In the last blog post we dissected the components of what made up a strategic mindset. Great! Theoretically, you now have an understanding of what the concept is and what the elements of such are. But, what can you do to actively cultivate what we have described as an essential leadership skill?
In part one of this two part blog series, we will explore, at a high level, a variety of
tools that you can begin to apply immediately in this development
quest. You will find some of the tools relatively easy to apply while others may
present a greater challenge. Like
everything else in leadership, you are encouraged to step out of your comfort
zone, be compassionate with yourself as you learn, and try, try again.
Reading? Yes, Reading!
Developing (and sustaining) a strategic mindset is hard work. You probably have already felt some of that through your existing or initial developmental efforts in this regard. However, if you want to continue to progress in the development of this skillset then some targeted, self-directed research is in order. This area of exploration takes on a few different forms. [note: in the modern era reading can also stand in for podcasts, vlogs, videos, and other similar forms of learning].
1.
Information about/from your own
organization.
As a leader there is no easier and no more accessible way to start developing a bigger picture view for yourself than reading your own organization’s strategic plans, annual reports or other publications. Reading through them may help direct you to other documents that the organization has produced in the past or otherwise have informed their assessment of the organization and the environment in which it operates.
2.
Information more specifically relevant to
your profession or career.
Some of us have professional bodies or associations that we
belong to. These organizations
can be another source of information as to what is important for
them, how they see the profession or sectors developing over time, and deliver this information through magazines, white papers, websites and similar
sources.
3.
Information about your sector and/or your
competitors as relevant.
Depending on the sector you are in, you may also be able to access resources and materials that are put out by other organizations similar to or in competition to you. This is certainly sector dependent. For companies or organizations that are publicly-traded or highly regulated there can be a significant reporting requirements that are readily available to anyone interested in reading them. For those companies or enterprises that are privately held or who might be less sophisticated or resourced to produce informative material the challenge might be more daunting.
4.
Information about the broader environment
in which you and your organization lives and operates.
Likely the biggest and most challenging task in developing one’s strategic mindset is looking out to the broader environment in which you or your organization operates. This starts to delve into areas that many of us might be less interested in or versed in – political, economic, and social trends for example. While this takes greater time and effort, it affords an individual leader with the opportunity to truly expand your frame of reference. This effort truly bears fruit if we can start to question how issues and trends in other sectors might end up impacting us and our work.
Informational Interviews
The self-directed learning noted above can only go so far in
expanding your perspective on strategy and strategic thinking. In the absence of other learning or experience
that learning may be somewhat random or misdirected. This is where the concept of informational
interviews comes into play.
An informational interview is a targeted, face-to-face
or virtual meeting that is intended to gather information about your sector,
another sector, the broader environment in which your organization operates, or
any element that advances your knowledge or skill in strategic thinking.
When you are curious about a particular industry, role,
or approach to work, an informational interview can be a valuable tool for
gaining insights that cannot be found in everyday research. Put simply, it is a
conversation that can help inform your strategic mindset.
Informational interviews can be a gateway to information
and someone else’s lived experience that you would not usually have access to. Identifying
the people you want to talk to can be as simple as asking someone else for a
warm introduction or reaching out through business sites such as LinkedIn.
Most of have a fear of seeking out these kinds of opportunities. However, people are usually willing to respond to such requests when they are asked in a professional manner and are identified for the purpose of learning and development. All you have to do is approach these conversations in a spirit of humility, genuine curiosity and a desire to learn.
Mentorship
A mentor can be
transformational for the development of your strategic insights and
thinking. Accessing one or more mentors
(yes, you can have more than one mentor) allows you to tap into the learning
and experience of someone who is more senior in their role or profession or who
is in a position to offer unique insights otherwise unavailable to you.
In contrast to the
informational interview noted above, it would be expected that a mentoring relationship
would continue beyond a single conversation.
It should be noted, however, that an informational interview could be
the gateway to identifying a mentor for yourself.
Mentoring relationships can be both formal and informal and vary in intensity of effort. Some mentoring relationships can last as little as a year, while others can become life-long professional partnerships.
Your mentor(s) can
come from a variety of sources both internal and external to your
organization. Internal mentors benefit
from understanding your organization but may lack in new and different
perspectives. The reverse can be true
from those external to your organization – less versed in your particular
business issues, but more able to give you new and different perspectives on
strategic thinking.
Questions, Questions, Questions!
Closely tied to the techniques of informational interviews
and mentorship is the need to continue to develop and ask questions. This may come across as a highly simplistic
tool to offer up in terms of developing your strategic mindset, but we suggest
that far too often we don’t develop a variety of skills because we fail to ask
questions.
This happens for a variety of reasons not the least of which
is our own fear of coming across as somehow inferior (e.g., I don’t want to
look dumb, or everyone probably already knows that so why shouldn’t I?). In many ways, we make up a variety of
scenarios in our own minds as to how our question might be perceived or what we
think others might think of us for asking such a question. This mirrors the concept of “imposter
syndrome” where we have somehow convinced ourselves that we are not as
qualified or skilled as others and we don’t want to formally confirm that
assumption with others.
What we often fail to realize is others are far more likely to treat our question with the same level of compassion and empathy as would if the tables were turned. This is particularly true when we position the question as a learning and development opportunity for us.
More to come! While we have covered some decent ground here, there is more to offer in a sequel to this post. And best practice in learning might also be don't overwhelm the learner through a firehose approach! Part II coming soon!
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Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
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