How to ingrain a new habit
In part one of this two-part series, we advised on sparking new habits. Here, in part two, we offer a checklist to help ingrain them. ...
by Brenda Steinberg, Michael D. Watkins Published 6 November 2023 in Brain Circuits • 5 min read
Want to get ahead in the business world? Then start talking strategy. Careers thrive when good leadership skills are clearly on display. Here is a checklist to raise awareness regarding what you are – and are not yet –communicating.
If your honest answer is “no” to any of these queries, look to the advice that directly follows.
If not, remember to
Elevate your perspective to help shape the context in which details can then be explored.
If not, remember to
Be forward-looking: Make multi-year projections for your organization’s future.
If not, remember to
Show that you can anticipate effectively by bringing up some possible unintended consequences and broader effects of your options.
If not, remember to
Put your integrative and holistic thought process on display to connect disparate concepts.
If not, remember to
Show your understanding by speaking in simple yet powerful terms.
“Careers thrive when good leadership skills are clearly on display.”
If not, remember to
Use analogies and metaphors to make strategies more relatable and vivid for your audience.
If not, remember to
Ask questions that prompt discussions to help refine ideas and get others to adopt a strategic mindset.
If not, remember to
Show that you are well-informed by citing relevant research and trends.
If not, remember to
Build on what’s been said already, when relevant, to incorporate disparate views and activate the group’s collective intelligence.
If not, remember to
Seek suggestions that demonstrate your commitment to improvement and growth via continuous learning.
For more ideas and sample language to accompany each of the checklist items, check out 10 Ways to Prove You’re a Strategic Thinker by Brenda Steinberg and Michael D Watkins.
The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking: Leading Your Organization into the Future by Michael D Watkins is available for preorder before its January 2024 publication date.
IMD Coach
Brenda Steinberg is an executive coach and leadership consultant with more than 20 years’ experience working with senior leaders. She contributes regularly to executive education programs at IMD and works as a consultant with Genesis Advisers.
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD
Michael D Watkins is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD, and author of The First 90 Days, Master Your Next Move, Predictable Surprises, and 12 other books on leadership and negotiation. His book, The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking, explores how executives can learn to think strategically and lead their organizations into the future. A Thinkers 50-ranked management influencer and recognized expert in his field, his work features in HBR Guides and HBR’s 10 Must Reads on leadership, teams, strategic initiatives, and new managers. Over the past 20 years, he has used his First 90 Days® methodology to help leaders make successful transitions, both in his teaching at IMD, INSEAD, and Harvard Business School, where he gained his PhD in decision sciences, as well as through his private consultancy practice Genesis Advisers. At IMD, he directs the First 90 Days open program for leaders taking on challenging new roles and co-directs the Transition to Business Leadership (TBL) executive program for future enterprise leaders.
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