Written by: Sam Chia, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
A top performer speaks to his wife to share his disappointment. He has missed the promotion opportunity as the vacant position that he has been groomed for was filled by a new hire.
He works long hours getting things done on time. He is always firefighting to resolve issues for his team. He is known as Mr. Fix all as he is good at solving problems and getting his hands dirty to keep the operation running.
His superior has feedback to him that while he has met most of the criteria for the potential position, the selection committee felt that he still lacks in strategic thinking that is important for this new senior role.
This high performer has been spending time doing without investing time to think strategically. He could have avoided some of those recurring issues or having some foresight to anticipate some of the problems if he has developed better strategic thinking.
Many leaders fall into the trap of short-term thinking focus on solving immediate problems and meeting short-term financial numbers. They fail to think deeper about the big “picture” or potential long-term implications resulted from their decisions or actions.
What Is Strategic Thinking?
The Harvard Business Review describes people with strategic thinking this way,
“Strategic people create connections between ideas, plans, and people that others fail to see.”
Strategic thinking is a long-term thought process to ensure a team or organization can sustainably influence and achieve success towards its longer-term goals and vision.
This means having the ability to anticipate the future while having the discipline to get ready now; having the ability to gets ahead with competition to win in the long run.
A strategic thinker invests time to gather relevant information, evaluate and filter the information and identify options to the problems or decisions. Strategic thinkers also collaborate and are open to feedback to improve their confidence and knowledge to achieve their goals.
Strategic thinkers set measurable long-term performance goals and continue to refine them based on the changing environments or competitive situations.
Strategic thinkers enjoy developing others to perform their best and achieve their full potential. They understand how to optimize resources and to leverage the strengths of their team, and drive sustainable positive changes.
Benefits Of Strategic Thinking To Accelerate Career Progression
Strategic thinking requires us to think, reflect, decide and influence others to act to achieve success for the business. With the fast-changing environment, people with strategic thinking capabilities can better manage through such an environment that is described as volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA).
Strategic thinkers can maneuver through the challenges, anticipate problems, thinking critically, logically, and be better prepared to create a positive impact in business.
Strategic thinking skills are one of the most highly sought-after leadership competencies in the future.
Dealing With Uncertainty And Complexity
With strategic thinking, you can take proactive actions to consider ways to develop and progress in your career. You can define your career goals with clarity and develop a path towards them. You take the initiatives to narrow the skills and knowledge gap that stops you from moving forward. You don’t wait around hoping that something will turn up or that someone else will come forward to offer you a new opportunity.
Growth Mindset And Continuous Improvement
Strategic thinkers are likely to be effective and efficient as strategic thinking constantly drives you to think of doing things faster and better. You anticipate trends and keep up with best practices. You develop your brand to differentiate from others to gain visibility and competitive advantage when opportunities arise.
Leverage Data To Develop Personal Branding
Strategic thinkers use data to help them plan for the longer term. You are resourceful and know where to find reliable resources to collect intelligence data to support your ideas. With insights from data, you develop better self-awareness to leverage your strengths and unique capabilities. You make time to think and reflect, visualize and plan for the future.
Choices And Decisions
In running a business, they are always choices and decisions to be made. Same with planning for our career, a strategic thinker will be able to develop options and choices based on their values, interest, and strengths. They will have the capability to objectively evaluate the various career options and select the best path forward.
Tips To Develop Strategic Thinking Skills:
Like any other leadership skill, strategic thinking skills can be developed. You need to embrace a curious and growth mindset to look at opportunities and challenges differently.
Strategic thinking includes the ability to challenge, anticipate, decide, learn, align and interpret the problems or opportunities.
Make Time To Think
While this looks like a simple idea, it is often very hard to do. Many of the leaders I had coached seems to have a challenge finding time to think. I have a client who shared with me feedback from her superior that she lacks strategic thinking though she is excellent in execution. This is hindering her promotion. She shared with me her daily routine and the daily challenges she had to deal with. She is so preoccupied with the daily operations of getting things done and hardly has time to think.
Having a space in your calendar for thinking is as important as spending time problem solving and decision making. You shall prioritize and block your calendar like any important task for thinking.
