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Checklist: Are you demonstrating strategic thinking to your advantage?
Strategic thinking is key to career advancement – but communicating it to others is just as important. Ask yourself these 10 questions to find more ways to demonstrate your strategic abilities to others.
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.
In meetings of strategic importance, do you:
1. … articulate the bigger-picture narrative?
If not, remember to
Elevate your perspective to help shape the context in which details can then be explored.
2. … demonstrate your capacity for long-term thinking?
If not, remember to
Be forward-looking: Make multi-year projections for your organization’s future.
3. … communicate the potential impacts of decisions on the table?
If not, remember to
Show that you can anticipate effectively by bringing up some possible unintended consequences and broader effects of your options.
4. … delve below the surface to explain important interconnections?
If not, remember to
Put your integrative and holistic thought process on display to connect disparate concepts.
5. … break down complex situations to their essence in your explanations?
If not, remember to
Show your understanding by speaking in simple yet powerful terms.
“Careers thrive when good leadership skills are clearly on display.”
6. … translate jargon and make comparisons to paint a clear picture?
If not, remember to
Use analogies and metaphors to make strategies more relatable and vivid for your audience.
7. … encourage dialogue and collaborations?
If not, remember to
Ask questions that prompt discussions to help refine ideas and get others to adopt a strategic mindset.
8. … ground your insights by bringing up the current realities faced?
If not, remember to
Show that you are well-informed by citing relevant research and trends.
9. … demonstrate your ability to listen actively?
If not, remember to
Build on what’s been said already, when relevant, to incorporate disparate views and activate the group’s collective intelligence.
10. … ask for feedback?
If not, remember to
Seek suggestions that demonstrate your commitment to improvement and growth via continuous learning.
Further reading:
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.
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