Here you will learn what is strategic thinking and which are basic strategic thinking skills and examples.
As one of the best manager and leadership qualities, strategic thinking has a crucial role in every business and strategic planning process. The right strategy is one of the most effective tools, techniques and attributes for success in the personal and business life.
Table of Contents
What is strategic thinking? Strategic thinking skills list.
What is strategic thinking?
Strategic thinking is the ability to know what you want to achieve and how to achieve it. On a business level, strategy thinking means that you are able to come up with effective plans to resolve a situation or to achieve a company’s goal.
This kind of thinking requires a wide range of strategic thinking skills that every good leadership have to possess. But strategic thinking in not only a leadership quality, it is an important ability and tool for every one of us. It allows us to manage better our personal and business life and to achieve different types of success.
On a management and leadership level, strategy thinking is the main part of the strategic planning process which involves a wide range of activities such as goals settings, task delegation, developing plans, decision making, analyzing environment, and much more. An effective planning process requires really good strategic thinking abilities and qualities.
Basic strategic thinking skills list:
- Clear vision about what you want to achieve
If you would like to achieve something, you will first need something to aim for. Set your goals and define your vision clearly, because it is your direction that you have to follow.
- Understand and analyse your current position and resources
If you want to go somewhere, you have to know where you are now and what available resources you have. Collecting information about your current position and resources is a key tool that you need to go ahead.
- Prioritization
You have no time and resources for all your goals and tasks. Pick up the most important of them.
- Develop a strategic action plan
One of the most important strategic thinking skills is to develop the right action plan. The plan has to contain the clear answer to the question how to achieve your goals. Main attributes of a successful strategic plan are clear goals and tasks, a list of needed resources and timeline.
- Be flexible
Business situations and environment are changeable, sometimes dramatic changeable and you have to be ready to act effectively in different situations.
Good leaders and managers always are prepared for unexpected future. This is one of the best strategic thinking skills and examples.
- Learn
The ability to learn is one of the best leadership skills and qualities. Good strategic thinking requires the ability to observe and to learn. Search for the lessons in both successful and unsuccessful situations.