Asking Strategic Questions
When asking strategic questions relating to your career challenge and opportunity face in your current situation, it can help you to achieve clarity on your next course of action. The common questions include asking yourself whether you shall continue to stay in your current job or to embark on a new career opportunity. This will spin off more questions like
What is my career aspiration?
What are the pros and cons of staying?
Is the opportunity align with my career vision?
What is the skill gap to be successful in this new role?
Does the new opportunity align with my career values and interest?
Contrarian and Opposite Thinking
A contrarian thinker normally takes an opposite view to popular opinion. Contrarian and opposite thinking can help you challenge your beliefs and assumptions relating to the challenge and opportunity. It can help you to see things that others might not see, and it will lead to more favorable outcomes. This includes challenging questions like
What can go wrong with these career decisions?
Is there another consideration you may have overlooked?
Shall you consider an unconventional career?
Anticipates Trends
“The trend is your friend” is one of the best-known sayings by an investor in the stock market. When planning for our career, it is equally important to understand the industry and technology trends that are happening relating to the career aspirations you want to embark on in the future. The ability to anticipates trends allow you to better prepare and equip yourself with the necessary skills and knowledge to take advantage of the opportunities. It will also help you to avoid steering your career towards an industry that may be declining.
Seeking Feedback
Shifting from tactical to strategic thinking involves changes in some habits. Develops a habit of Inviting diverse opinions and thoughts from people around you can add a new perspective to your thinking. Whether you have a challenging situation or an opportunity, seeking views from people, especially those who may have experienced the same, can add a new dimension to the thinking process. They may have suggestions for doing things differently or their life experiences you may be able to leverage to shorten your learning curve.
Continuous Learnings
You require new knowledge and explore new ways of doing things in strategic thinking. Having a diverse knowledge of information relating to your career and the industry you intend to serve can add a new perspective to your thinking process when you make a decision or solve a problem. With technology, they are many ways you can access information. You can learn by readings articles online, taking short courses, review and reflect on your experiences.
Six Thinking Hats Method
The six thinking hats developed by Edward De Bono, a renowned doctor, and psychologist, help you focus on how to incorporate factual, emotional, critical, constructive, creative, and metacognitive information into your thinking process.
De Bono’s six hats consider and incorporate the following thinking process for thinking about your career:
The blue hat is for metacognition or the overall organization of the thinking process. What are the overall career goals you like to achieve? Do I have a career plan and career path in place?
The white hat is for gathering neutral information. Does the existing information sufficient for a new career decision? Any other critical information missing?
The red hat is for emotions. Will I enjoy the new role? Do I like the people and environment relating to the role?
The black hat is for criticism. Am I ready for the role? Do I have the capability to take on the new role?
The yellow hat is for positive feedback and developing solutions. What is the best outcome from this career decision? What do I need to do to make this role successful?
The green hat is for new, creative ideas. What additional value can I bring to this role? What new possibilities and ideas can I make a difference?
In any career you are planning to embark on, developing a strategic thinking capability can put you ahead or differentiate you from the crowd. Strategic thinking skills can empower you to spot new opportunities, prepare for emerging challenges, and be better ready to accelerate towards your future career.
Sam Chia, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sam Chia, is a business and executive coach with over 25 years of global experience as a regional corporate leader, business consultant, and coach. He applies insights using assessment technology, positive psychology, action learning, coaching, and blended learning to help people to expand their performance and organizational capabilities. He is the CEO of SC Coaching Asia, a premiere results-driven coaching practice that supports people to unleash their unique capability and maximizing their full potentials. His coaching clients include executives from Dell, Adobe, Salesforce, Linkedin, Zendesk, NetApp, Micron, Gap, Walmart, IMF, Citibank, Visa, S&P Global, Accenture, E&Y, ABB, HeroMotorCorp, Merck, J&J, MacDermid Enthone, Alcon, Varian. He is the co-editor and co-author of a groundbreaking publication on Asia executive coaching practices, Coaching in Asia: The First decade. He is a coach-writer for Betterup, the inventor and global leader in virtual professional coaching. He is also a leadership and mindset content writer for The Strategy Journey, a transformation best-seller in the digital age. His mission is to empower people to achieve a positive and meaningful career and life.
