The Career Value of Strategic Thinking

Research & Sources / Corporate Professional Growth

A beginner at chess looks at the piece in front of them and makes a move. A strong player looks at the whole board, thinks about what the opponent might do next, and plans several moves ahead. Both are playing the same game. Only one is thinking strategically. At work, the difference between the two often decides who moves up.

What strategic thinking is

Strategic thinking is not about fancy plans or big words. It is a habit of asking certain questions: What is really important here? What are the options? What happens next if we choose this? What should we not do?

Michael Porter famously argued that the essence of strategy is choosing what not to do, and that being efficient at everything is not the same as having a strategy.¹ Strategic thinkers are comfortable with that kind of choice.

Why it matters for your career

As responsibility grows, the work shifts from doing tasks well to deciding which tasks matter. Leaders are expected to see the bigger picture, anticipate problems and make trade-offs. Elena Botelho and colleagues, who studied thousands of executives, found that successful CEOs stood out for decisiveness and for adapting proactively to change.² Both depend on strategic thinking.

Professionals who show this ability early get noticed, because they make their managers’ jobs easier.

Strategic thinking habits

Ask “why” twice. Before starting a task, ask why it matters, and then why that matters. You quickly reach the real goal.

Look for the second-order effect. If we do this, what happens next? And after that?

Consider alternatives. For any important decision, list at least three options, including doing nothing.

Imagine failure. Gary Klein’s premortem technique asks: imagine this failed, why did it happen?³ It reveals risks that optimism hides.

Make time to think. Strategic thinking needs quiet. Constant meetings and interruptions make it nearly impossible.

Show it, don’t just have it

Strategic thinking only helps your career if others see it. In meetings, add the question nobody asked. In proposals, include the options you considered and why you recommend one. In conversations with your manager, connect your work to the company’s bigger goals.

What this means for you this week

• Take one current task and ask “why” twice before continuing.
• For one decision, write down three options and their consequences.
• Run a five-minute premortem on a project you are working on.
• Block one hour of thinking time without meetings or email.

Look at the whole board. Then make your move.

Sources

1. Porter, M. E. (1996). What Is Strategy? Harvard Business Review. hbr.orgStrategy means choosing a unique position and deciding what not to do; operational effectiveness alone is not strategy.
2. Botelho, E. L., Powell, K. R., Kincaid, S. & Wang, D. (2017). What Sets Successful CEOs Apart. Harvard Business Review. hbr.orgStudy of more than 2,000 executives: decisiveness, engaging for impact, adapting proactively and delivering reliably distinguished successful CEOs.
3. Klein, G. (2007). Performing a Project Premortem. Harvard Business Review. hbr.orgImagining that a project has already failed and asking why helps teams find risks they would otherwise miss.