Are You a Strategic Thinker ? If NOT, then is there a method by which you can become one. The answer is yes. Today, I am going to share FOUR Sutras for Strategic thinking that will get you moving towards that goal of becoming a strategic thinker.
The saying here is that only those who can see the invisible can accomplish the impossible. However, not everyone is born with that “inner eye” that can see the invisible. When we talk about the business world then there is no doubt that “Strategic Thinking” is the “secret” which has redefined businesses, changed the rules of a given industry, outsmarted competition and even created completely new prosperous businesses.
So, what is Strategic thinking ? In simple terms it means having the ability to step outside the frame to see the ‘big picture’ and designing a plan that is out of the normal.
As per Harvard Business Review, a Strategic Thinker can create connections between ideas, plans, and people that others fail to see. Result is that although everybody sees the same challenge but the outcome achieved by strategic thinking is quite different.
Here are the FOUR Sutras that will put you into the shoes of a strategic thinker and understand how strategic thinking is done.
• Sutra-1 : Just Be Alone. Run Away To The Mountains. Forget About Doing Strategic Thinking On The Run. You Need To Get Away From The Constant Chatter Of A Mobile Phone And WhatsApp.
• Sutra-2 : Take Out Your Antenna : You have to consciously Practice to remain aware. There is no other way you will be able to see the clues, often subtle, both internal and external to help guide future direction.
• Sutra-3: Brainstorm The Ideas: By utilizing the brain of others, the strategic thinkers bounce ideas off with someone at peer level to go beyond their own thought process.
• Sutra-4: Cut And Thrust : Rather than nurturing just one big idea, a strategic thinker makes a portfolio of ideas. He thrashes each idea and their inter-connections for creating a larger thought. Just like a military General who might try out a series of small battles to identify weak points in an enemy’s position.
It is Impossible To Find Time To Think Big-Picture When You Are Constantly Drowned In Daily Tasks And Your Day Is Packed With Meetings And Video Conferences. Many Managers Find Themselves In This Trap. They Are Still So Attached To The Day-To-Day Execution Of Tasks That They Have No Time Left To Do The Strategic Work Necessary For Future Planning And New Ideas.
The key takeaway from all this is that FIRST you have to free yourself from daily operations. A survey indicated that up to 96 percent of leaders say that not having enough time is their biggest roadblock to strategic thinking. That is a very poor excuse. The time is the only thing fully under your control. It is not the time but to what priority you allocate that time is the real roadblock.
Also, as this picture shows, you need to have a mindset and determination to become a strategic thinker. Try out the FOUR Sutras given in this Video. You may well become a Strategic Thinker. You will never know unless you try.
That’s all for now. Till we meet again.