Our career experts share how to improve your strategic thinking skills

Going through job descriptions, you may have spotted more than a few employers asking for “strategic thinking skills” from their job applicants. What are these strategic thinking skills and how can you develop them?

What is strategic thinking?

Strategic thinking is the process of thoughts you go through to achieve a specific goal. If you have no trouble defining clear paths to achieve objectives, you might already have strategic thinking skills. There are a lot of things that come under strategic thinking. It can be something as small as seeing the bigger picture or something impressive like using strong analytical and innovation skills to solve problems.

The importance of strategic thinking skills

Strategic thinking skills are not just important for you while you are behind your desk. This is a type of skill that will help you with every aspect of your life. You can easily take charge of the trajectory of your career once you hone your strategic thinking skills. Your strategic thinking skills will enable you to set career goals and formulate career plans. It will also help you tackle problems in your work projects. With time, you will stand out as a reliable member of your team who always has a plan for everything.

How can you develop strategic thinking skills?

You will not be building your strategic thinking skills from the ground up. You already have a good amount of strategic thinking skills; you just need to learn how to hone them right for your work.

Take a step back and think

The first move to approach a problem or situation strategically is to take a step back and reflect on the scenario. Often, people can’t make the right decisions because they are wrapped up in feelings and anxieties about the problem which affects their decision-making. Whenever you face an obstacle, take the time to think before you act. Make a habit of regularly reflecting on your challenges. Strategic thinking is not a skill that is acquired overnight. You might have to spend a few weeks working on them.

Being inquisitive is important

Strategic thinking involves a lot of informed decision-making. You need to have as much information as possible on the world around you when you make a decision about your work or life. Being inquisitive about what is happening around you is the first step to gathering information. Work on your active listening skills. Get used to letting others speak while you grasp the information they share. Pay attention to non-verbal cues when someone is talking.

Be a proactive problem-solver

Challenging yourself to come up with strategic plans to solve problems is the best way to sharpen your strategic thinking skills. Whenever your project team faces a problem, be among the problem solvers who respond to the situation first. Understand the exact problem you are facing and gather information. Do your own research on the available solutions. You can think outside of the box and present a unique solution to the problem with your strategic thinking skills.