By Tracy Tsai, PCC, CPC
In the early days of your career, your success was defined by your productivity and proficiency in specific tasks. You may have even been promoted to your first leadership role based on those competencies. However, as you progress in your career, you may find that those very skills that got you here can inadvertently hold you back from moving into senior leadership roles. Why is that?
At lower levels of management, junior leaders are usually focused more on execution rather than long-term thinking. They tend to “keep their head down” to complete tasks, which leads to a myopic view and limiting your influence as a leader. At more senior levels, leaders are required to move beyond short-term problem solving and take a more expansive, strategic outlook of any given situation.
Research shows that strategic thinking is one of the key traits that separates senior managers from lower- and mid-level managers. Strategic leaders are able to navigate broader organizational challenges and contribute significantly to their organization’s long-term goals. As a leader, if you aren’t able to demonstrate that you have robust strategic thinking skills, it can hold you back from advancing into senior leadership roles.
Are Women Missing Out When it Comes to Strategic Thinking?
Women are underrepresented in the senior ranks of business leaders, holding only 8.2% of the CEO positions at S&P 500 companies in 2023. We also know that strategic thinking is key to advancement to such positions. Is there a connection here?
Several studies have shown women are not perceived as being strategic as men. In one study by Zenger/Folkman, women were found to be more effective than their male counterparts on most leadership competencies, with the one exception being the ability to develop a strategic perspective. Similarly, another study showed that women leaders did better than men on several leadership measures, but fell behind when it came to articulating a future vision and translating it into a strategic direction for the organization.
Susan Colantuono’s research also affirms this perception. In her TEDtalk, “The Career Advice You Probably Didn’t Get,” she defines the three parts of the career success equation as:
- P – Personal greatness: personal attributes and competencies
- E – Engaging the greatness in others: interpersonal and team skills
- O – Achieving and sustaining extraordinary Outcomes: business, financial and strategic acumen
While women and men are perceived as equally capable on “P,” and women outperform men on “E,” men are viewed as outperforming women on “O.” She calls this component, which includes strategic acumen, the “missing 33%” for women”. This factor also happens to be weighted most heavily when it comes to being considered as high-potential or C-suite material. This gap in perception is detrimental for women’s career advancement.
What are some reasons for this “missing 33%”? Some of this can be attributed to bias–Colantuono notes that men are expected to have strategic thinking skills, and therefore tend to get more mentoring, are included in more informal discussions about the business and are more often invited to attend industry conferences than women. On the other hand, women rarely get actionable feedback or coaching about their strategic thinking skills–and when they do receive feedback, much of it is vague (e.g., be more assertive, speak up more).
Moreover, women can also develop habits or behaviors that hold them back from being perceived as strategic thinkers. For example, women tend not to proactively ask for feedback on strategic thinking skills. Also, behaviors due to perfectionist tendencies and an excessive focus on to-do lists can prevent women from allocating time and energy towards broader, more strategic activities.
As strategic thinking is one of the few behaviors that sets senior leaders apart from those in the lower or middle levels, the sooner that you can develop your strategic thinking skills, the greater the impact it can have on your career trajectory.
What Exactly Does Being “Strategic” Mean?
In order to develop strategic thinking skills, we have to first understand what it means. One way to conceptualize this is to know the difference between strategic thinking and tactical thinking.
Tactical thinking is characterized by a day-to-day operational mindset. When you use tactical thinking, you’re focused on the details of a problem or situation, and your goal is to get things done.
Strategic thinking, on the other hand, means taking a more expansive, longer-term view. Instead of being reactive, you are proactive–you set aside time to plan for future success, identifying new opportunities and foreseeing challenges that may arise.
While being tactical is important, fixating on short-term goals and prioritizing productivity can ultimately limit your career growth. To be a strategic leader, you’ll need to intentionally broaden your scope when assessing problems or making decisions, instead of defaulting to what’s worked in the past.
