Previously published on Leader’s Digest, July 28, 2021 and Golden Key Thought Leaders, 2021
Strategic thinking: these two words are viewed as something that is hard to define and even harder to execute. It is the reason most leaders stress the need to develop a strategic thinking mentality. Because while it holds this illusion of being unattainable unless you are incredibly disciplined, strategic thinking is something we all do regularly. Here is strategic thinking. De-mystified[JB1] .
Strategic Thinking Defined
Dictionary.com defines “strategic” as, “the identification of long-term and overall aims and interests and the means of achieving them.” And “thinking” is defined as, “the process of using one’s mind to consider or reason about something.” Simply put, strategic thinking is using your mind to identify goals and how to achieve them. If you can answer the following four questions, you are demonstrating strategic thinking.
Question #1: What Are We Trying to Achieve and Why?
The first part of strategic thinking is getting a clear and full picture of what you are trying to achieve. Define the what and the why. You need to know where you are going, and more importantly, why you are going there in the first place. Pro Tip: This is also referred to as the “business case for change” and can be used to influence stakeholders and gain buy-in.
· What is the ultimate goal?
· What problem are you trying to solve?
· Why does this need to happen?
· What will happen if we don’t do this?
Question #2: What Actions Do We Need Take?
After you identify the end goal, determine how you will get there. List out what needs to happen to get to the final destination, using as much detail as is needed. If you are a broad-based thinker, create high-level “buckets” of work. For example, benchmarking, communication, and training. If you are a more detailed thinker, expand upon each “bucket” and list out all of the steps and milestones that you can think of. Pro Tip: You don’t need to know everything upfront. This part of the process continually evolves over time. Give yourself the grace to learn as you go.
Question #3: How Will We Know We Achieved Our Goal?
The easiest way projects go off course is neglecting to define success, and not just how you define it. What is everyone expecting to see once the work has been completed? Meet with anyone and everyone who will be impacted by the initiative (end-users, stakeholders, leadership, clients, etc.) and ask them to define success and failure. Pro Tip: Understanding stakeholder expectations lets you immediately see where you may need to negotiate or re-set expectations before you get too far down the path.
Question #4: Is There Anything to Consider Along the Way?
Don’t fall into the same trap that’s seen all the time – failing to see the bigger picture. Your initiative is usually not the only one and there is a very likely possibility that resources overlap.
· Are other projects being considered or are already underway?
· Do any of these projects impact yours (timeline, resources, budget, priority, etc.)?
· Are there any dependencies to consider?
· Are there any risks to mitigate?