strategic thinking for today’s leaders · title: carving out white space author: ashley whitfield...

www.ThePersimmonGroup.com

Strategic Thinking for Today’s Leaders

© Copyright The Persimmon Group, Inc. 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Agenda

• What is Strategic Thinking?

• Circle of Habit

• How to Think Strategically

• Final Thoughts



What is Strategic Thinking?



Buttered Popcorn

• Art Silverman was charged to educate public about high fat levels in buttered popcorn

• Asked the “Why” instead of “What” and “How”

• Showed visual of fatty meals equaling a medium bag of popcorn

• As a result of strategic thinking, movie houses changed the oil they used for popcorn



What is Strategic Thinking?

What does “strategic thinking” mean to you?

Do you think strategically? If so, when?

Who within your company should be responsible for thinking strategically?



Strategic Thinking - Defined

Strategic Thinking is the ability to proactively add value by...

1. Asking the right questions.

2. Challenging conventional thinking patterns.

3. Balancing short and long-term concerns.



Connect the Dots

Connect the 9 dots

Use 4 straight lines

Can’t lift your pen(cil) off the paper

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Self-Imposed Restrictions

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Get Outside the Box!

1



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2



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3




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4



SOLVING

Resolving Tomorrow’s

Problems

Proactive

“How can I effectively

meet the challenge?”

VSFIXING Resolving Today’s

Problems

Reactive

“How can I quickly

resolve the issue?”



Strategic Thinker Vs. Tactical Thinker

ScenarioTactical questions

look like...

Strategic questions

look like...

When taking over a new

project...

What are we delivering by

when? Who is doing what?

Who is the customer? How do

they define success?

When planning their day... What is due today? Who is

waiting on me for what?

What is going to add the most

value? What can I delegate?

Why am I doing this?

When dealing with an

angry customer...

How can I resolve the issue?

How can I satisfy the customer?

How can I turn this into an

opportunity? How can I make

this customer my advocate?

When implementing

change...

What is going to change? How

do I communicate the change?

How do I train the change?

What is the desired outcome of

the change? How do I know if

the change is successful? Why

might people resist the change?

Why should people embrace the

change? How do people best

absorb new information?



Can you learn Strategic Thinking?



The Circle of Habit



Job Description Analogy

What makes up the white space?

• The risk no one but you will take

• The innovation no one but you would conceive

• The need no one but you could identify

• The person no one but you would mentor


EVER FEEL

LIKE THIS?



The Circle of Habit – Defined

A Circle of Habit can come in many different forms:

• Negative Thinking

• “Not my problem” mentality

• Disillusionment, apathy, boredom

• A daily routine

• A chaotic work environment full of distractions

• Company culture – “The way it’s always been done” or

• Company slogan – “It is what it is”

…things (both internal and external) that keep you from being able to think strategically on a

regular basis



1. Asks the right questions.

2. Challenges conventional thinking patterns.

3. Balances short and long-term concerns.

Strategic Thinker

Circle of Habit

1. Asks no questions.

2. Clock-in, clock-out mentality.

3. Consistently living in the “now.”


Case Study

Most every assumption was/is wrong…

TAFT: This Ain’t Freakin’ Texas!

1. State governments not prepared

2. Environmental issues

3. Local vs. Outside vendors/contractors

4. Local townships

5. Start-up vs. maintenance

YOUARENOTHERE

Scale, staffing, and culture

We’ve always done it this way…

Scale shines a bright light on any cracks…

“Wildcatters” vs. nuclear practice “maturity”



What Keeps Us in the Circle of Habit?



How to Think Strategically



What makes a “good” question?

• Reveal assumptions

• Clarify the outcome

• Engage others

• Clear up ambiguity

• Dig deep



SUCCESS to me looks like ________.


ThePersimmonGroup.com

Example of Intent Statement

T | P | G ThePersimmonGroup.com© Copyright The Persimmon Group, Inc. 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


Good Questions for Leaders to Ask

• What questions are you currently asking?

• How are you asking?

• Are you asking people to do the right kind of work?

• Think in terms of Leader’s Intent as opposed to scope.

• Are you developing strategic thinkers or order takers in your organization?



Force Multiplying –Getting a Team to Ask Good Questions

• Creates trust in the team

• Not blindly trusting assumptions

• Breaks routine or habitual thinking



Good Questions for Teams to Ask

• What is the problem we’re trying to solve (or prevent)?

• What does success look like?

• Do we know that’s true? How?

• Why do we believe X will succeed (or fail)?

• What would happen if we...?



Identify Your Biases and Blind Spots



Two Hemispheres vs. Two Brains

Fast Brain (System 1) Slow Brain (System 2)

Research of Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow



Blind Spots



Blind Spots Defined

Things you're not good at and need people to tell youthat implicit blind spots.

• Confirmation Bias

• Hindsight Bias

• Group Think

• Ethical

• More?

Common Blind Spots



Priming



WYSIATI

A bat and a ball together cost $1.10. The

bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How

much does the ball cost?

Bat= 1.05

Ball = .05



Confirmation Bias


Insight Colors/Confirmation Bias

Blue Temperament• People Person• Creative • Nurturing• Collaborative and Cooperative• Relationships

Gold Temperament• Follows the Rules• Stability• Tradition• Organization• Punctual

Orange Temperament• Competitive• Risk-takers• Spontaneous• Center of Attention• Casual

Green Temperament• Logic• Concise Communication• Technical• Intellectual Freedom• Slow Decision Making



Carving Out Time to Think

• Tell your team to carve out 2 hours to reflect, discuss performance, and improvement.

• Have managers go to lunch 1/mo with their team, and 1/mo with peers.

• Ask leadership team what strategic issues for business are – the “how are we doing” questions.

• Ask your team to provide realistic estimates.



Tim FerrissCalendar• Start with meditation

• Make Email Wait

• Identify the Habits That Help and Hinder You

• Look at Your Diet

• Punish Yourself (Sometimes)

• Don’t Leave Anything Up to Chance

• Plan an Afterwork Activity

• Make It a Game You Can Win



Final Thoughts


Job Description Part 2

• Three minutes to think about job description

• What is in the white space of your job description?

• List 1 problem to solve, or idea to pursue, or question to ask in order to become more strategic



Tools and Resources

1. Tools of Titans, by Tim Ferriss

2. Fourhourworkweek.com/podcast/Tim Ferriss

3. Start With Why, by Simon Sinek

4. Entreleadership.com/posts.podcastDave Ramsey



Bill Fournet

Email:

[email protected]

LinkedIn:

www.linkedin.com/in/billfournet

Twitter:

@billfournet


strategic thinking for today’s leaders · title: carving out white space author: ashley whitfield...

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