What do you do if your strategic thinking and planning skills are hindering organizational growth?

1) Find a framework that enables strategic planning across the Organization and embed it. @Erika Barden SAFE - scaled agile. 2) Foster a culture of curiosity. When Satya Nadella took over as CEO of Microsoft he deliberately oriented the company from a ‘know it all culture to a learn it all culture’. And if you spent any time with Microsoft executives, it’s exactly how they operate and seriously Impressive to witness.

Strategic thinking and planning are great skills to have. Any decisions made are made on the basis of data that is available at that time. Inherent in strategic thinking and planning is the ability to absorb and digest new information as it becomes available and incorporate that in the plan/roadmap and be able to pivot. Failure to do so is the primary reason why leaders/company falter.

In addition to recognizing the limitations of current strategies, it’s beneficial to actively seek feedback from diverse sources within your organization. Gathering insights from different departments can provide a holistic view of how strategies are performing across the board. It’s also valuable to periodically step back and look at the bigger picture through activities like SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to identify new opportunities and threats. This broader perspective can often highlight strategic shifts that might be necessary, such as integrating new technology or reallocating resources to different areas that show more promise for growth.

it's about taking a step back from the situation and putting everything back together by doing a SWOT to determine the strengths, weaknesses, threats, opportunities. we can also ask ourselves the question of what we should continue to do, stop, do again or modify

But seek input first. The discovery process is critical to engagement. There is definitely an art and a science to a well organized and facilitated discovery process. The conversation should have moments of big thinking tempered by realistic capabilities. It is in these moments where the organization starts to push the boundaries of what it may be capable of, building upon challenges and creating excitement. The process needs a guide that can envision the future, stay grounded in the moment and the discipline to stay on the path of progress and achievement.

As a strategic thinker one must always assess opportunities without bias. When biases are directionally correct we are less hesitant about taking action, but they can signal caution when opportunity is there for the taking. One must always study your industry and identify (and even anticipate) trends. Listen to colleagues, stakeholders and customers and be ready to toss your biases aside.

Listening is the key in this notion of feedback because if you do it, you need an interest in doing it and sincere listening. It's up to you to take into account what your team is sending you as a message or not. It's up to you to decide or not, but be careful not to stay focused on your beliefs without taking into account what they tell you.

competitive intelligence and information gathering are crucial for making the right decisions. 70% of the information we receive is misinterpreted or false according to some studies. so remember each time to check the source and validate that it is reliable

Generally it’s the flavor of the week that gets sales excited which in turn has the C-level executives to question your goals and derails plans to achieve long term strategic growth. You have to stick to your plan(provided the market hasn’t radically changed) otherwise you are always 18 months behind trying to build what the competitors just released.