How to Be Strategic

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Tools for Strategic Thinking 

Strategic thinking is really more of a mindset than a skill. The goal is to eventually develop this mindset so it comes as second nature, a constant part of how you operate all the time. In the meantime, here are some tools you can use to start developing this perspective. 

See the Bigger Picture 

Some employees simply want to keep their heads down and get their work done. That’s not a bad thing, except when you have your head down, you miss opportunities to understand the context or trends that drive your everyday work. It’s important to pay attention to recurring issues and consider: How will those issues affect the work you’re doing, and how can you overcome those obstacles? 

“I think if somebody is in a situation where they have their head down all day, that’s the issue,” says Daniels. “What is it we’re putting in front of taking time to understand that big picture?”

Understand Your Impact 

It’s not just sales people who deal with customers. There is always someone you are serving – whether those people are external or internal. And understanding how your actions make an impact on those around you is a key element of a strategic mindset. 

Daniels advises: 

Every day you should be doing that scan of, what have I done to augment the whole? Am I doing everything I can to create value? Am I doing everything so that my customers are creating the most value, so my outputs contribute to their inputs? Do I really take the time to understand my impact? To me, outward mindset, strategic thinking, and impact all go hand in hand. It’s taking responsibility for your impact which means you have to understand the bigger picture.

Ask the Tough Questions 

It’s natural to want to avoid conflict, but asking tough questions is a vital part of a strategic mindset. How is a decision I make now going to impact something down the line? How can we do something better or faster? Can someone else suggest a different approach? How can I incorporate different perspectives? 

This doesn’t have to be adversarial. On the contrary, embracing tough questions and addressing them with the right timing and tactfulness is a sign of a mature and strategic thinker. 

Make Time to Be Strategic 

Strategic thinking doesn’t always happen on its own. You might need to set aside specific time for it, particularly if you have a job that keeps you on back-to-back calls for much of the day. Now, setting aside time to…think…might not seem entirely productive. Most assuredly, it is. Thinking is active and necessary. Daniels recommends what she calls an integrity scan: 

From a tactical standpoint, if [you’ve] got to carve out time, I would carve out time assessing, asking those questions of, how am I creating value? Is everything I’m doing, does it make a real difference? Am I getting feedback from the right folks? If I don’t understand the big picture, what questions do I need to ask, what do I need to do to make sure I really understand how I connect?

The hope is that eventually, that type of introspection will become a constant, a part of how you operate all the time. 

Guard Your Time

One key trait of strategic people is an ability to prioritize ruthlessly. They evaluate tasks based on urgency and importance. They decline meetings for which they won’t be needed. They consider whether meetings are truly necessary or if work can be done asynchronously. They deeply value their own time and know how to guard it. In other words, strategic people know how to say no. You don’t want to be obstinate or unhelpful, but you do need to set boundaries.