Strategic Thinking is Hard Work.
A lot of questions, a few insights, and an acknowledgement of the real reason many skip it and focus on taking action today.
““Strategy is simple, but simple is complex.”
― Max McKeown
Many questions. Few answers. More unknowable than known.
The essence of strategic thinking: Taking the seed of an idea, or perhaps a very well developed idea, and subjecting it to a deep and thorough discussion, debate, and deliberation. Capturing possibilities, confirming challenges, committing to good enough, for now, decisions to keep the process moving forward.
It is hard work. It is necessary. It is anything but easy.

From DepositPhotos.com
In strategic discussions, the simplest statement leads the discussion into a complex web of potential paths. An early decision later seems shortsighted, or perhaps brilliant. As the collective minds meld and mold the vision clarity emerges, a commitment to get started is made, contemplation takes a back seat.
After more than 35 years of engaging in strategy conversations and facilitating strategic planning processes, I still love the energy and engagement they deliver. It is fascinating to watch the discussions unfold in a room where some drive, some listen, and others wait to speak. The latter often being the ones who open the door to what I love most.
The moments when all the words on the whiteboard stop making sense.
Because that is precisely when complexity becomes simple. Tired minds begin to see clearly. Everyone has asked all their questions and shared all their thoughts, crafting a collective shared vision they will pursue. The focus (subtly) shifts from “What and Why” to “How and Who.”
Everyone starts to feel more comfortable because now we’re talking about doing stuff — Acting is always easier than deciding.
And therein lies the real reason many avoid strategic thinking. They opt for the comfort of control, choosing to focus on doing instead of debating. Trusting their execution abilities to lead them to success without actually defining what success looks like.
Is one approach right and the other wrong?
I cannot definitively say. Successful businesses have been built without well-defined visions, and they’ve been built around them. My anecdotal observations tell me it is much easier to lead when a vision of where you are heading has been clearly defined and consistently communicated. And I firmly believe execution is easier when that is the case.
Buy-in and ownership of why we are doing what we are doing matters.
Yes, the key to success is always about execution — those who master it and are committed to learning from every experience so they can do it better the next time are the ones who win.
But as the old adage says, “if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”
I choose to do the work to decide where I am going before taking action, even though it is hard.
How about you?
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P.S. If you’re a regular reader you’ll notice I skipped left out the “Today’s Action Question” section. Yes, it was intentional. I’m just not sure whether it serves my readers and decided to drop it for a few issues to see if anyone notices (or cares). Don’t mean to be cynical, but sometimes the best ‘action path’ is the one we choose after we read something versus the one the writer chooses for us. I would love to hear your thoughts on whether to bring it back or leave it out…please hit reply and let me know?