Have you ever thought about thinking? Sounds like kind of a trick question, but I am not intending it to be. I often find myself thinking about how people think. In my profession, you have to be a bit of a psychologist …always looking for the reason behind why people do what they do. As a result, I frequently have to figure out the rationale for people’s actions. One of the ways I can be most beneficial to my clients is to help them understand the logic of their own and other people’s actions. People always do what they do because of what happens to them when they do it. It may not seem logical from your perspective, but from their point of view what they do always makes sense to them.
For those of you in leadership positions, learning how to think strategically as well as tactically is critical. Tactical thinking is all about how to get near-term and more immediate tasks completed. It is the tactics of the day to-day operation. At the same time because of your leadership role you have to continually be thinking strategically. What’s the bigger picture, what should today’s actions and decisions be in order to be positioned for the future, etc.
There is a pattern of strategic thinking which some of you use without even thinking consciously about it. For others, learning to think strategically would be very beneficial. If you find yourself in situations where you know how to proceed in the near-term, but have a tendency to not check your actions as compared to your future needs and goals, this pattern will be useful to you. Thinking strategically means you…
- Decide where you have to go, where you have to be at X point in the future, what your goal is
- Identify issues that will be both beneficial and potentially harmful in achieving that goal
- Determine the options available to you to build upon the benefits identified and avoid the obstacles
- Create a strategy/plan from these options that optimizes the benefits and minimizes the risks
- Implement the strategy…here is where the tactical actions come back into play.
I find that while people in leadership positions tend to naturally think strategically if this isn’t your natural pattern you can learn to do so by following the steps above. Where the challenge comes in for most every leader is in the last step…execution of the strategy. The overwhelming tendency is to get so caught up in tactical day-to-day activities that the strategic, bigger picture focus often becomes fuzzy. Intellectually it is understood, but on a practical level it gets lost in the crush of activity.
Taking this quick SQ quiz (Strategic Quotient) will help you analyze your own thinking and pinpoint where you might need to improve this aspect of your leadership ability. Answer yes or no to each of these questions:
- Do you have a well-articulated, clearly stated strategy?
- Could you write a one or two sentence statement of that strategy?
- Could each of your subordinates write a one or two sentence statement of that strategy without consulting each other?
- Do you use this strategy as a guide in making important business decision?
- Have you as a management team tried to obtain consensus about the future of your firm?
- Did you get consensus or are there still different visions of what your organization is trying to become?
- Are you and are your subordinates recognized and rewarded for making wise long-term decisions?
- Are the measure of success for performance and company performance aligned with your strategic objectives?
If all your answers are positive, then you are in good shape. The greater the number of negative answers and the wider the discrepancies between your responses and those of your subordinates, the more you need to work on strategically thinking personally and in leading your organization as a strategic thinker.
One valuable service I provide my clients is helping them think through and plan for the bigger picture needs of their organization, listening to them as they sort out their options and alternatives, and then helping them put a practical, objectively measured execution plan in place that they can actually achieve. We all can easily stay in the activity trap, but leadership is about keeping the needs of today in perspective with the goals of tomorrow.
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Behaviors are observable, but motivators are not. If you would like to better understand the motivations behind your own actions and those of your employees, give me a call. Better information and better understand yields better results!
Joyce Friel
Peak Performance Consulting
480-236-4266