Strategic Thinking. The Definition to Remember

“Intentional and rational thought process that focuses on the analysis of critical factors and variables that will influence…” Geez that’s an intimidating definition.

Here is what we all know intuitively about strategy:

1. It helps us decide what we will do and what we will not do.
2. It helps us see and create a future that will benefit us.
3. It aims to narrow possibilities to maximize success.
4. It aims to guide us and provide clarity and focus.
5. It prevents opportunistic misuse of resources.
6. It differentiates and separates us from others.
7. It provides shortest path to thrive.

If this is strategic, then…

Strategic thinking is simply the focused and disciplined use of limited resources with efforts focused on achieving a desirable and specific future.

Which is to say:

Strategic thinking is prioritizing what is valued and valuable to best use limited resources for achieving your most desired and specific future.

With this simple understanding of strategic thinking, we have some clarity of what we are looking at.  This is like a car on a dark road that now turns on their headlights, now things are very clear. 

We can now use this as a lens or filter to ask ourselves:

• Are we allocating resources on the most valuable things for the future we desire most?
• Our we wisely using our limited resources - time, money, people?
• Do we have clarity on our long-term vision – is it clear what future we desire most?
• Do we urgently remove the blockers, challenges, and issues that stand in front of the valued and valuable work?
• Do we have competing goals or departmental agendas that are not aimed out our common view of the future we want most?
• Do we have clarity on competition and the market and our customers to continually differentiate and accelerate toward the future we desire most?
• What trade-offs need to be made to focus our strategy and resources on these few valued and valuable priorities?
• How does our budget allocation and overall resources align with our strategic goals and targeted outcomes?
• Are we saying no to enough of the less critical options to excel at the most critical ones?
• Are we leading or just staying busy? 

Through all of this, I always simplify down to the repeated pattern of success; Vision, Intention, and Means. It boxes in “strategic thinking” into a simple framework. You have to have all three if you want to succeed.

All you need is a desire to remove ambiguity and chaos and replace it with clarity and committed action on what matters most.

The Path of a Leader is filled with strategic thinking.

It’s not complex, it is, however specific and disciplined.

#ThePathOfALeader
#GSD

I appreciate you,

Justin