How to Develop a Strategic Perspective
At Her New Standard (HNS), we help the participants in our women’s leadership development programs be more strategic in both their personal and professional lives so that they can show up and contribute more deeply and impactfully. To aid in this, we use a model called the Strategic Thinking Framework, which provides four different perspectives we can use to think strategically:
Self:
How can I challenge my assumptions to help me make a better decision? Am I balancing both my short- and long-term priorities?
Team:
Am I seeking different perspectives from my team members? What can I learn from contradictory points of view?
Organization:
How do various parts of the business influence each other? What makes our competitors better than us at this? Do I have a compelling vision for the strategic direction of our organization?
World:
What trends in the environment could impact our business? What patterns can I identify, even across seemingly unrelated events and information?
3 Key Steps to Develop Strategic Thinking Skills
By examining a situation through these four lenses, we are able to zoom out and understand the broader context, increasing the chances that we’ll make a strategic decision as a leader. With the Strategic Thinking Framework in mind, what are some key steps you can take to hone your strategic thinking skills?
| How to Sharpen Your Strategic Thinking | Key Steps You Can Take |
| Set Aside Time |
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| Cultivate a Strategic Mindset |
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| Use Your Network |
|
1. Set Aside Time
Like many leaders, your schedule is likely jam-packed. That’s why it’s essential to intentionally set aside time for reflection. Block out time on your calendar–as you would for an important meeting–to think through each of the four perspectives in the framework. If you’re struggling to find time to do this, take a look at the tasks you’re doing throughout the day and prioritize them. Are there any meetings that don’t require your presence? Are there tasks you can delegate to others? If so, consider removing them from your calendar to free up time for the important work of strategic thinking.
2. Cultivate a Strategic Mindset
Your mindset impacts how you show up as a leader. What thoughts or habits might be keeping you stuck in a tactical mindset? For example, perfectionist tendencies can prevent you from making quick and effective decisions, especially when presented with imperfect information. Or, if you believe that you’re not adding value unless you’re busy, you’re likely to focus on productivity and leave little time for strategic thinking. And if you rush to solve problems instead of approaching problems with curiosity, you lose the opportunity to generate new ideas or a unique perspective.
3. Use Your Network
Identify people in your network that help you build and demonstrate your strategic thinking skills. Then, leverage your networking conversations to expand your thinking. For instance, do you have a colleague who challenges your thinking or with whom you can debate new ideas with? Do you have a sponsor who can provide you with exposure to internal or external opportunities to showcase your strategic skills? What about an industry contact who is always in-the-know and helps keep you updated on industry news and trends?
Demonstrating Your Strategic Prowess
The research we previously cited showed that there is a gap in perception that men are more strategic than women. To be perceived as a strategic leader, it’s important not only to think strategically, but also to speak strategically. Language matters, so try to speak in a way that showcases your strategic mindset.
Demonstrate your knowledge of the big picture.
For example, “In light of our company’s 5-year vision…” or “As I reflect on the changes I’m seeing in our industry…”
Present a forward-looking and long-term view.
Show that you can evaluate future challenges and opportunities. For instance, “By 2030, I think that we will see..” or “If we look beyond the immediate results, I think we’ll benefit in the long-term by…”
Break down complicated situations.
Being able to simplify complex issues shows your understanding of the topic. For example, “In essence, the latest research tells us…” or “These are the three key learnings that will drive our strategy…”
Use metaphors and analogies.
Find a way to communicate your ideas in a way that’s relatable. For instance, “Our team is like the air traffic control center of this organization…” or “Just like a chameleon changes its colors depending on its environment, so will we in our approach to…”
As you progress in your career journey, strategic thinking becomes increasingly important. Given that it’s a leadership trait often seen as lacking in women leaders, developing and demonstrating your strategic thinking skills becomes even more crucial. By taking the steps above to expand your perspective and strengthen your strategic thinking muscles, you are laying the groundwork to be viewed as a strategic leader capable of taking your team and your organization towards future success.
Interested in learning how HNS can support your women leaders?
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