How About a Game of Connect Four?

I think we can all agree that mindset matters. I have often talked about the value of a growth mindset when it comes to successful leadership, but have not yet hit up its close friend, a strategic mindset.

A strategic mindset means applying strategic thinking skills for future success (could be organizational or personal success.)

So, what is strategic thinking? Here is one definition. It is the process that defines the manner in which people think about, assess, view, and create the future for themselves and others. It is picking your up head to take in the big picture rather than getting lost in the day-to-day. It’s forward looking both in the short-term and long-term.

What does it look like in practice? How do you work on it?

Red Light, Green Light

Elon Musk summed it up in his commencement speech at USC, “focus on signal over noise.”

Having a strategic mindset means tapping into the noise around you, interpreting it, and drawing insights from that information. What do those insights signal about potential impacts, positive or negative, on the future success of your growth strategy or set of objectives?

It is important to understand the trends in your industry, the broader market, and your customer base. Look internally at trends arising from the day-to-day happenings of your organization too so you can connect your plans with your people. You are looking for clues (I loved the game of Clue!!). What issues do you see on the horizon or opportunities? How do you adjust your strategy and planning to respond?

Strategic thinkers are able to synthesize lots of information into a linear path forward. Link ideas and data points from all different spheres and arrange them rationally. Fit the pieces together.

This is one place where I can say definitively that my legal career has informed and elevated the way I coach founders and executives scaling businesses. As a lawyer we are taught to spot the issues, ask the right questions, and put the pieces together to arrive at a conclusion.

Go for the Deep Dive

Ask questions. Test assumptions. Think about the question you are solving for. What will your customer want from you in the future? What does success look like in one year, three years? Are you even asking the right questions?

In the face of setbacks ask yourself “how else can we do this?” Regularly ask “how can we improve upon or optimize what we are doing now?” Execution means having an adaptable culture and creating shared objectives with team members by bringing them into the fold.

Be curious. In the conversations you have, in your day-to-day activities, in what you are reading and listening to (hello podcasts!). Seek to learn always. Be observant (goes hand-in-hand with curiosity). Take in what you see and hear, without judgement! Let it fuel your own creativity.

Take the time to reflect and reframe. That means blocking off time on your calendar for free thought whether that is found sitting in a quiet space, driving, or a morning walking, etc. (time management is key). You need the time and space to think about how it all fits together. The shape your learnings take relative to your current vision and purpose.  

Walk in their Shoes

Whose shoes? Anyone relevant.

A strategic mindset means broadening your perspective. It means coming at something through a different lens or multiple lens. You have to see situations differently to see the possibilities and the pitfalls. Opening your mind will let you see different approaches to challenges and opportunities and the full range of potential outcomes.

Seek to understand different ideas, opinions, arguments (what are the counter arguments to what you are thinking?? again the lawyer in me), and positions. How would someone else see it?

The only way to get that panoramic view is to talk to people. Share your idea or growth strategy and ask for reactions. Ask for your team members’ ideas and input. Go outside your lane. Make friends in different departments, both managers and their direct reports. Talk to colleagues in your industry, your board of advisors or executive coaches. You want them to ask the hard questions.  

Be aware of your biases. Be mindful and question your own thoughts. Are there perspectives you could take into account that you haven’t thought about? What are your circumstances that may impact your view? Are your facts, actual facts, or fictions you created overtime that embedded themselves and so seem like facts? This comes down to being self-aware (which you can also work on).

It’s worth asking all these questions of others and of yourself.

A recent study identified 'the strategic mindset' as the key difference between those who succeed in reaching all their goals and those who fail. So, go ahead and think conceptually, tap into your creativity for constant ideation, and look for the opportunities for attaining your vision of success.