By Dr. Alfredo Anthony
There are several instances in which we hear that leaders need to think strategically. But, what does that statement mean? Goldman, Cahill, & Filho (2009) conveyed that the ability to think strategically is an element recognized as a key leader ability. The concept is usually applied to leaders but does not negate the fact that every employee should think strategically about their responsibility. The researches found that leading organizational projects, relationships with colleagues outside the organization, having mentors, and being a CEO contributed to an individual’s ability to think strategically. Although strategic thinking is a complex process, individuals can adopt several strategies to improve their strategic thinking capability, to include individual management plans, continuing education, scheduled strategic planning reviews, and proper screening to assess a candidate’s strategic thinking capability (Goldman et al., 2009).
As a former strategic intelligence planning officer, I was responsible for crafting both short-term and long-term strategies for future engagements with African and Eastern European nations, which required coordinating with the U.S. National Intelligence Agencies. This position offered me the greatest freedom to think about all potential courses of actions available, coordinate complex issues involving various partner nation priorities throughout our headquarters and subordinate commands, and finally present the recommended courses of action to the Director of Intelligence for his decision. The most rewarding part about this position was the broad span of responsibility which resulted in becoming a trusted subject matter expert in strategizing future intelligence engagements within the organization. My reputation, although gained in Germany, expanded to some of my colleagues in DC.
Strategic thinking can result in developing a competitive edge throughout one’s organization. It guides the trajectory of an organization in creating market disruptions in either products, processes, customer interactions, or business models. However, the most significant aspect of developing strategic thinking in organizations is to allow the business environment to become a laboratory in which all employees can experiment with every potential business outcomes.
Reference:
Goldman, E., Cahill, T., Filho, R. P., & Merlis, L. M. (2009). Experiences that develop the ability to think Strategically. Journal of Healthcare Management, 54(6), 403-16.