Your team is struggling with strategic decision-making. How can you inspire them to think more strategically?

To inspire your team to think more strategically, start by clearly communicating the organization's vision and long-term goals to provide context. Encourage staying informed about industry trends and promote curiosity and continuous learning. Foster cross-functional collaboration to broaden perspectives and hold regular brainstorming sessions for strategic problem-solving. Recognize and reward strategic contributions and lead by example in your decision-making. By creating a culture that values and supports strategic thinking, your team will naturally start approaching decisions with a broader, more forward-thinking perspective.

It is difficult to inspire or force people to think strategically if they are not that way inclined. Having frameworks that encourage looking at problems from a different angle or viewpoint can help to open up strategic thinking. To do this, I encourage asking 3 questions: 1. Think 2 up and 2 down. What is important to my boss's boss (2 levels up), what is important to the person 2 level under me. Find what their KPIs and what keeps them awake at night, then help them achieve it or use it to steer your outputs. 2. What are the 2nd and 3rd order effects? If I do 'X' what does that mean? What is the, so what, of the so what? 3. Think to the finish. Start with the end goal, then work backwards to create the steps required.

Cultivate a strategic mindset by encouraging your team to think beyond immediate tasks and consider the bigger picture. Provide context and clarity on organizational goals and how each team member's role contributes to them. Foster an environment where questioning assumptions and exploring alternatives are encouraged. Encourage critical thinking and analysis by asking thought-provoking questions that prompt deeper reflection on implications and consequences. Provide opportunities for professional development in strategic thinking through workshops, training, or mentorship programs. Recognize and reward strategic thinking and initiative, reinforcing its value within the team.

I believe it's less about a team lacking strategic thinking—everyone, given the desire, can think strategically. However, without a clear vision, it's unrealistic to expect them to become strategic thinkers. If you can outline the vision clearly, you might be surprised to see the entire team begin to contribute meaningfully. They'll understand the framework they're operating within, enabling them to think strategically about how to contribute positively towards your vision. Ask yourself: Have you shared your vision? Do they understand it? And do they know the role they play in it? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

You'll have to give your team members the freedom to explore and experiment with their ideas. Provide them with the autonomy to make decisions and take ownership of their projects. This sense of ownership can fuel their curiosity and drive them to think more strategically.

Appoint team members to play "Devil's Advocate" during discussions. This role involves challenging prevailing opinions, raising counterarguments, and encouraging critical analysis. By assigning this role to different individuals, you create a culture that values constructive skepticism and forces the team to think more strategically.

Foster a safe space for free discussion, challenging assumptions, and healthy debate. Diverse perspectives lead to innovative solutions. You can encourage your team to explain their reasoning - this clarifies their thought process and allows you to provide effective guidance.

Promoting open communication is crucial for cultivating strategic thinking within your team. Establish conducive situations that foster open discussions, encourage the questioning of assumptions, and allow the examination of tactics without the presence of apprehension towards criticism. This kind of transparency allows for a wide range of viewpoints to surface, often resulting in groundbreaking resolutions. Prompt team members to elucidate the rationale behind their suggestions, so enhancing their aptitude for strategic thinking and furnishing vital perspectives for adeptly directing and assisting them.

Removing the question from spaces with open dialogue: start personal. When Sakichi Toyoya was doing his defining work in the 1930's, he came up with the "five why's". To get to the root cause of an issue, it takes why A, then why triggering event B, etc x3 more. NOT in group settings, but in 1-1s start to encourage this depth of reasoning in your team. Listen and encourage their ideas, but then challenge them on "why?" (explaining the logic behind so it doesn't seem mean...?) this will help enable the natural reasoning to become part of the team's thinking regardless of setting.

Ensure your team understands the organization's goals and how their work contributes. Clear goals lead to aligned decisions and effective strategy execution. When everyone understands the bigger picture, they can prioritize tasks and manage time efficiently to achieve strategic objectives.

Establishing unambiguous objectives is crucial for efficient strategic decision-making. When your staff comprehends the overarching objectives of the organisation and how their contributions correspond to these aims, they may adjust their choices appropriately. Having clear objectives allows team members to concentrate and guide their efforts, helping them to prioritise work and efficiently manage their time. This alignment guarantees that all individuals are striving towards the same strategic aims, hence improving overall efficiency and attaining organisational goals successfully.

