A strategic thinker can be a real asset to the company. It’s not like one can become a strategic thinker overnight. Like any other skill, it consumes time. According to Harvard Business Review, the strategic thinker is one who makes connection between ideas, plans, and people that others fail to see. It is all about giving your mind a chance to see these connections.
The first clue to think strategically is the first word of the phrase “think”. And doing it with commitment. You need to take things slowly and commit some time only to your thinking.
The best way to schedule out time for this is through making a habit to think during a morning walk, while you are driving to work or just the time of the day where you are alone.
Take help from time management apps. Just make sure it happens regularly, the more often you’ll do the better you will get at this.
Are you a strategic thinker already?
How can you tell that you are not a strategic thinker already? We have compiled the combination of attitudes and situations that can help you figure out whether you are a strategic thinker or not.
- Look for opportunities that may arise for futures’ benefit.
- If you are curious about what is going on in other departments of the company or as a whole in the industry, you have some essence of a strategic thinker.
- Working hard today for the benefits of tomorrow?
- Giving more importance to projects which have the potential for greater impact and return.
- Are you always curious and learning new things? And enjoy sharing what you have learned?
- Creativity is a road to strategic thinking. An out of the box thinking.
But if you have any of the following habits, you need to work on thinking strategically.
- Tend to react, wait for guidance and rarely give new ideas.
- Introspection, not taking interest in anything outside their area of responsibility.
- Not thinking about long term goals.
- Doing all tasks at the same pace, without considering urgency or its impact.
- Feeling of hesitation while considering new strategies
- Sticking to current capabilities and not eager to learn new ways.
- Predictable approaches and prefer to follow the set path.
Improve thinking skills
The ability to think strategically is rapidly becoming the deciding factor of who will become the leader and who will stay a follower. Here we’ll discuss the ways through which you can take a more strategic approach to everything you do.
Manage time for progress and thinking
As we discussed before, you need to take some time out of your routine to think about the future. This is the path to progress. Go through your responsibilities and see which can wait. And ask your self what you can do today that will leverage the most benefit to your organization.
Don’t be bias
Everyone at some time become bais towards their own ideas. Just because these ideas as purposed by you doesn’t mean that they can be beneficial as well or maybe just because they have served you well in the past. Admitting to your flawed thinking doesn’t take away the ability to do the job. If you have developed this view now you are thinking strategically.
Be a good listener
Now that you have accepted that your ideas can be flawed. You need to expand your views. Gather your colleagues and employees and let them show their perspective and you will learn some new ways of thinking. And evaluate everything you hear.
Ask questions
Strategic thinking requires questioning, a lot of questioning. You need to ask everything you listen to. Some people will take this as being cynical. You are collecting thoughts and weighing facts not shooting down traditions and ideas.
Think about the consequences
Think about the end result. Take all ideas into consideration and go through them one by one. Think about the potential impact of each one on the company. You can also make a pros and cons list. This is the decision making step, and it will improve over time. And thinking strategically will become a habit.
Conclusion
The ability to overcome your own egocentrism to gain open-mindedness and look for a new perspective for the most credible solution that leads to creativity and innovation. When people in leadership positions are a strategic and critical thinker, meetings become more productive, and business goals are met faster. Encouraging every employee to participate and think for the betterment of the organization will pave the way for future success.
Finally, it’s worth remembering that the value in strategic thinking isn’t in generating ideas or in making better decisions. It’s about building a framework that future-proof your business, make you a better manager and leader and give you the chance of achieving long term success.
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