The strategic thinking we need to thrive in the changes all around us run much deeper than a purely market related perspective. We also need better strategic thinking around the development of our people, processes and culture.
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In our article ‘Carve Out Time‘, we looked at taking serious chunks of time to bring the best of ourselves to think strategically. For many of us, the strategic questions may be obvious. But sometimes, when we are not used to the luxury of having such time set aside. And when we are so used to having the next crucial question thrust in front of us. ‘What to think about’ may take a little time to become clear.
To help with this, you might perhaps begin with the questions listed below.
How to use the questions
Each of these questions could take several sessions worth of effort to prepare your mind for the opportunities that may emerge from the answer. But it may be better to mix them up a bit, and revisit them when you have worked through a few of the others. This will provide time and opportunity for new connections to form.
Each of the questions is likely to have a number off different answers for you. And the one that comes quickly will likely be the least useful. It is the ones that come later, when you have begun to think about things from different perspectives and in different contexts that will offer deeper insight and better preparation. (cf Louis Pasteur)
But it is worth making a note of the first response. So that you can revisit it once you have developed deeper understanding. Contrasting your answers may offer some insight as to how you (and perhaps your people) respond when you are not getting the thinking time to enable you to be at your best.
The Questions
About who I bring to this
- How do I maintain a better balance between thinking and responding?
- How much of my identity is tied up in being good under pressure, and does that have implications?
- To what extent am I a puppet of circumstance, and to what extent am I its puppeteer?
- Who is the best version of myself, when I am at my highest potential?
- Are there different best versions of myself for different beneficiaries?
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- Direct reports
- Employees in general
- My business
- My family
- The wider society
- My customers
- Myself
- …
About why I am doing this
- What is the cost of being that person (these persons) more of the time, and how do I pay it?
- What do I want to leave as a legacy? How do I want to be remembered?
- Why? Why me, why here, why now?
- The two most important days in a person’s life. The day they were born. And the day they figure out why. When is/was that second day?
- Am I gradually becoming a better person?
- How am I learning currently? And how do I feel about that?
About the difference I want to make
- What would really happen if I wasn’t here for a month? And could I use that month to do something more impactful?
- How do I really want the people under me to grow and develop?
- If I knew for a fact that I couldn’t fail, what would I do next?
- How could I improve my working relationships?
- How well do my people really understand ‘why’?
- What is my real impact on the culture? And what do I want it to be?
- What my team members’ impact on the culture? And what do I want it to be?
- How do we create a culture that better empowers and inspires creative and diverse voices?
- If I returned as a brilliant consultant, with a free hand to double our impact, where would I start?
- Who are my business heroes? And how might they do my job differently?
- What might be the most devastating business news we could hear tomorrow? If we were forewarned of it, how could we overcome its threat?
- What TED videos have you found most inspirational? How could your business move toward this
Track your progress to ensure the efficacy of this strategy.