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First up let's look at a success story that illustrates the benefits of good strategic thinking.

For best practice strategic thinking, you cant go past Dell Technologies. 2022 was the best year in Dell Technologies history, reaching $100 billion revenue for the fiscal year.

Here are a few plays Dell is making to position itself for future growth, as outlined in a Dell press release:

- Introducing the worlds **thinnest gaming laptop** , and

- .the latest Ultrasharp **video conferencing** monitor featuring a 4K webcam, echo-cancelling microphones and Microsoft Teams certification, and.

- .Concept Luna, an advanced commercial notebook concept built around **sustainability** , recyclability, and reuse, and.

- Dell PowerProtect **Cyber Recovery** for AWS $Amazon Web Services$.

This is strategic thinking at its finest  capturing megatrends such as gaming, video conferencing, sustainability, and cybersecurity to position the company for a successful, sustainable future.

All by a company begun by Texas University student [Michael Dell](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/ceomichaeldellplaynicebutwin) in 1984.

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But not all strategic thinking excellence has to be this big. It can apply to **any situation** where you want better future results.

So, what is strategic thinking exactly, and how do you get really good at it? Ahead of our [masterclass on strategic thinking](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/event.php?eventId=a1J9g0000004qCsEAI) with Dorie Clark, lets do a quick round-up of expert advice.

**What is strategic thinking?**

Dorie Clark defines strategic thinking as the ability to focus deliberately on long-term projects.

To do this, strategic thinking needs [good soft skills](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/softskillsinworkplace) like communication and problem-solving skills, as well as hard skills such as analytical and management skills.

Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos is known for strategic thinking. He built a company with a long-term vision, inspired by Jim Collinss iconic concept of [The Flywheel](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/JimCollinsTurningTheFlywheel).

Amazon invested heavily in areas like artificial intelligence and cloud computing, which are now paying off for the company. Jeff Bezos also expanded Amazon's business into new markets, such as groceries and healthcare.

**What does it mean to be a strategic thinker?**

Late Apple founder Steve Jobs is often credited with implementing a highly strategic approach at Apple.

He focused on developing innovative products that transformed entire industries, such as the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. He also prioritized the design and user experience of these products, making them highly desirable and generating strong brand loyalty among Apple's customers.

Taking Steve Jobs as an example, he was able to:

- Identify upcoming opportunities.

- View the organisation as a whole $i.e. from above the day to day business$.

- Act strategically to meet team goals in times of uncertainty and/or with resource limitations etc. $When Jobs returned to Apple in 1996 it was losing about $1 billion a year$.

- Inspire and motivate employees to work towards the organisations vision.

As Dorie Clark points out, good strategic thinking also means companies have to decide what to be bad at.

On his return to the company as CEO, Steve Jobs discontinued 70% of Apples products. There were 12 versions of the Macintosh computer.

Instead of being everything to everybody, Apples product range became simple and streamlined.

**Here are 10 tips to build your strategic thinking skills**

In James Kerrs book _Legacy_ on the strategy of the All Blacks, we read about military strategist John R. Boyd who pondered how to create the mental concepts to support decision-making.

He came up with the OODA Loop  Observe, Orient, Decide and Act.

**Observe**

This is data collection through the senses; visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, taste  as well as more modern metrics. We gather the raw material for response.

**Orient**

This is analysis, synthesizing all available data into a single coherent map of the territory  a working theory of our options.

**Decide**

This is the point of choice; where we determine the course of action. We cut away the extraneous by making a decision.

**Act**

We execute; acting swiftly and decisively to take advantage of the moment. We then go back to the beginning and observe the effect of our actions, and so the loop continues.

However, Dorie Clark says people feel hindered with a long-term goal.

97% of leaders identified strategic thinking as key to their organisations success. Yet 96% said they dont have time to do strategic thinking at all.

So, here are some further steps you could take.

**Learn to prioritise**

In her book _The Long Game_ , Dorie Clark suggests that many of us are busy, but we use busyness as a means of avoiding thing. When faced with a task, she suggests you ask yourself 4 questions:

- Should I be doing this task at all?

- Could I delegate it to someone else or stop doing it altogether?

- Where should I focus my effort in order to get the biggest return?

- If I were starting fresh today, would I still choose to invest in this project?

**Focus on the bigger picture**

Having all employees in your company focused on your **core values** and **core purpose** is key.

Focus on it relentlessly until your people mock you for it, says Brad Giles, author of _Made to Thrive._

For example, Patagonias purpose is  _Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis._

As Chris McChesney, author of [4DX:The 4 Disciplines of Execution](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/closeexecutiongap) says, doing work that matters reduces the risk of burnout.

_Burnout most often stems from a feeling of futility,_ he says.

Doing work that matters, focusing on the bigger picture, knowing your core purpose are all key to successful strategic thinking.

**Use your initiative**

Using your initiative means taking proactive steps to identify and solve problems, rather than waiting for someone else to take action.

By using your initiative, you can:

- Spot potential opportunities others may have missed.

- Find creative solutions to problems that others may not have considered.

- Gather information so you can make decisions even when there is incomplete information.

- Take action quickly and decisively.

**Get good at storytelling**

Storytelling can be a powerful tool for strategic thinking in business as it helps to communicate a vision, build a brand, and connect with stakeholders.

Stories are a great way to convey a sense of purpose and direction. By telling stories that illustrate the company's values and goals, you can help employees and stakeholders understand the vision for the future and how they can contribute to it.

**Be Self-Aware**

Self-awareness helps strategic thinking in business by helping you to understand your strengths, weaknesses, biases, and values.

For example, by recognising blind spots, or areas where your knowledge or perspective may be limited, youre more likely to seek out diverse perspectives and avoid making decisions based on incomplete information.

Recognising your strengths is important too. As Patrick Lencioni will show us at his [Global Headline Event in May](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/event.php?eventId=a1J9g000000FJXCEA4), recognising your areas of working genius will help you to focus on areas where you can make the greatest impact.

**Listening to others**

By listening to others, especially those with diverse viewpoints, you can gather more information and insights, and make more informed decisions.

As Michael Bungay Stanier says, active listening tames your advice monster. Michael says its important to stay curious a little bit longer  as the simple act of curiosity shown by a leader empowers others.

And, by hearing about the experiences and insights of others, you can gain a better understanding of the market and customer needs, and identify new ways to add value.

**Sign Up for Dorie Clarks Masterclass**

In a new 90-minute masterclass [Dorie Clark  The Long Game: How To Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/event.php?eventId=a1J9g0000004qCsEAI), ****_Harvard Business Review_ author and Duke University professor Dorie Clark will share concrete strategies to help sharpen your **strategic thinking** and embrace a long-term perspective that pays future business and career dividends.

This masterclass is included in our [Growth Faculty Pass](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/growthfacultypass/)  which gives each team member **12 months of unlimited access** to masterclasses and interviews with world-class coaches and thought leaders, engaging events, networking opportunities and an on-demand library of leadership resources.

The Growth Faculty Pass helps educate your workforce at scale. It creates smarter teams, boosts resilience, and helps attract and maintain talent.

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10 Tips To Build Your Strategic Thinking Skills

Ahead of our masterclass with expert Dorie Clark: What is Strategic Thinking

Keep informed
Stay Inspired

10 Tips To Build Your Strategic Thinking Skills

Ahead of our masterclass with expert Dorie Clark: What is Strategic Thinking

Keep informedStay Inspired

Keep informed
Stay Inspired