Thinking Strategically - Part 2

At higher levels in an organization, your personal brand must include “strategic thinker.” The last blog post introduced the concept, now let’s go a little deeper. Most people start their career dealing with the tactical in their job – solving an immediate problem, reacting to circumstances, and putting out fires when they arise. As you climb to higher positions, your view of issues must likewise reach a higher perspective, allowing you to see beyond tactical responses to the strategic issues at play.

If you’ve heard the phrase "Fire, Ready, Aim" you know what it’s like to work in a tactics-based environment. Compare it to the following: you’ve been feeling sick for several weeks. You go to the store and troll the aisles for the right medications to make you feel better – something to control your cough, dry up your nose, and relieve your headache. All tactical moves – you are only treating the symptoms of your sickness. You get temporary relief and can go on with your day. But your sickness persists. So you start to think strategically – Why are you sick? What are the causes? You eat junk, you’re overly stressed, and you don’t get any exercise. So you start modifying your behavior to take better care of yourself. Things improve, but not completely because your cough persists. More strategic thinking – could there be something about your environment that’s making you sick? You have your house checked and discover mold growing in the ductwork because of a small roof leak. Now, you can take action to fix the problem and you are healthy again. A tactical response to symptoms could never have made you well – strategic thinking did it.

So what about at work? Tactical responses can be relatively simple and quick. Have a problem? Fix it. Take a pill. Git’er done. Strategic thinking is more complex – it takes time, it takes examination, it takes tolerance of uncertainty. It means considering how variables link together in different scenarios and making risk assumptions. Not everyone is naturally good at this, but you can take some steps to get there. Here are some more ideas to add to the previous blog:

Don’t be put off by the lingo. OK, I’ll be the first to tell you that an excessive use of business buzz words comes across as arrogant and obnoxious. However, it doesn’t hurt to have an awareness of strategy lingo and toss it into your speech when appropriate. Words like co-evolution, value migration, and synergy manager might have perfectly simple English translations, but if their usage is in vogue, we’d better learn the lexicon lest we not sound “strategic.”

Test your strategy muscle. An effective way to develop strategic competence is to participate in or volunteer for a special strategic project within your own area that’s just outside of your current role and responsibility. Look for opportunities that require a fresh approach and involve people from various functions and disciplines.

Vounteer. Civic groups, non-profits, community boards and advisory panels always need professionals to help with long-range planning, mission or vision creation. This is a great opportunity to test your leadership without the risks of an on-the-job assignment.

Remember what Thomas Edison said, “There’s a way to do it better – find it“ In business, strategic thinking will help you find it!