Youâ€™re in a leadership role. What are the benefits of being a strategic thinker in People Management?

People management is a crucial skill for any leader, especially if you want to advance your career and make a positive impact on your organization. But how do you manage people effectively in a complex and dynamic environment? One of the key factors is being a strategic thinker. In this article, we'll explore what strategic thinking is, why it matters for people management, and how you can develop and apply it in your role.

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1 What is strategic thinking?

Strategic thinking is the ability to see the big picture, anticipate future scenarios, align your actions with your goals, and adapt to changing circumstances. It's not just about making plans, but also about being flexible, creative, and proactive. Strategic thinkers are always looking for opportunities, challenges, and solutions, not just for themselves, but for their teams and their organization.

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Manoj Joshi

MIT CTO Certification, IT Leadership, Governance, Harvard Business Review Advisory Council Member
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Strategic thinking is the abstraction of daily methods and processes into a timeless entity. Strategy often outlasts projects and lifecycles and there is no fixed "algorithm" like a set of pathways that lead you to a goal. But it's about being aware how well your goals are aligned with your vision for any mission you undertake. A simple example: Problem: What should we discuss in this security meeting? Strategy: How should we approach security in this meeting? As you can see from the example, strategy is closer to the "How", but this can be quickly misunderstood as the means to get to some goal. Rather it is the abstract process of how to work for the goals in order to be aligned with your vision.

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2 Why is strategic thinking important for people management?

Strategic thinking is essential for people management as it allows you to lead with vision and purpose, empower and develop your team, foster collaboration and innovation, and navigate change and uncertainty. You can inspire and motivate your team by communicating a clear direction that shows how their work contributes to the larger mission and values of the organization. Additionally, you can delegate effectively, provide feedback and coaching, identify and leverage strengths, skills, and potentials of team members, create a culture of trust and respect, encourage creativity and experimentation, support risk-taking and learning from failure, anticipate internal and external factors that affect your team and organization, help your team cope with stress, ambiguity, and conflict, and guide them through transitions and transformations.

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Sanchayee M.

Your Trusted Legal Guide: Expert Counsel in Employment, Family, and Corporate Law.
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Being a strategic thinker in People Management offers numerous benefits. ðŸŒŸ It allows leaders to anticipate challenges, devise proactive solutions, and align HR initiatives with organizational goals. ðŸŽ¯ By analyzing data and trends, strategic thinkers can optimize workforce planning, talent acquisition, and development efforts. ðŸ’¼ Case study: Manager ABC adopted a strategic approach to address high employee turnover. ðŸ”„ After conducting thorough analyses, they implemented targeted retention strategies and career development programs. Result? Employee satisfaction and retention rates improved, contributing to the company's long-term success.

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3 How can you develop your strategic thinking skills?

Strategic thinking is not an innate trait, but rather a skill that can be developed with practice and feedback. To sharpen your strategic thinking skills, try to expand your knowledge and perspective by reading widely and seeking feedback from those with different backgrounds. Challenge your own assumptions and those of others, and ask questions such as why, what if, how, and what next. Think ahead and back, critically and creatively; analyze data, evaluate the pros and cons of different options, and generate new ideas. It's also important to consider the interconnections between different elements and factors, as well as the short-term and long-term effects of your actions. With these tips in mind, you can hone your strategic thinking abilities.

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Manoj Joshi

MIT CTO Certification, IT Leadership, Governance, Harvard Business Review Advisory Council Member
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The answer precisely lies in the question. If your goal is to develop strategic thinking skills, that's precisely how you should approach it. Before I take the risk of making this sound too self-referential, I will explain it with a real workplace example. Let's say you wanted to build a solution for Responsible AI. A task-oriented approach would be to identify specific challenges, principles and tools that allow you to build guard rails in your AI software. But by the time you get there, someone else may have surpassed you. A strategic approach would be to understand the market, consumer, technological capabilities and then come up with a plan rather than jumping to solve the problem.

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4 How can you apply your strategic thinking skills in your role?

Strategic thinking is not only a useful tool for setting and executing goals, but also for monitoring them. To apply your strategic thinking skills in your role, make sure that your daily tasks and activities are aligned with your team's and organizationâ€™s goals and priorities. These goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Additionally, you should monitor the internal and external environment for signs of change and opportunity, so that you can adjust your plans accordingly. Itâ€™s also essential to communicate your vision, goals, and plans with your team and stakeholders in a clear and effective way. Furthermore, build and maintain positive relationships with your team members, peers, managers, customers, partners, and other stakeholders. Leverage the diverse skills of others to achieve better outcomes for yourself, your team, and your organization. Strategic thinking is a valuable skill for any leader in today's complex world.

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5 Hereâ€™s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that donâ€™t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Youâ€™re in a leadership role. What are the benefits of being a strategic thinker in People Management?

1

2

3

4

5

1 What is strategic thinking?

2 Why is strategic thinking important for people management?

3 How can you develop your strategic thinking skills?

4 How can you apply your strategic thinking skills in your role?

5 Hereâ€™s what else to consider

People Management

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Youâ€™re in a leadership role. What are the benefits of being a strategic thinker in People Management?

1

2

3

4

5

1 What is strategic thinking?

2 Why is strategic thinking important for people management?

3 How can you develop your strategic thinking skills?

4 How can you apply your strategic thinking skills in your role?

5 Hereâ€™s what else to consider

People Management

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