You want to advance your strategy career. How do you develop the skills you need?

Best way is to read as much as you can, especially about a variety of different topics unrelated to the one in which you intend to focus as your specialty. If you want to become a banking strategy expert, you of course need to learn all you can about the banking industry. BUT, also learning about a different industry with a different structure or pattern of competition often provides you with insights and anticipated competitor responses similar not visible to you when you have a singular focus. My best insights for clients always came from transferring observations across industries to anticipate emerging trends.

To advance in a strategy career: 1. Gain diverse experience in different industries and functions. 2. Develop strong analytical and problem-solving skills. 3. Cultivate strategic thinking by studying industry trends and competitive landscapes. 4. Hone communication and leadership abilities. 5. Seek mentorship and learning opportunities from seasoned strategists. 6. Stay adaptable and open to new challenges.

Try as often as you can to war game scenarios within your team. If you work with clients, do the same. And make sure that the Red and Blue teams have a prize of significant value awarded to the winner such that it's worth their while to take the exercise seriously. It's often surprising and shocking how creative and responsive otherwise disengaged team members can become when they get motivated by a significant team monetary award or recognition. Also, it's a very good way to leverage deep industry knowledge and experience if you're consulting in an industry with which you don't have a great deal of expertise.

Strategy implementation can begin in at home. ✅take a 10,000 foot view of your life ✅do you have strategies? ✅are the strategies well-matched? ✅vet your strategies ✅prioritize them etc. My point is strategic thinking is all-encompassing. If you don’t have the work experience, I just have you a strategy to start attaining a strategic mindset. The rest will follow. Give it a try. Let me know what you think.

Advancing in a strategy career is like embarking on a quest for knowledge and skill. Continuous Learning: Dive into books, courses, and webinars relevant to strategy. Real-World Application: Applying what you learn through projects or simulations. Networking: Connect with strategy professionals, sharing insights and experiences. Seeking Feedback: Regularly seek constructive feedback on strategic approaches and projects from mentors, peers, and even clients. For feedback, it’s about being open and asking specific questions: “What could I have done better in this strategy proposal?” It turns feedback into a powerful tool for growth, guiding you on what skills to hone next on your strategic journey.

Leverage a playbook and refine it as you gain experience. Subscribe to HBR, Gartner and other think-tanks. Generate your own POV and socialize it.

Durante minha carreira, busquei constantemente aprender com meus erros e absorver as melhores práticas com profissionais experientes e habilidosos. Para isso, sempre mantive um diálogo aberto, trocando insights e solicitando feedbacks de meus gestores, mentores e colegas. Essa busca contínua por compreender onde posso melhorar tem sido fundamental para ampliar minhas habilidades e conhecimentos, enriquecendo minha jornada profissional por meio dessas trocas valiosas.

I can not say it any better than Gopal did. He stated it perfectly. Continuous learning, Apply that learning even if in your own lab environment, Network and get involved in helping others in the area of your chosen career, and of course get feedback and advice. The last one is have a relentless pursuit. Keep in mind it takes 10,000 hours to be really good at anything. Lastly, obtain certificates where possible. They can valid your level of learning/training.

Always be learning. The human mind is capable of extraordinary things. As amazing as AI is, it is still way behind the human mind (for now). So think of how amazed you are by AI. That tech is in your head. Maximize learning and you can harness the power of HI (human intelligence).

Continuous learning in strategy is vital for staying ahead in dynamic markets. Embrace diverse learning opportunities beyond traditional education, build a personalized learning plan, and network with professionals for guidance. Apply learning in real-world scenarios, leverage technology for resources, seek feedback, and celebrate milestones. Remain agile and adaptable to navigate evolving landscapes effectively. Success in strategy relies on continuous growth and adaptation, empowering you to thrive in changing environments and achieve professional goals.

There are an incredible amount of free resources online to use. Again, this depends on your goal. Often, Youtube has everything you need. However, if you or your company feel the need to show off or get "name brand" certifications, Harvard, Yale, MIT, Google, and others offer free classes and certifications online as well. It doesn't matter where you get your knowledge from, as long as it's accurate. Keep educating yourself.

Knowledge is gold in in strategy. The key to staying ahead and building resilience is to be adequately informed in your field. Staying updated with trends in your industry and how it affects current realities and opportunities for innovation they present will enable you proffer invaluable solutions to problems and design effective implementation plans that brings result.

