"Strategy is a pattern in a stream of decisions."
Henry Mintzberg
According to the Oxford dictionary strategic means "relating to the identification of long-term or overall aims and interests and the means of achieving them." You may be asking yourself right now, why I should care about the long term goals of my organization when I only manage a small department in my organization or I am a front line employee who does not manage anyone. Isn't strategic thinking the job of the upper managers? Isn't this why they make the big bucks?
Yes, ultimately, strategic thinking must reside with the senior leadership team of any organization but it is this type of thinking that will help you better lead your department and/or get promoted. It doesn't mean that you drop the tactical or short term decision making needed in your work but rather you do both. Someone once said you need to dress for the job you want, not the job you have. I also believe that if you want to advance,you need to take on the thinking of the job you want, and not just the job you have.
Stategic thinking requires that you begin to think and ask questions at a higher level. Let me give you a few examples:
"I need more staff in my department." Tactical
"I need more staff in my department and I wonder how that will impact the rest of the organization's needs for funding?" Strategic
"We have goals set for our department for next year." Tactical
"We want to make certain our departmental goals will help achieve the overall companies' goals" Strategic
"Our inventory is high and we better find a way to move it more quickly." Tactical
"Research and customer feedback tells us that we need a distribution center in the southern United States." Strategic
So, what do I need to do to take on a more strategic thinking style?
- Know your organization/school/counties' overall vision, mission and core values. In other words where are you headed as an organization?
- Find ways in your conversation and departmental planning to let others know you see the big picture and show your commitment to help get there...
- Read and learn about changes taking place in your industry. Read newsletters and periodicals and attend webinars on trends that are happening and discuss with co-workers how this may impact your organization
- Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your entire organization and share how you can play off those strengths or manage those weaknesses for better results
- Talk in terms of end results or what your area wants to become versus worrying about how the work will get done
- Invite front line staff or those talking with customers into discussions about what is happening with the customer and how it may impact your department and overall organization
- Build strategic thinking into each job description in your area and role model this thinking for those that report to you
- Play chess and checkers to see how each uses a different skill set. Chess causes you to look strategically or long term at all the different moves on the board to win while checkers focuses on short movements or jumps to win.
Strategic thinking also works great in job interviews. Instead of asking for just the duties of your job, ask about the overall goals of the organization and how your role will impact those goals. Research the core values of the company before you interview and find ways to illustrate how you live those core values. Research and design questions about trends in the industry and how this company is prepared to meet these trends or how you can help the organization meet these trends.
Question for You:
Do you find yourself thinking mostly in an operational or tactical way at work? Are you too focused on the daily details of your job without looking up at the bigger picture? Do you find yourself stuck in your current position not knowing how to advance?
Action for You:
While getting a promotion at work may require you go back to school for more skill building, it may also be a question of how you think. The ability to think both tactically and strategically is within your reach. Instead of just thinking about your department, begin understanding the vision of your entire organization and how your specific area can help move the organization forward. Be a sponge that seeks out and absorbs what is going on in the environment around you and share this knowledge with others. Focus on the future and the bigger picture and you may soon see yourself at a higher level position.
"The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do."
Michael E. Porter
