I recently had the pleasure of travelling through a Strategic Thinker Development Programme (STDP) intake with someone who found himself experiencing the most amazing change in himself as a result of what he was learning.
I enjoy every one of my participants, and love sharing in the range of impacts the programme has on them, but this gentleman was just so excited and overwhelmed by his experience that his testimonial, taken from the transcript of our conversation, was really something special. I'm sharing it here because it gives us insights into some key things that are important when it comes to learning to be a strategic thinker. There is something to learn here for anyone on a quest to become a strategic thinker, whether or not you are able to participate in the STDP.
Here is his experience described in his own words:
Your course has changed me. It has not only improved my efficiency at work, but also my personal life and my wellbeing. I’m so grateful that I joined it. To be honest, I was really sceptical when they signed me up, but it’s not just another course that you don’t get anything out of.
I feel like I can explain the strategic thinking framework to every single thing. I use it in daily meetings, and for explaining things to junior people. I don’t tell them how to fix it anymore, I tell them what we’re trying to achieve, and then just support them. I even used it to help my son think about what to write on his prefect application.
I’m sure the contractors I’m working with have noticed a change because I’ve started talking about the goals and purpose of the work and they are actually understanding what I’m trying to do and even suggesting ways of doing it instead of me having to tell them exactly what to do. It means I don’t have to drive everything; I just help them understand and ask what they need from me. I also find management and other teams are more supportive because of the way I’m able to communicate the ‘why’.
It’s not just the framework. It’s been a compounding effect of all the different parts of the course. Somehow, I can communicate better and focus better, I’m more reflective and aware of my thinking, I’m more confident, I’m not so distracted, and I’m fitting in a bit of exercise. I even feel like I’m appreciating the world around me more and feeling more positive about other people.
Everybody should do this course, it’s life-changing. If we can all learn to get everyone onboard and working towards achieving the same goal, not only will we have a better organisation, but a better world as well. - Des Shen, Portfolio Manager
Clarity comes from having a framework to guide thinking
Absolutely central to the programme is the strategic thinking process that participants learn and apply. In evaluations, this is the most common aspect of the programme that is rated 'transformational'. My framework is not the only one in existence, and it is not the 'one right answer' for how to think strategically. You might have your own. Many other theorists, authors, practitioners and academics have theirs. What is important, is having one.
Why? A few reasons:
Awareness. Having a framework delivers the ability to think about our thinking. That's called meta-cognition, and it is a human super-power that most of us are totally unaware that we posses. Thinking about our thinking allows us to:
plan how to think about something
notice how we are thinking and how well it is working
change how we are thinking when needed.
Meta-cognition is the basis of all learning, AND of quality thinking, particularly when it comes to complex problem-solving. Developing this skill when it comes to strategic thinking is a game-changer, and it leads us to the next points.
Clarity of thought. Strategic thinking is such a 'fuzzy' concept. Knowing what it means and what to think about, and having awareness of our thinking offers clarity of thought. It is hard to emphasise the importance of this enough. Some of the problems that people are solving in their jobs are seriously complex. The amount of information we carry around in our head as experts in our fields is enormous. I have seen time and time again how the discipline of slowing down thinking and using a framework for checking logical flow, coherence, and (I wish it were a word) strategicness, brings a new level of clarity. Ideas crystallize, things that seem totally obvious in hindsight but were oblivious before just... emerge, and sometimes perspective on an issue or even goal definition completely flips or shifts.
Clarity of communication - Clarity of thought gives us clarity of communication. This is what Des found - he could order his thoughts better, which meant he could communicate the things that his team, juniors, contractors and leaders needed to hear from him. He suddenly found that by shifting his thinking from the 'what' to the 'why', he could explain what he was trying to achieve, bring people onboard with his ideas, set the scene for learning, lead conversations yet allow others to contribute their own ideas, and guide others' thinking effectively.
Confidence comes from clarity
Clarity of strategic thought is such a gift. That is because of the confidence that it brings.
Having a framework to apply de-mystifies a skill that is near revered at mid-senior levels of organisations, yet almost always poorly or inconsistently defined. Suddenly people know exactly what to do, what is expected of them, and how to translate what others are saying. And who wouldn't love that feeling?!
The humanness of the strategic thinking skill
Although having a framework is central, by itself it is not enough. If it were, strategic thinking would be easy. You'd have a template, just fill it in and out pops an answer! You can do a university course for that.
In real life, the application of good strategic thinking forces us to grapple with our humanness. Without awareness and scaffolding of our human challenges, it is all too easy to be overwhelmed by the complexity of the problems you're trying to solve, the never-ending change, or the sometimes extreme levels of uncertainty. It is too easy to be caught out by our human biases and come up with solutions that are constrained by our past experience, our desire to avoid discomfort, or our need for a quick answer. And most importantly of all, our humanness is what makes it difficult to even get off the starting blocks and spend quality time doing the thinking.
You have to read between the lines of Des' testimonial to see the human element I'm talking about, but it's there. It is about the habits of thought that bring a nuanced perspective on the most complex of problems. It's about the reflectiveness that leads to true insights, the positive outlook that frees up creativity, and the protection and cultivation of deep thinking space that allows us to bring our best.
Here are another participants' thoughts which show a bit more of the human element I'm talking about:
The Strategic Thinker Development Programme is one I wish I'd done years ago that helps you to know yourself better and the benefits you bring to an organisation, while providing tools to scaffold the areas you are not so strong in. - STDP participant
These testimonials show that strategic thinking is a whole person skill. It is far more than a framework. Not only that, it is a life-long skill that can be practiced, honed and developed in all areas of life.
Strategic thinking delivers a better you, a better organisation, and a better world
It seems like a big claim, but when you think about what strategic thinking is when you boil it right down, you can see why it holds such promise.
Strategic thinking, in it's absolute simplest form, is about connecting your actions to your goals. - Nina Field
It is all about understanding the centrality of goals and the importance of goal clarity. When goals, and their connections to actions can be articulated with clarity, there is a wonderful sense of satisfaction, coherence, and confidence.
Des was able to move away from that frustrating feeling of having to push things along, show people the way, get them to care, to "getting everyone onboard and working towards the same goal". And he could see the big picture benefit of that.
The STDP was developed with exactly that vision in mind - a programme that harnesses the best of human cognition (with all its fallibilities) to facilitate deep development of a skill that has the potential to change the outputs and course of organisations, thereby producing more value for generations now and in the future.
If you liked this, sign up for my articles straight to your inbox, check out my website, follow me on LinkedIn, or contact me on nina@ninafield.co.nz to discuss how I can help you with strategic thinking and strategic leadership development.
Cover photo credit by Wix
Comments