Have you ever worked with someone who never seemed to make the wrong decision? It doesn’t have to be work either I suppose. Maybe you spent time with someone on a large project like planning a fundraiser or updating the landscaping around their home. No matter what was thrown at them they seemed to get it right. How do they do that? In the moment, it feels like they must have secret knowledge. Maybe this person just magically knows everything. Could it be that they’ve been through this exact situation before and already know how to handle it? Maybe, but more likely they’ve learned how to think strategically.
Many people we admire in large, high stress situations do have talents and experience. However, the more likely impact is coming from their ability to think strategically. They aren’t looking at each individual issue or question, they are taking a higher-level perspective. It isn’t a magically unattainable talent that only a few have either. Strategic thinking is learned.
Learning to think strategically at work
That last sentence up there is a fairly new revelation for me. Thinking strategically isn’t a magically unattainable talent that only a few have, it can be taught. Now, I believe all skills are learned, so on principal, strategic thinking can be too. I just could not for the life of me figure out how to teach it. It seemed to be something that I inherently just knew. So, I had to dig back in my archives and remind myself how I learned to think strategically.
How did I learn it?
It’s true that no one actually taught me. (No, this isn’t a grab your own bootstraps moment.) I learned to think strategically based on necessity. When I was first hired into a job that I really wanted, I had no idea how to do it. The job was essentially solving problems for insurance representatives and attempting to make their lives easier. I had been in their shoes so I wanted to help, and I knew the impact it could have. I was helping a group that I hadn’t done that type of work before. Nor had I worked in their systems.
At the end of the day, I understood the overall mission, but wasn’t really qualified in skills. I would hear from my boss and the other leaders of the department that we needed ___ (insert some grand system, process, vendor, training, etc). Then, I’d Google the thing and meet with staff to explain what the thing we needed was meant to solve for. In conversations with the leaders and the staff I would pick up on key words they said often or that aligned between both.
How has it helped?
It is amazing the clarity you can gain by taking a strategic approach to your thinking. You are able to make quick decisions and prioritize because you know the critical aspects of what needs to be done and why. You also are more easily and knowledgeably able to challenge direction when a solution doesn’t fill a gap.
Let’s look at an example. I was once asked to create a process to move work from one team to another and then train on it. My first question, do we have a process already? Is it wrong or does no one know about it? Why is this coming up, what happened? After getting answers to all of that I found there was a process. Many people weren’t aware of it. Those that were felt it had too many steps. The issue came up because someone asked about how to move the work and, because the process wasn’t widely known, it took a long time for them to get a clear answer. OK, that makes more sense. While listening to the responses I picked up on the pain points. We want a streamlined process that is as low touch as possible to prevent mistakes. Then, communicate it clearly.
All of this information can help us think strategically about this specific need. However, it supports thinking strategically about other similar processes and expectations. What other processes can be streamlined? Can we house all of these processes in a better way, making them more accessible? Is there a way for us to communicate this out that would help it to stick better?
How can you learn strategic thinking?
Strategic thinking is about getting out of singular thoughts and solutions and getting to the bigger impact. Rather than just following directions when asked to do something ask some questions that will get you thinking strategically about that specific project. Then, as you get more experience, start to ask questions about how the ask impacts a bigger picture.
So, what are the questions that help you develop your strategy?
- What is at the core of what you’re trying to accomplish?
- What is the ideal end result and the most critical aspect to accomplish?
- Is there a gap or need? How big of a pain point is it?
- What is the actual goal and why is it important to meet it?
- What are the top 3 pillars that guide what we do?
This list is just a few of what can get you to a more strategical plan. You might need to understand more than this on some projects, problems, or pain points. Don’t be discouraged because you don’t have it all mastered right out of the gate either. Asking one good question can make a huge difference. Just think, in my example, if I’d only asked if we had an existing process and nothing else, it still would have made a huge impact.
So how are you going to learn to think strategically?
Like many things, just by starting. Start asking the questions. Start understanding the true root of the problem and applying to primary pillars to it. Then, start acting on it. Yes, you’ll get it wrong. It will take a little longer at first. It will annoy some people that you’re asking questions rather than doing the thing they asked. Like most things, taking that extra step to better understand and apply, will pay off for you, and everyone impacted in the end.
The best part is, you can apply this strategic thinking to anything from your day-to-day work, parenting, health, and your overall career. Interested in how to turn this thought into support of your overall career strategy? Check out this free resource that will help you gain clarity on your career and take the first steps in pushing that strategy forward.