Skill sets vary based on interests, personality traits and natural abilities. With the right combination, you can reach your goals and become an expert in your field. In this article, we define a skill set, explain the different types and discuss how to identify your skill set. We also explain how to develop your skills and provide tips to keep them relevant.

I believe creativity comes from being comfortable and believing in yourself. Only you and you and have your specific experiences and thoughts. Bring your authentic self to work and you will be surprised how much you’ll grow with creativity all your own.

To develop your creativity and excel in strategy: 1. Embrace diverse perspectives. 2. Stay curious and explore new ideas. 3. Practice generating multiple solutions. 4. Create an inspiring environment. 5. Learn from failure and adapt. 6. Experiment and iterate to innovate. By cultivating these habits, you'll enhance your strategic capabilities and open doors to new opportunities in your career journey.

Mind mapping is one of the most underrated and overlooked tools there is. Using that and also using other visual tools such as Value Stream mapping, allows you to communicate much more rapidly and effectively across teams. This is especially true where you are dealing with cross-border teams, where members don't share a common language or speak it poorly. Simple language, absence of slang, etc. can help, but visual representations are vastly more efficient and engaging. Creative use of pictures and maps encourage creativity and generate insights, always bridging cultural differences across teams.

I would vote for this one ☝️ Having worked with many brilliant minds on how to challenge our strategy work, thinking creatively can mean many things - to name a few, storytelling, building a memory stakeholder collaboration experience to also bring the creativity from them, being curious about the root cause, and the learnings you may bring from adjacent industries

Begin with your conclusions in any communication with your client, especially on strategy discussions. Don't force your listener or reader to ferret our your conclusions from your set of stated facts. There is much danger in presenting the facts first, because they open your audience up to multiple and conflicting interpretations that are often filtered through the lens of their own prejudice. Present conclusions, then supporting arguments....not supporting arguments that then lead to your conclusion. The latter is a recipe for confusion. Even if your audience completely disagrees with your initial conclusion, the discussion will remain structured rather than jumping all over the place.

Effective communication skills are crucial for successfully implementing strategy. Understanding the preferences, needs, and expectations of your audience is invaluable. This understanding enables you to tailor your tone, language, and delivery to ensure that your message resonates effectively with the specific audience you’re addressing.

Saber se comunicar é uma das habilidades mais importantes quando falamos de uma carreia na área de estratégia. Afinal é através da comunicação que conseguimos transmitir nossa visão, raciocínio e valor. Uma forma de aprimorar a sua comunicação é praticando e explorando diferentes formas de expressão verbal, escrita e visual. Cada aspecto da comunicação desempenha um papel crucial no compartilhamento de ideias e estratégias. O storytelling por exemplo é uma ferramenta poderosa que pode envolver e cativar seu público durante a comunicação. Ao contar histórias envolventes e relevantes, você consegue capturar a atenção do seu público, criar conexões emocionais e tornar sua mensagem mais memorável e impactante.

You can practice your communication by doing the following; - writing on various free platforms like social media, newsletters or medium. The advantage to this is you can see how people interact with your written content and learn to tailor then to your audience. - you can improve your verbal communication by actively practicing with people in your network. You can practice listening consciously even with family and friends. You can try understanding the perception of people by asking the write question and listening to how they articulate their thoughts verbally. Truth is improving our communication starts within the familiar and trickles every of our communication channels.

I cant emphasize enough on the power of good books. Books help you have years of someone else's experience in a couple of days. You learn vicariously (experience at second hand) Some books I will recommend : 1 Understanding Michael Porter 2 IIMA - Strategies for Growth 3 HBS Top 10 Reads on Strategy Vol1 and 2 4 Competitive Strategy/Advantage

First and foremost, it is important to remember that any business exists to create value for six groups of stakeholders - customers, employees, shareholders, business partners, regulators and society. You can be an outstanding strategic leader by constantly reminding your team of these stakeholders and keeping their needs in focus.

It's not enough to claim that you are a strategic thinker - you need to master the toolkit of a strategic thinker. Research and use different strategic frameworks as you solve problems and prepare strategic plans. Be really clear with your language, and avoid meaningless corporate jargon. If you aren't in a position to implement some of these tips or flex some of these skills in your current workspace, pick a problem in your industry of choice and try to solve it. In fact, sharing your process and thinking on LinkedIn will not only give you some great feedback and possible mentorship, but it may later position you as an expert in the matter.