1. Strategic Thinking and Planning
What is Strategic Thinking?
Having the ability to analyze the business from a
cross-functional perspective, generate viable
solutions to internal and external marketplace
challenges, create a long-term vision, and obtain
buy-in from key stakeholders defines great
strategic thinking and planning. Doing so through
influence, the ability to affect others without
necessarily having formal authority and with the
goal of attaining a win-win outcome, is a conduit
to success. Seeing ahead clearly, anticipating
future consequences and trends accurately,
having a broad knowledge and perspective, being
future oriented, and creating competitive and
breakthrough strategies and plans characterizes a
strategic thinker.
Why Do Leaders Need to Think Strategically?
It's easy to focus only on the day-to-day running of your business. But it can pay dividends to think about
longer-term and more strategic issues. This is especially true as you grow within the organization, take on
more staff, manage other managers, and become distanced from the everyday running of the business. A
leader’s job is to grow, develop, and strengthen your business’ standing in the marketplace. You can do
that by leading, challenging, and responding to the marketplace.
The Strategic Thinking and Planning workshop provides the essential process of assessing future business
issues and marketplace drivers, understanding your organization’s strengths and areas that could be
improved, determining the actions you need to take to move your organization forward, and creating that
vision with others. This workshop can be highly tailored to the organization’s industry, culture, specific
challenges and performance needs.
Key Topics Include:
Why do leaders need to strategically assess and improve the business?
How do leaders conduct a strategic review of the business?
What does it mean to think cross-organizationally?
How does the strategic business case model provide a framework for strategic thinking and
planning?
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2. Strategic Thinking and Planning
The Strategic Business Case Model
• Identify future consequences and trends,
Identify
business issues, problems or opportunities
• Analyze and determine a specific call to action
Analyze
• Identify and develop a solution
Solve
• Visualize the solution…who, what, when,
Visualize
where, why
• Present the strategic business case to obtain
Persuade
buy-in and support from key stakeholders
Strategic Thinking Action Learning
The process of strategic thinking and planning mirrors the
problem-solving process. Each person has a dominant learning
style that can help explain his/her particular strength in solving
business problems. Knowledge of your own, and your team
members’, problem-solving strengths can help you better
understand how to develop and execute strategies with others.
Participants have an opportunity to complete a
learning/problem solving style assessment and accompanying
activities as part of this workshop.
Throughout the workshop, participants are lead through an interactive business simulation in which they
work in teams to create a strategic business review and vision for specific organizational challenges and
opportunities. They are guided through use of a variety of tools and activities to create a strategic business
case that culminates in a group presentation to a panel of organizational leaders.
This action learning workshop can be highly tailored to the organization’s industry, culture, specific
challenges and performance needs. The action learning can take place over a two-day session or through a
series of eight 2-hour sessions over a period of several months. Each group’s work culminates into a final
presentation that addresses a panel of business leaders, providing both exposure to and learning from the
organization’s executives.
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3. Strategic Thinking and Planning
Workshop Objectives
Through understanding and applying the essence of Strategic Thinking and Planning, participants will…
Develop a clear analysis of the organization’s business position internally and in the marketplace
Identify future consequences and trends, business issues, problems or opportunities
Create cross-functional thinking and actions that improve strategy development across the business
Analyze and determine a specific call to action to address critical business issues
Develop a clear focus and direction to strategic plans, understanding the inherent barriers and risks
Create a vision that mobilizes and inspires others by immediately applying the skills learned to your
own case, and obtain feedback from the organization’s leaders
Desired Results
As a result of this program, the organization will achieve…
1. Better leaders at all levels that are able to spot future issues and concerns that may affect and
develop business results tomorrow
2. Improved ability to recognize, prepare for, and take advantage of business opportunities as they
present themselves
3. Increased redirection of managerial attention from tasks to business drivers
4. Improved thinking and planning processes that enable easier and better decision making
5. Greater clarity, knowledge and skills to create new ideas, solutions and strategies
6. Improved employee performance and behaviors in the strategic thinking competency
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4. Strategic Thinking and Planning
The Strategic Thinking and Planning Process
Participants will be lead through the Strategic Thinking and Planning model, process and tools while
working in teams on specific business situations. Through the hands-on use of tools to ask questions, forge
solutions, build strategies and plans, a strategic business case is formed.
Action Learning Tools
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