What do you do if your team lacks effective strategic thinkers in the workplace?

Strategic thinking is a skill that can be nurtured. A leader plays an important role in building this skill set in their team. It's most important to ensure that you as a leader give an overview to your team members about how their work and projects is contributing to the larger goals of the organizationization. Lead by example is another important way...tell them how you as a leader have leveraged strategic thinking at work and bring the concept alive Strategic thinking workshops are a great way too to build this competency.

Consider what I call an “investment hire.” An investment hire is someone you hire to your team with the experience, skill, and relational maturity to help lift the rest of the team in strategy and acumen. Yes, they cost more, but that’s why they are called investment hires. They up-level your team in every way while not needing a lot of your time hand-holding or training. They are an expert in their field, so they save you time, improve your team's knowledge and performance, and set the standard for the team moving forward.

The GC Index? (a.k.a. The Game-Changing Index) is the best tool to understand the natural inclination and energy for impact when it comes to strategic thinking. And so far it’s the only organimetric used for leaders and companies to make decisions on people’s roles and contributions. A team member can become strategic through experience and skill development, but if their natural inclination and energy is not as a Strategist, they will become drained by these tasks. A strategic department will need to have all the proclivities represented so that they can generate original ideas, make sense of them, implement with urgency and consistency, polish them for excellent standards and have all work together for the common company goal.

When your team lacks strategic thinkers, prioritize hiring individuals with proven strategic acumen. Look for candidates with a track record of innovative problem-solving and long-term planning in their previous roles. Assess their ability to think critically and creatively during the interview process, using scenario-based questions. Additionally, consider investing in training and development programs to cultivate strategic thinking within your existing team. Encourage a culture where questioning, innovation, and proactive planning are valued and rewarded. Balancing new hires with strategic expertise and upskilling your current team can significantly enhance your organization’s strategic capabilities.

Craft Compelling Job Descriptions: Write job descriptions that not only list qualifications but also communicate the company's mission, values, and culture. Highlight what makes your organization unique and why someone would want to work there. Utilize Multiple Sourcing Channels: Don't limit yourself to traditional job boards. Explore social media, industry-specific forums, networking events, employee referrals, and professional organizations. Tailor your approach to reach the right candidates. Implement Robust Screening Processes: Develop screening criteria that go beyond just skills and experience. Consider cultural fit, potential for growth, and alignment with company values. Use phone screenings, assessments.

Training and development programs on strategic thinking work best when followed up with hands-on application, preferably in a real-world scenario. Assign team members to contribute to (and later lead) strategic projects or initiatives that require long-term planning, vision, and strategic thinking. Provide necessary support, guidance, and resources to help them succeed in their roles and develop their strategic thinking skills.

In any organisation hiring cycle takes anywhere between 3 to 6 months for the person to be productive. So the best option is to ensure that when we have good people, we can train them to have a strategic mindset and thinking and develop them. This will also help in retention of good talent in the organisation.

Align with Organizational Goals: Ensure that training initiatives are aligned with the overall strategic objectives of the organization. Identify key areas where improved skills and knowledge will directly contribute to business success. Develop a Training Plan: Based on identified needs and strategic goals, create a comprehensive training plan. This plan should outline specific learning objectives, target audiences, delivery methods, timelines, and evaluation criteria. Utilize Various Learning Methods: Incorporate a mix of learning methods to accommodate different learning styles and preferences. This could include instructor-led training, e-learning modules, on-the-job training, workshops, seminars, mentoring, and coaching.

Strategic thinking is absolutely transferable and trainable skill! In fact, I believe it cannot be just "hired in." An organization needs talent with strategic acumen but that acumen can be found in so many places! There needs to be leadership and team recognition of its value and then anleader or leaders that can put intention into a display and leverage of those skills from the individual team members with that skill into the mix of the team.

Investing in training and development programs for your current team can be a valuable strategy to enhance skills and foster professional growth within the organization. By offering workshops and courses focused on strategic planning, critical thinking, decision-making, and other relevant skill areas, you can empower your team members to acquire new competencies and refine their existing capabilities.

