Strategic thinking is one of the most important elements of leadership. What is it? and How do you instill the trait in others in your company?

Strategic thinking simply put starts with asking basic questions for every project/task within a given timeline: how, when, where, why.

Putting this information in the form of charts/tables helps analyse the data collected.

Some people ask the right questions by default, others can be trained to do so.

But collecting the right information is step one, being able to use that information to achieve results is the quality of a strategic thinker.

– To develops.

– To focuses on people & system , targets and vision.

– To inspires trust.

– To has a long-range perspective.

– To asks what and why.

– To eye is on the horizon.

– To originates.

– To challenges it.

– To is his or her own person.

– To does the right thing not only to do the things right.

the strategic thinking is the Comprehensive thinking which contain all the aspects to the problem.

the strategic thinking is a kind of creative thinking that depends mainly on soft skills and it is no easy to learn.

Strategic thinking is the way of approach, where the global long term vision is needed more than the short term thoughts. This is applied to the planning, implementation and selection of resources.

To instill this trait in the company, it needs different steps of coaching, training, and sitting solved examples or even real situations inside the company.

There is no generally accepted definition for strategic thinking, no common agreement as to its role or importance, and no standardized list of key competencies of strategic thinkers. Some of the common definitions are:

·         Strategic thinking is a mental or thinking process applied by an individual in the context of achieving success in a game or other endeavor. As a cognitive activity, it produces thought.

·         Strategic thinking is defined as the individual’s capacity for thinking conceptually, imaginatively, systematically, and opportunistically with regard to the attainment of success in the future.

·         Strategic thinking is the ability to come up witheffective plans in line with anorganization's objectives within a particular economic situation.

·         Strategic thinking is coming up with alternative viable strategies or business models that deliver customer value.

I personally believe that leaders are born and their skills are sharpened through education and training. Therefore, I see that the idea that strategic thinking can be taught maybe a relative one. On the other hand, I believe that group strategic thinking may create more value by enabling a proactive andcreative dialogue, where individuals gain other people's perspectives on critical and complex issues. Accordingly, if we can teach everyone at a company how to think strategically, we can achieve better results.

Dr. Robert Kabacoff suggests the five following tips for how to instill strategic thinking in any person.

Kabacoff says that you need to encourage managers to set aside time to thinking strategically until it becomes part of their job. He suggests you provide them with information on your company's market, industry, customers, competitors, and emerging technologies. "One of the key prerequisites of strategic leadership is having relevant and broad business information that helps leaders elevate their thinking beyond the day-to-day," he writes.

Every manager in your company should have a mentor. "One of the most effective ways to develop your strategic skills is to be mentored by someone who is highly strategic," Kabacoff says. "The ideal mentor is someone who is widely known for his/her ability to keep people focused on strategic objectives and the impact of their actions."

As the leader, you need to communicate a well-articulated philosophy, a mission statement, and achievable goals throughout your company. "Individuals and groups need to understand the broader organizational strategy in order to stay focused and incorporate it into their own plans and strategies," Kabacoff writes.

Whenever possible, try to promote foresight and long-term thinking. Kabacoff says you should reward your managers for the "evidence of thinking, not just reacting," and for "being able to quickly generate several solutions to a given problem and identifying the solution with the greatest long-term benefit for the organization." 

Kabacoff says you need to promote a "future perspective" in your company. If a manager suggests a course of action, you need to him or her ask two questions: First, what underlying strategic goal does this action serve, and why? And second, what kind of impact will this have on internal and external stakeholders? "Consistently asking these two questions whenever action is considered will go a long way towards developing strategic leaders," he writes.

Strategic thinking is long term vision and course of action for your organization.

As a leader, you set goals and objectives that are attainable and justifiable and drive your people towards achieving these goals.

Strategic thinking is an approach that says all of decisions are made in a business are along with the compan's main targets and strategies. the important point is the art of interpretation the defined strategiesin strategic levle of a company in different ways which are applicable for different people on different layers of an organization. strategic thinking is a poweful tool that helps the company leaders to effectively think, decide, plan and act. i suppose the best way to transform this approach to other members is to show them how this approach is important for company and how effectively can help them to handle their duties

Strategic Thinking is the ability to come up with effective plans in line with an organization's objectives within a particular economic situation. Strategic thinking helps business managers review policy issues, perform long term planning, set goals and determine priorities, and identify potential risks and opportunities.

Bringing this type of thought process into the minds of others in my experience can be challenging, but very doable. There must be continuity in the overall objective of the team, both long-term and short-term. This begins the process of unified thinking. Unified thinking gives credence to independent thoughts and ideas allowing people to contribute to a singular objective, while continuing to focus on the collective objective.

When the team begins to think as one, they can begin focusing on all the crucial components related to strategic thinking. This type of process is almost “infectious”. When individuals begin to see and reap the benefits of strategic thinking, they become a collective strength, prepared, effective, and successful. It is a leader’s responsibility to begin this process and prove the benefits through past experiences as well as external business metrics. I have found that all true successes have been based on good strategy. There is no end to success with a strategic collective behind you.

• Strategic thinking is intent focused.

• Strategic thinking uses a systems perspective.

• Strategic thinking requires thinking in time.

• Strategic thinking employs intelligent opportunism.

• Strategic thinking is, at its core, hypothesis-driven.                                                     

An adaptive strategic leader—someone who is both resolute and flexible, (even opposing) views to challenge his own thinking and that of his advisers.                             

An adaptive strategic leader—someone who is both resolute and flexible, persistent in the face of setbacks but also able to react strategically to environmental shifts—has learned to apply all six at once, the abilities to anticipate, challenge, interpret, decide, align, and learn.