Improving Strategic Thinking

You already know that strategic thinking is important.  Cave men and women couldn’t bring down that mammoth for the tribe or figure out how to use fire without that ability.  It has become an increasingly important skill as the pace of change has increased from millennia (for cave folk) to days (us).  Sharper strategic thinking allows you to see current, unmet needs and emerging trends.  It makes your decisions less reactive and more constructive.  Interested?  Read on.

As I was reading three recent articles about this topic, one thing was immediately clear:  Strategic thinkers have open minds and not only aren’t afraid to be wrong, but also actively seek to prove their ideas wrong.  In other words, they do everything they can to prevent groupthink. 

How do they do this?  According to our three authors linked above, strategic thinkers start by constantly scanning the environment for data and patterns that help them anticipate what may be emerging in their workplaces or in their industry or field.  They spend time figuring out what they really need to focus on, to get to the core questions of any given issue. They listen well and think critically about what they hear.  They understand confirmation bias, which is the mind’s tendency – and yes, everyone does this -- to only attend to information that confirms what is already believed.  They self-monitor to become aware of their own assumptions and seek information that contradicts them.  That may include reading authors with whom they disagree, but it certainly includes seeking a team whose members think differently from them.  Finally, they avoid “analysis paralysis” by understanding that, while information gathering is important, they never have enough and decisions do have to be made. 

The core issue here is that strategic leaders manage their own egos – which tell them that they are always right -- and they reward constructive disagreement within their teams.  (A leadership model profiled earlier on this blog calls this “Consciousness of Self” and “Controversy with Civility.”)

Strategic thinking is a skill and Shaun Rein suggests three ways you can improve it  on a daily basis:  (1) Constantly question your own opinions for biases or untested assumptions; (2) Surround yourself with people who have well-reasoned but different viewpoints than your own; (3) Take time to recharge and get out of your ruts.  See or experience new things in your private life on a regular basis and this will freshen your viewpoint when you return to your leadership role, wherever that occurs: work, home, volunteering, or at school.

Being enrolled in a graduate program and experiencing an election year are both great opportunities for you to do these things.  Any small opportunities you take to strengthen your strategic thinking add up into a stronger professional with better thinking abilities.  Now let's go get strategic!