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Foreign. Welcome to Leading Organizations that Matter, a podcast about leadership and how we find impact, meaning, and joy in our work. I'm Ray Spadoni, and today's topic is I want to become more strategic. I can't tell you how often I hear these words from my clients. Often I work with executives who have already achieved some measure of success, but who want to gain a new awareness, tackle a roadblock, whether that's real or sometimes perceived, or gain a skill necessary for professional advancement, greater personal growth, that sort of thing. This podcast is all about how we find impact, meaning, and joy, as the tagline goes. And it's not uncommon that these are the very things that many of my clients are searching for. The idea of being or becoming or thinking more strategically comes up regularly, and it's always interesting to me how people describe exactly what they're looking for. I'll hear things like, I need to understand how the various pieces of the organization's workflow fit better together. Well, to me, that means becoming more operationally knowledgeable. Or I'll hear things like I have to become more proficient on the financial implications of decisions. And to me, that means upping financial and analytical skills. Finally, someone might say, I need to read the room better. That's about emotional intelligence and not strategy per se. So when I hear someone say I want to become more strategic, the first thing that I try to do is understand what they mean by that and what they're really hoping for. Definitions are important, and so over the years, I've developed my own vocabulary, my own perspective and mindset. When it comes to this notion of strategic thinking, I describe it as the ability to see and consider that which is beyond the immediately obvious, to understand the the larger context, and to anticipate how different variables could shape the future. It requires the coming together of disparate pieces of information, the identification of important and quite possibly impactful patterns, risks, opportunities, and then the consideration of the potential ways forward. It aligns with things like values, mission, and vision. It sort of lines the goals up with those things. Okay, so if I was writing a book about this, I'm sure I'd refine and wordsmith that to death. But for now, let's just say that's the gist of it. I have four practical tips when it comes to this. When you are considering a situation, whether that's the status of your organization, stable or in need of transformation, or a decision you need to make, or you're contending with a challenge of some sort, then Here are the four things that you need to think about 1. How can I look at this from multiple angles? How will all those involved or impacted in some way see this situation? What do they want? What is the win and loss scenario here for everyone? Now sometimes this all lines up and everybody has the same at stake. But often that is not the case. So you need to think through how everyone is individually impacted. 2. What are my options here and specifically and most importantly, what could go wrong with each one of them? Then what am I going to do when those things go wrong? 3. What are the upstream and downstream implications? And that can be positive or negative of what I'm doing here as I consider the options, who and what are impacted and how? This is the 360 degree perspective thing. And finally four what are my gaps? What don't I know and is that important? And then how do I close the gaps? So when someone wants to think more strategically, I'll ask them to analyze a situation in these four ways. 1. Multiple angle points of view 2. Options, risks and mitigations 3. 360 degree implications 4. Identify the gaps the next time you are pondering something that could benefit from a greater strategic perspective, try this exercise. I think you'll find it helpful. Thanks for listening. Leaving a positive review and letting others know about this podcast will help a great deal. My mission is to help empower organizations that matter by supporting those who lead them. I offer coaching, mentoring and consulting services. You can learn more about me and my work@racepadoni.com. Sa.