Marcia's Leadership Q and A's: Are you a strategic thinker?

Q. What is strategic thinking and why do we need it?

A. Strategic thinking is thinking about your direction; it’s future thinking about what’s possible. Where are the opportunities? Leaders who are strategic thinkers scan the environment continually. They see barriers to achieving their goals, but they then look at options and discover new and different ways to pivot and pursue the future.  One important point that many leaders struggle with is that they take on too many initiatives and strategies. The business needs a focus. Leaders create the priorities (3-4) and help the people focus. Create the place where they can discuss how to achieve the goals together. What resources in training, materials, or technology do they need to succeed?  If the focus doesn’t happen, leaders, their teams, and the company is spread too thin, builds in complexity, and accomplishes little. Are you getting the results you want? Check your strategic focus.

Strategic thinking is essential because a purpose and strategies help people unite and achieve their goals (fewer are better.) Strategic thinking leads to strategic planning. Without those, people and organizations flounder.  Waste and complexity build up; the business is not streamlined, efficient, or as productive as needed.  Leadership and strategic thinking go together. They are essential and lead to the next step: operational planning to define how to move forward and achieve the goals together.