Give concrete examples of the impact the right decision can have in this case. Further to linking to the broader mission as well outlined by @Subham and @Milad. Knowing why you are spending time on x decision at ALL is important. Remind them of a costly mistake if that's what it takes to get them tuned in. Then they can digest: THIS is the question, THIS is what will happen with our answer now, and THIS will be the impact (i.e; the goal of what you're working on)..

. Introduce gamified exercises or simulations that simulate real-world strategic decision-making scenarios. These interactive activities can challenge team members to think strategically, evaluate different options, and make informed choices. They provide a risk-free environment for learning and experimentation.

Provide data, analytical tools, and dedicated planning time. Empower your team with the tools they need to make informed, evidence-based decisions. Access to the right resources allows for in-depth analysis, progress monitoring, and potential outcome forecasting.

Supplying resources is essential for facilitating strategic thinking within your team. Providing team members with data access, analytical tools, and dedicated time for contemplation and planning enables them to successfully analyse patterns, monitor progress, and anticipate results. Providing your team with these tools guarantees that they can make well-informed choices grounded on facts and thoughtful analysis, cultivating a culture of strategic excellence and innovation inside your organisation.

🗹 Leading with Strategic Decision-Making A leader's approach to decision-making sets the tone for the team. 🗹 Demonstrating Strategic Thinking Show strategic thinking in actions and decisions. This guides the team by example. 🗹 Sharing the Thought Process Share the thought process, considering various factors and potential consequences. This transparency educates and builds trust. 🗹 Encouraging Emulation When the team sees strategic choices being made, they're more likely to emulate this behavior in their own decisions. This fosters a culture of strategic thinking within the organisation.

Actions always speak louder than words. Start by modeling the mindset and behaviors you want to see. Ask probing questions to challenge assumptions and stimulate new ideas. Collaborate with your team on strategic initiatives, share your own strategic insights and decision-making process, and recognize their contributions. When leaders demonstrate strategic decision-making, it sets a strong precedent. The more you exemplify it in your actions, the more it becomes part of your team's DNA. By consistently living and reinforcing these habits, you create a culture where it becomes second nature. Strategic thinking is a skill that needs to be deliberately practiced and cultivated. And that should start at the top.

Be a role model! Share your thought process and how you consider various factors for strategic decision-making. Build trust by leading with transparency. When your team sees you approaching decisions strategically, they're more likely to adopt this approach in their work.

Exemplifying strategic thinking is crucial for cultivating it within your team. As a leader, exhibiting smart decision-making establishes a standard for your team. By transparently divulging your cognitive process and justification for choices, you provide useful perspectives on how to weigh different variables and their consequences. This kind of openness serves to both educate your team and foster trust and confidence in your leadership. When team members see strategic thinking being implemented, they are motivated to incorporate comparable methods into their own decision-making processes, therefore fostering a culture of strategic excellence across the organisation.

Demonstrating openness to adapting strategies based on new information is key. When fresh data emerges, actively evaluate its impact and consider how it might inform adjustments to decisions or even broader strategic objectives. This approach fosters a culture of learning and agility, crucial for success in today's dynamic environment.

Encourage regular reflection on past decisions to learn, grow, and adapt strategies based on new information and changing circumstances. Regular reflection helps identify what worked well, what didn't, and why. This fosters a growth mindset and ensures strategic decision-making remains agile and adaptable.

It’s your team, you have chosen it, you have already defined their roles and tasks, so if they are in difficulty it means that you have decided to challenge them, because you think they are ready for the next phase, ready to grow. As their mentor, at this stage, you don't have to tell them what to do. Instead you have to create a context that pushes them to propose scenarios, to ask you the right questions, so that you can give them some advice, direct them towards the good solution without telling it, force them to reflect, try and make mistakes, allow them to adapt their path, reminding them only the long-term (strategic) vision of the company. Finally it will lead them to the right decision making, and, after all, we all have faced this.

Consider gamifying strategic thinking exercises or incorporating scenario planning to challenge your team and push their strategic boundaries. These techniques can make strategic thinking more engaging and help your team develop the critical skills needed to excel in a dynamic business environment.