3 Strategic Thinking Behaviors to Better See the Big Picture

Strategic Thinking Behaviors
Leaders are asking their teams to develop and use strategic thinking behaviors to better “see the big picture” as they strive to create more strategic clarity to grow faster and get important work done.  But many workers report struggling to find time to just think — much less to think strategically. And we know from project postmortem data that the higher you go in an organization, the less leaders feel like they have the time to devote to thinking strategically about the big picture.

This is a mistake.

Executives cannot afford to work the same way that they did when they were at a lower level because their scope, responsibilities, and expectations have completely changed.

What is the Big Picture?
But what does the big picture really mean, and what do you need to do to “see” it?  Strategic thinking behaviors related to the “big picture:”

• Involve lateral thinking.
• Relate to the entire perspective of an issue or situation.
• Are broad like the wide screen picture above, not narrow.
• Are comprehensive and overarching, not focused on irrelevant details.
• Include the most important facts about a matter and the systemic implications to other things.
• Look at the whole, not just the parts.

Leaders and the Big Picture
Organizations count on aligned leadership teams to run effective strategy retreats, take a big picture view, and use strategic thinking behaviors to lead for growth and innovation.  Because leaders must operate at a higher level, executives are often better positioned to see things that are more applicable to the entire company rather than to a specific functional area or project.

Executive leaders are typically the ones who have the responsibility for making plans for the whole organization, and, therefore, tend to focus on the overall direction rather than the step-by-step tactics designed to get them where they want to go.

Three Strategic Thinking Behaviors to Better See the Big Picture
If you aspire to create strategic clarity here are three strategic thinking behaviors based on data from our leadership action learning workshops that you need to develop:

1. Look Beyond the Day-to-Day Decisions
   Most of us make multiple decisions every day. Some have big consequences; others have small implications.  Big picture thinkers automatically consider the wide-ranging consequences of each decision they make.  Top performers from our leadership simulation assessment understand that they don’t operate in a vacuum and that one move leads to another.

   If you want to improve your strategic thinking behaviors, look beyond your immediate leadership decisions to the effect they will have on others and into the future.

2. Learn More About What’s Happening Both In and Beyond Your Own Company
   Strategic thinkers tune into what other companies in their marketplace are doing and track trends that might affect their business.  To improve your strategic thinking behaviors, know what’s going on in your industry, what customers are saying about what they want and need, and identify adjustments that might make sense in your business to stay ahead of the competition.

   This means educating yourself about your own company’s situation by reading the annual report, knowing which products and services are in development, and understanding what the strategy success metrics really mean.

3. Be Thoroughly Versed On Your Organization’s Strategy and Culture
   Understand where your company is headed, why your company exists,  and what shapes your company culture.  Learn the company’s:
   —  Strategic vision for success
   —  Mission statement
   —  Corporate values
   —  Unique value proposition
   —  Ideal target clients
   —  Strategic big bets
   — Strategy success metrics

   When you have a clear line of sight of how you and your team directly contribute to the overall picture, it is far easier to prioritize your actions in a way that aligns with how success is measured and work gets done.

The Bottom Line
To be more strategic in your approach and improve your strategic thinking behaviors, step back from the busyness of each day, and give yourself some time to reflect on lessons from the past — what is currently happening and, most important, how you envision the future.

To learn more about strategic thinking behaviors, download How to Stress Test Your Level of Strategic Clarity