In HR, we encourage cross-departmental projects to enhance strategic thinking. For example, we once facilitated workshop where various teams from sales and operations collaborated to map out a new capability launch. This not only fostered a shared strategic vision but also revealed insights into market demands and manufacturing capabilities, leading to a highly successful rollout. By promoting such interactions, we break silos and cultivate a more strategically agile workforce.

Encourage Cross-Functional Collaboration: Break down silos and encourage collaboration across departments and teams. Foster an environment where employees feel empowered to reach out to colleagues from different areas of the organization to share ideas, expertise, and resources. Promote Team Diversity: Embrace diversity within teams to bring together different perspectives, backgrounds, and skill sets. Diverse teams are more likely to generate innovative solutions and overcome challenges through collaboration.

When your team lacks strategic thinkers, it can lead to short-term solutions and missed opportunities. It's important to identify and nurture strategic thinking skills within the team. This can be done through training, mentoring, and fostering a culture that encourages strategic thinking. Additionally, bringing in external strategic advisors or consultants can provide fresh perspectives and help fill the gap until internal capabilities are strengthened.

Very talented strategic thinkers or leaders can achieve remarkable feats alone, yet their potential expands exponentially with a team. Even early-stage startups, where a lone entrepreneur may suffice initially, must evolve to larger scales of business, where teamwork is integral to greater success. Fostering teamwork requires diversity, ensuring each member complements the strengths of others. However, inclusivity among these diversities is equally vital. Though internal competition may arise naturally, channeling it towards healthy collaboration is crucial. Harnessing competitive energies internally empowers teams to effectively tackle external challenges.

Cross-functional collaboration can help. If you foster collaboration between team members from different departments or areas of expertise you will be able to bring diverse perspectives to strategic discussions.

Strategic thinking is not very common in a world of instant actions and outcomes. Zooming out and thinking is something that has to be cultivated. To my mind not everyone can do this but some in your team can observe and learn if you are a strategic thinker. What is the outcome we want? Why do we want to do this? Whats the Design Principle? Are there better ways to do this? What happens if we do not do this? Of course using frameworks also help structure strategic thinking. As team mates participate some will imbibe and scale n

As a leader we shall be accessed and reached by team and continuosly lead the team with very clear direction. Question of why, when, what, where shall be answered clearly and asks team to discuss how to do and get agreement on it

Be trained as a highly effective listener AND facilitate listening Let's play around with preparing for a meeting as an example Preparation: What are your assumptions e.g. about the people, the context, the outcome? Who have I not listened to yet? Who makes me uncomfortable when I listen and how can I listen to them? What if I don't know everything, what would I ask or do? How can the meeting be structured so everyone is more likely to listen to each other, check understanding and to challenge while being open to changing their mind? How can we encourage fresh thinking? Have I incorporated silence and time to reflect in the meeting? How does the agenda reflect space for critical thinking, either before, during or after the meeting?

Ability to lead by foresight, making decisions on time and make tough calls in the larger interest and thus lead by example by protecting the interests of the people and organisation are key tenets of a Leader who leads by example.

I would invest in training and mentorship programs to develop their strategic thinking skills and encourage a culture of collaboration and learning.

A common problem with SWOT or other analysis tools is that teams complete the framework but there is no "So What Do We Do Differently?" based on this analysis. Many tools help get to the root cause but there needs to be a story. I have shared strategy slides from other projects as a way to incorporate tools but then share a story that builds with supporting datapoints as to how we got to conclusions and recommended next steps. This is a way to lead by example.

A lesser used tool on strategic thinking that I am particularly fond of is the So-What analysis. In this analysis, you answer a series of So-What questions to determine the business implication/impact of factual data or an event/action related to a situation (e.g., a problem). The results of So-What analysis provide more value and meaning, convey a deeper understanding of the data and the situation, and build more confidence with the audience.

