If you want to get a clear vision for where your organization is going, then looking closely at strategy is an absolute must. A process for this is to take time out to use a 'strategic thinking' activity that will enable you to have clear space to think closely about this vital development opportunity for the long term success of your business.
To make a business progress according to a manager or owner's wishes, there needs to be a conscious effort to build a skillset that includes facilitation, negotiation, creativity, team-building and the ability to work through perceived problems with positivity and good humor.
Strategic thinking itself, as a valuable tool, is a process whereby leaders critically examine and evaluate the identifiable implications of their choices in business and explore the available options before making absolute decisions.
Strategic Thinking - An Overview
Well, the use of strategic thinking as a tool has the widest of applications. In fact anywhere can benefit from a better understanding of the long term direction of the organization. The clarity generated can make the challenging considerations that are required day to day are focused on the 'bigger picture' outcomes that a strategic overview will provide.
The hallmark of strategic thinking is considering and defining the medium- to long-term business objectives and expectations for the future and then working backwards to the present situation as an analysis and decision-making tool for managers.
Whatever you are, whatever your activities, you must not blindly plough on with no thought regarding the future. Naturally, when you live only on the edge, you will find it will return to bite you. This kind of way of working is only unsustainable, irrespective of worry it can cause.
Strategic Thinking - Why Bother?
The main thrust of driving ahead with your strategic thinking is for it to research the potential opportunities and threats long-term and how they might impact on the bigger picture goals and aspirations of your business over the long term. Even if you are a large multi-national, there will be a period for the health of your business that you will want at least to protect - and preferably enhance.
A key point about doing this work is that it will position you much better than others in your market who have taken the shorter term view.
If you can, it's always worth utilizing a number of people in this activity. Different people, bring alternative viewpoints, often which might be invisible to you alone. These varied perspectives will help you get the clearest picture of what you want to know and understand.
In this process, by bringing together innovation, strategic planning and operational management, leaders attempt to develop as foolproof a business strategy as possible with a greater likelihood of success.
Simple Strategic Thinking As A Process
Most managers find solving daily problems the easiest way forward. the use knee-jerk responses to stroke their ego, showing that they are capable. Frankly, it is a short-term route to exhaustion. A spell of occasional reflection to reach the future goals of the organization, it is refreshing how typically that helps a lot by growing employees and the business as well.
Yet if there is the aspiration to improve and grow with operational performance, it is imperative to adopt the benefits of strategic thinking. By simply asking what is required as outcomes from actions, and what might realistically will follow from them in terms of unforeseen consequences and then the potential outcomes of that, a tighter fit may well be accomplished, bringing the thinking closer to reality.
This will allow thinking and planning with an eye to the outcome and encourage approaching every interaction with a view to the desired result. It gives a long term focus and not only enables dealing with short term disappointments, it also helps to identify and make best use of leverage opportunities turning situations to maximum advantage, whilst expending the minimum effort.
Strategic Thinking, In The Final Analysis...
Typically, your new way of considering the future needs will support you as you weave through the intricacies that are the core of most businesses, large and small. The fun that you will have with your people in sharing the hopes and aspirations, as well as the fears and obstacles will build the rapport that you need for the challenges ahead.
Strategic thinking is not, absolutely, the fix, more, it is an ability to confidently regard the distance, although it is impossible to see how it will end up exactly.
It's the most effective we can be. - 16069
To make a business progress according to a manager or owner's wishes, there needs to be a conscious effort to build a skillset that includes facilitation, negotiation, creativity, team-building and the ability to work through perceived problems with positivity and good humor.
Strategic thinking itself, as a valuable tool, is a process whereby leaders critically examine and evaluate the identifiable implications of their choices in business and explore the available options before making absolute decisions.
Strategic Thinking - An Overview
Well, the use of strategic thinking as a tool has the widest of applications. In fact anywhere can benefit from a better understanding of the long term direction of the organization. The clarity generated can make the challenging considerations that are required day to day are focused on the 'bigger picture' outcomes that a strategic overview will provide.
The hallmark of strategic thinking is considering and defining the medium- to long-term business objectives and expectations for the future and then working backwards to the present situation as an analysis and decision-making tool for managers.
Whatever you are, whatever your activities, you must not blindly plough on with no thought regarding the future. Naturally, when you live only on the edge, you will find it will return to bite you. This kind of way of working is only unsustainable, irrespective of worry it can cause.
Strategic Thinking - Why Bother?
The main thrust of driving ahead with your strategic thinking is for it to research the potential opportunities and threats long-term and how they might impact on the bigger picture goals and aspirations of your business over the long term. Even if you are a large multi-national, there will be a period for the health of your business that you will want at least to protect - and preferably enhance.
A key point about doing this work is that it will position you much better than others in your market who have taken the shorter term view.
If you can, it's always worth utilizing a number of people in this activity. Different people, bring alternative viewpoints, often which might be invisible to you alone. These varied perspectives will help you get the clearest picture of what you want to know and understand.
In this process, by bringing together innovation, strategic planning and operational management, leaders attempt to develop as foolproof a business strategy as possible with a greater likelihood of success.
Simple Strategic Thinking As A Process
Most managers find solving daily problems the easiest way forward. the use knee-jerk responses to stroke their ego, showing that they are capable. Frankly, it is a short-term route to exhaustion. A spell of occasional reflection to reach the future goals of the organization, it is refreshing how typically that helps a lot by growing employees and the business as well.
Yet if there is the aspiration to improve and grow with operational performance, it is imperative to adopt the benefits of strategic thinking. By simply asking what is required as outcomes from actions, and what might realistically will follow from them in terms of unforeseen consequences and then the potential outcomes of that, a tighter fit may well be accomplished, bringing the thinking closer to reality.
This will allow thinking and planning with an eye to the outcome and encourage approaching every interaction with a view to the desired result. It gives a long term focus and not only enables dealing with short term disappointments, it also helps to identify and make best use of leverage opportunities turning situations to maximum advantage, whilst expending the minimum effort.
Strategic Thinking, In The Final Analysis...
Typically, your new way of considering the future needs will support you as you weave through the intricacies that are the core of most businesses, large and small. The fun that you will have with your people in sharing the hopes and aspirations, as well as the fears and obstacles will build the rapport that you need for the challenges ahead.
Strategic thinking is not, absolutely, the fix, more, it is an ability to confidently regard the distance, although it is impossible to see how it will end up exactly.
It's the most effective we can be. - 16069
About the Author:
(c) 2008 Martin P Haworth is the author of Super Successful Manager!, an easy to use, step-by-step weekly performance improvement program for managers of ANY capability. You can get a sample lesson for free at http://www.SuperSuccessfulManager.com.
