However, merely honing these skills is not enough to achieve promotion. You also need to show that you possess these skills. If your boss doesn’t know you are a strategic thinker, they will not count this among your strengths when assessing you.
How to demonstrate strategic thinking skills
Basically you need to show your superiors you are able to think for yourself and that when you make decisions, you take into account what impact these will have on the position of the company in future.
You should act in a way that will reassure your superiors you are looking at the bigger picture and considering the effect your decisions may have on other departments of the company. They need to know you are not focused too narrowly and do pay attention to how the rest of the world will respond. Taking impacts in account is what strategic thinking is about, as we are reminded by an article in the Harvard Business Review.
How to start thinking more strategically
You need to realise that developing skills and demonstrating them are two different things. In order to become an exceptional strategic thinker you need to:
- gain exposure to strategic roles
- absorb information concerning many areas
- be curious and learn to reveal and identify patterns to get ahead
These are all reasons why leadership development programmes for people with high potential regularly include job rotations and participation in cross-functional projects. What also helps new talents to develop strategic thinking skills is the chance to collaborate with senior leaders.
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