A complementary or substitute tool to SWOT is SOAR analysis. A strategic technique that helps organizations focus on current strengths and opportunities and create a vision of future aspirations and desired outcomes. A SOAR analysis is also useful for organizations that are striving for breakthroughs, want to improve their skills or focus on other development plans. The outcome of a SOAR analysis is a set of actions that enhance strengths and opportunities to strive for shared aspirations with measurable results. It provides a basis for deeper analysis using other business tools.

Nice collection of tools that were invented in the 60s and there are kept alive by outdated MBA curriculums. Some have some value as 101 to ease people into strategic thinking (eg. SWOT), but let's be clear that tools there were designed for a mass-production landscape are not that suitable in a digital-highly-personalised-fast changing landscape.

Using creative thinking techniques like lateral thinking like analogies, reverse information, rejecting the obvious and opposing elements or ideation thinking helps break from incremental change to transformational change. It can also be fun and engaging for participants.

Es indispensable conocer los elementos básicos de la estrategia de la empresa en la que colaboras: En qué mercado participa, qué tipo de oferta de productos ofrece, cuál es la ventaja respecto de la competencia y cómo es la organización y capacidades. Sólo así puedes tener una guía para tomar decisiones que se estén alineadas a la dirección. Name the basic elements of the Strategy of the Organization you collaborate with: Market, products, competitive advantage, structure and capabilities. Only then, you can have a guide to make decisions alingned to your business.

E fundamental para o desenvolvimento estratégico nas organiza??es, o estabelecimento concreto da autonomia junto dos colaboradores. Se o objetivo da lideran?a é o desenvolvimento de novos lideres, a autonomia é um designio fulcral. Mas n?o a autonomia controladora que reduz o campo de a??o e a criatividade dos liderados. O empowerment deve ser estimulado e reverenciado nas organizacoes.

Encouraging autonomy among team members is more than simply granting freedom and stepping back. 1. It is essential to share high-level goals and objectives to ensure alignment throughout the team. With this clear framework, team members can exercise autonomy towards common objectives. 2. It's vital to communicate expectations regarding possible outcomes and, ideally, establish agreed-upon KPIs to measure progress. This provides a clear understanding of what success looks like and also empowers team members to take ownership of their work. 3. Regular interim interactions and feedback loops should be established. With these foundational elements in place, leaders can confidently delegate tasks and authorities to their team members.

Procédez à des évaluations périodiques des capacités de réflexion stratégique au sein de votre équipe, identifiez les domaines nécessitant une amélioration, et créez un cadre professionnel stimulant la curiosité, l'apprentissage constant, et la remise en question des pratiques établies. Faites preuve de patience, car l'instauration d'une culture orientée vers la pensée stratégique requiert du temps. Enfin, encouragez activement la réflexion et la pensée critique et le débat constructif afin d'éviter le piège de la pensée de groupe (conformisme intellectuel).

Sin una estrategia clara, la empresa podría no identificar correctamente a su público objetivo, elegir inadecuadamente los canales de marketing, o fijar un precio que no refleje el valor del producto para los clientes. Por otro lado, con una estrategia bien definida, la empresa puede asegurar que el producto llegue al mercado adecuado, se promocione eficazmente para generar demanda, y se precio de manera que maximice las ventas y los beneficios. Esto demuestra cómo una estrategia sólida puede ser la diferencia entre el éxito y el fracaso de un nuevo lanzamiento de producto, esto es parte de lo que hacemos en las sesiones de coaching con mis clientes.

Encourage learning by encouraging team members to read books, attend seminars, or take online courses related to strategic thinking.

Consider building strategic review process into your management and leadership practices. Hire an external experienced facilitator to facilitate the dialogue on strategic issues . Build this into your quarterly review process and ensure that sufficient time is allocated on these strategic issues.

Strategy really isn’t the primary goal for teams. Teams are composed to work on tasks that contribute to the organization’s goals. Teams are composed of team members with the requisite skills to complete these tasks. Teams, however, are not involved in developing long-term organizational strategy. This is the role for leadership (of course there are a few exceptions as in executive teams). For teams to complete their taskwork, they need to communicate, coordinate activities, develop shared cognitions, etc…, which is different than strategy. Strategy is mostly for leadership.