Strategic Thinking is a highly valued skill. Yes ... so exactly what is it, why is it important, and how do I get me some?

Loved this article in HBR which started off with this “If you’ve ever received feedback that you “need to be more strategic,” you know how frustrating it can feel. To add insult to injury, the feedback rarely comes with any concrete guidance on what to do about it.”
 
We will get to the ‘what to about it’ bit, but first need to focus on why this is an area for you to ‘bulk’ up your skills in.
 
Work and jobs are usually focused on small, measurable, short term achievements, and therefore reward and recognition are designed to kick in at the completion of tasks. There is often little financial reward for the ability to map the way forward, yet balancing both is crucial for success and seeing the end game and the factors that influence this, is a skill highly valued and rarely taught.
 
It’s also the skill set most needed if you’re facing unknown territory! Not just in a traditional work place way, but when you’re planning your future as a musician, parent, traveller etc. - the ability to see the end goal, weigh up the risk and reward, understand the factors that will contribute to reaching the end goal, figuring out the game plan to get there and weighing up tasks and making decisions on a daily basis …. Phew …. That’s a lot to handle, no wonder it’s a sought after skill set!
 
Here’s a great description of what strategic thinking is, from NST Insights:
 
“Strategic thinkers consistently ask why and when. They gather information. They solve problems objectively. They innovate. They plan ahead. They adjust. They recognize how their actions affect other departments, the company as a whole, customers, etc., not just now, but long term.”
 
How do you build strategic thinking ability?
 

• Be informed on the ‘macro’ stuff – read up on (interesting and relevant) economist reports, industry commentators and experts, thought leaders - know what’s happening in your industry and what’s relevant to your market. It doesn’t matter if you are in a market facing role or not, knowing your industry and what affects it gives you a broader perspective and increased ability to engage with all people across your sector (read: makes you more employable!)
• Talk with others in the arena with you – colleagues, managers, team leaders, inspiring people – glean their insights, what they are seeing, fearing, predicting – having a view on trends and even better, an informed opinion on them, adds a lot of value to any entity
• Look at situations from multiple angles and plan accordingly. Learn to foresee and mitigate risks. Well developed ‘black hat thinking’ (see section x) is a valuable skill (remembering to balance it with the shiny, happy, yellow hat view too!) – having foreseen potential challenges, and having your team mates informed about, or with access to, the options in place to manage these mean that if the worst happens, you can save valuable time and resources by kicking your plan into gear quickly.
• Think along different time scales and challenge yourself to do this regularly – how does this change over the short, medium and long term? Looking at situations from different time perspectives and considering what could change during that time line,  

 
The smart crew at HBR also raise a great point about making sure your communication style sees you come across as a strategic thinker – no point honing the skills and becoming really competent at thinking strategically, if that isn’t translated to getting your perspective across or how others perceive you. Here’s a some hot tips on how to ensure your comms reflect that awesome thinking:
 

• Add more structure to the way you communicate – both written and verbally. Get clear on your main points and then grouping them logically.
• Keep things as simple and clear as possible – less is more. There’s power in brevity and making a clear point – get there quickly too, no need to use filler language or spend 10 mins or 5 paragraphs with all the background information or context – lead with a simple intro so everyone ‘gets it’ and then make you
• Shared understanding and a clear objective is the key to getting the best out of group discussion and from meetings, on strategic issues (well, always really!). Be clear about the objective you want and don’t be afraid to send a ‘one page’ summary around before the meeting (you can do this on key topics you have insight on even when it’s not your meeting, but it is always good to check with the person calling the meeting before hitting ‘send’ so you’re on the same page)
• Keep the conversation on track – for some, jumping into the tactics and details is easier and a default, yet focusing there changes the tone and focus of the meeting and the conversation can get weighed down in detail, and decisions made here, without full understanding of the bigger picture – politely steer the conversation back to the big picture first, then come back to the detail if you have to.
• Ask questions! As you encounter people who are super star strategists, gurus on macro topics or thought leaders – learn from them through asking questions about how they built their skills, their recommendations on how to sharpen yours, and on the topics too – learning from smart people is always a great idea!

Share below any tips you have too as this is an area we can all keep developing and strengthening ...