It is wonderful to learn to help yourself to do strategic thinking by understanding the role of challenge. Many people believe they know how to think, that they are good at figuring things out. The truth of the matter is that most people are not good thinkers. They are not good thinkers because they think on the fly instead of according to a plan. No matter what you are thinking about, no matter what you have to do it is important to do strategic thinking instead of on the fly thinking.
As part of a series on strategic thinking I have written about what strategic thinking is and how to do it and the part anticipation plays in strategic thinking. This article will explore the part of challenge in strategic thinking. Before we begin, to look at the role of challenge, let’s review the components of strategic thinking.
Strategic thinking involves several different components. These components include:
- Anticipation – the ability and use of peripheral vision, the ability to think three or more moves ahead
- Challenge – the act of questioning, reframing, digging into the roots of a matter
- Interpret – being able to figure out patterns from multiple data sources
- Decide – the act of taking a stand, balancing sped and quality in making a determination
- Align – get all interested parties, all stakeholders with their divergent views to come together
- Learn – the ability to use failures and successes as resources, debrief and adjust thinking action to match changing circumstances
When it comes to strategic thinking, after you take the time to anticipate, to look around at the situation and try to look three moves ahead, it is important to challenge. This means in thinking it is important to question the situation, to turn things over in your mind and to look deep before you leap. The act of challenging, of trying to go beneath the surface is an important part of the process. It is in the act of challenging that we are able to get to the real heart of the matter. It is the challenge, the asking of questions to be sure you understand what the situation is and what needs to be done that leads to the best results, the most clear thinking.
Right now, take a moment to decide an area of life that you need to think about and start applying the components of strategic thinking. First, look at everything involved to make sure you have a clear idea of the situation you are facing. Look at all sides of the issue, don’t ignore any facet of the situation. Try to anticipate what will happen three steps down the road. Next it is time to challenge, question your initial thinking. Frame and re-frame the possible solutions to get the best option possible. This is the time to dig deeper, to look closer and to be sure you understand and know what you are facing. To be successful in strategic thinking, it is important to challenge, question and not to simply go for the quick answer.
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In conclusion, it is wonderful to learn to help yourself to do strategic thinking by understanding the role of challenge. So, the question for you this wonderful day is do how do you challenge yourself when you have serious thinking to do?
i really like your point about looking at the data and seeing a pattern.
By mapping out the challenges, we learn to develop approaches on how to deal with them.
Strategic thinking, I have done that many times. Need to do it often though.
http://www.mycountryroads.com
Well, we have to do our strategic thinking for our daily lives and to put forward with our own goals.
That is such a great quote. It is so true too.
I appreciate this advice. What a wonderful lesson. Right now I’m working on a marketing plan which requires strategic thinking.
Important advice! We are looking at home buying this year and it definitely requires strategic thinking!
If I anticipate something too much, I freak out a little, lol. That may just be me, though.
I find anticipating leads to anxiety for me. I’m more of a think on my feet type of girl than a planner.
Good advice! Anticipation is always key!
Oh so true, we do tend to think on the fly instead of according to a plan. And anticipation – yes!
You changed your commenting system to disqus! I like it. Yes, challenge is important.
I’m anticipating your next post. You are so good at teaching us!!
You offer really great advice here and I love your quote. Seems like every quote you post resonates with me.
Such great advice. I recently accepted a job that requires me to be a strategic thinker, be creative, and act on the fly. I love the challenge this brings and the unique opportunity it puts me to show off my capabilities.
I need challenges to keep me going. I find if I’m not challenged I start to get lazy. :/
I always pray, think, write and decide!
If I have an important decision to make, I always pray. And then I try to listen. And then I pray not to move too fast on something (I tend to jump head first into things, when I really should wait sometimes).
It is so important to challenge ourselves. If we do so, especially with strategic thinking, it can really help in a pinch!
You know, I have never thought about this before. You have really made me question how I make important decisions. I probably make a lot of decision on my gut instinct but maybe I should have more of a plan.
I always like reading your posts because you make me think. When I need to challenge myself, I always put my headphones in and write down what I’m thinking.
Thank you for these thoughts! I need to put them in action.
I’m sort of in the middle. Planning ahead is essential, but the ability to think on your feet is a huge bonus… many struggle with it though.
People think of challenges in a negative sense. I like to embrace the positive challenge
Everyday sometimes can seem like a challenge. It’s how you think about it – in a strategic way to tackle the day and get through smiling!
I always use strategic thinking when planning ahead. I find myself to be more productive when I take a step back to analyze every possibility and outcome of a situation.
I quieten myself, cut off the noise, pray and then start thinking 🙂
Love your posts they get my creative juices flowing with ideas for my blog – thanks!
Your posts are so motivating. I love all the tips that you share.
I always love your posts, Janeane. They really push me to think more about my business instead of just continuing to go with the flow. So, thank you for that!
These are really great tips. I know that strategic thinking
is very important in careful planning. It’s even more important to win in your
life. There are just so many factors that you need to consider and without the
right strategic thinking skills, you might just regret your decision.
I love that quote! These are great tips. Thanks!
Your tips are always so strong and assertive. I am the thinker of the family and Hubby is the do-er!
I’m not sure where I fall here on this scale. I have done a lot if on the fly thinking that resulted in great things. I think I think more with my heart on certain matters.
I always get so much out of reading your posts and quotes. They make me think — hopefully strategically!
I really like the idea of looking three steps down the road of each possible outcomes before making a final decision about something. I tend to be a fast decision maker and usually it works out, but there have been a few times that slowing down and truly considering different possibilities would have made a big diffeence.
Anticipation is the easiest step for me, but I need to work on the rest of them. Thanks for sharing.
Sometimes the best thing to do is step back and take a breather and then approach with fresh clear mind. – Jenn @ The Rebel Chick
Trying to think things clearly through and anticipate different results is a good approach.
I usually consult my husband when a situation comes up that I need guidance on.
I need to come back at this when I am sitting at my computer thinking what is next!
This is a good guide. I’m a little brain fried from work and some stress with my daughter to come up with a strategic answer to your question though, lol.
Some days I am up for the challenge, most days. But I do have those moments where I am not. This is a great quote to help.
Such a great list. I find that writing out my goals helps me become a ore strategic thinker
Your quotes always make me think! Which is a good thing! I can always find out something about myself when I read your quotes! Thanks
Very good post. Usefull and great to know.
This is such useful info! I know I need to learn strategic thinking!
I love your tips. It is so important to look at all the sides and possibilities in a situation before making a decision.
This is a great guide to strategic thinking, just the inspiration I needed today! I definitely need to prioritize and focus with these things. Thanks 😉
I am a classic over thinker so these ideas can help me attack issues much better.
i’m going to send this article to the board of finance in my town.
i think they would benefit greatly.
These are such great tips. I usually need to sit down and brainstorm to get some strategic thinking done.
I love strategizing! It’s so important in achieving any goal.
This sounds like something I could totally benefit from doing! Thanks for the post!
We do all of these steps even with the simplest of tasks, we just don’t realize it. Even with just getting dinner to the table.
The challenge is getting a few moments of quiet time to focus on serious thinking. Distractions always get in the way.
I think being able to see the big picture can definitley help formulate a plan of attack!
Your quote rung true so I tweeted it to share 😉