is vague. The second challenge around being
strategic is that once you really understand what it means, it can be difficult to understand
how to apply it practically to what you do in your job.

So let’s start with defining it.

First, talk to your boss about the concept of strategy and ask her what she thinks the term
means and how it applies directly to the work you do. If you have an idea of strategy and
your boss has a totally different concept, you are never going to meet her expectations
and will become frustrated. This doesn’t mean you need to morph into your boss, but it is
about taking your beliefs about strategy and incorporating the boss’s ideas to provide a
win-win situation for both people.

Now, let’s talk about bringing a greater level of strategic thinking into the work you do as
a leader.

1. Understand alignment.

I often hear people define strategy as the ability to have vision and long-term thinking
versus short-term thinking. To me, strategy isn’t about long term versus short term. You
need to be strategic in how you think in the short term too, or else you won’t make it to
the long term. It is more about thinking outside your silo to know how the decisions that
leaders make impact everyone as well as your bottom line.

And yes, I do believe that vision is important. Your ability to think into the future and
make projections needs to include an understanding of the nuances of your environment
and the economy to make the best possible decisions in cooperation with what your
customers want.

2. Shed your departmental skin.

When you walk into a meeting, you may be called upon for your expertise of your
department or region. That is great, but remember that this is not a "you-versus-them"
scenario. You really should see yourself as a leader making decisions for the organization
as a whole, not just doing what you think is in the best interest of your department.

3. Make friends with others.

Reach out to people from as many different departments as possible. Befriend other
leaders, managers, front-line staff and customers. Really listen to them and understand
their roles, concerns and ideas. This will help build your knowledge of all parts of the
organization. Then you can take the information you have learned from across the
company and see how different areas could be utilized more fully as partners to help your
area as well as other areas to be more effective in their projects.

And by building these relationships, you not only understand all elements of your
business better, but you have taken the time to know who is working on each area and
can pick up the phone to brainstorm with key individuals.

4. Think of strategic thinking as putting a puzzle together.

When you understand more about all areas of the organization and know who all of the
key players are, then each project you work on becomes like a puzzle. When you put in
one piece, it will change and shape the whole puzzle. Each piece, every decision you
make, will impact the other pieces either directly or indirectly. When you can think of all
areas and the impact your decisions will make on the entire company, then you see the
big picture more clearly. That is strategy.

Applying strategic thinking comes down to building human connections and really
listening to others. When we take the time to listen to our customers, peers, direct reports
and leaders, they feel seen. This validates the relationships you build. Then strategic
thinking becomes about helping set each other up for success. And that really is the
essence of what drives true purpose for many of us in the work we do as leaders.