Strategic Thinking — Four Skills of Top Strategic Thinkers
Strategic Thinking Defined
Strategic Thinking Definition
Strategic Thinking refers to thinking on:
- Both a large and small scale
- Long- and short-term
…to identify and achieve desired goals.
Retired General Officer Survey
Retired GO Survey
When retired USAF general officers were asked to think of the Airmen they had worked with during their career who most exceled at Strategic Thinking, they indicated that those Airmen exceled at four things.
Four Strategic Thinking Skills
4 Strategic Thinking Skills.
- Identifying best and worst-case scenarios for how a situation might be resolved
- Considering how other stakeholders would be affected by proposed courses of action
- Viewing issues from the perspective of more senior leadership ("work your boss's problems")
- Identifying a realistic time horizon for achieving goals and building on small successes ("Thought BIG. Started small. Scaled fast.")