Strategic Thinking for Managers

A Leadership Development Programme
⏱
Half day
Leadership programme
👥
Designed for
New and mid level managers
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Purpose of This Programme

🎯
Decision Making
Improve strategic decision making
🛡
Clarity
Strengthen clarity under pressure
⚖️
Judgement
Build consistency in judgement
🤝
Alignment
Support better alignment across teams
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Why Strategic Thinking Matters Now

👥Hybrid teams increase complexity
⚡Faster organisational change
📈Higher expectations on managers
🚫Risks amplified by reactive decisions
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What You Will Gain Today

🧩A practical decision making model
🔍Tools to identify assumptions and risks
❓Strategic questioning techniques
📣Better decision communication
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Agenda

1. Strategic thinking foundations
2. Decision making model
3. Biases and traps
4. Strategic questioning
5. Scenario application
6. Personal commitments
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What Strategic Thinking Is

🌍Understanding broader context
🔗Identifying patterns and implications
⚖️Evaluating options objectively
🔭Aligning decisions with long term outcomes
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What Strategic Thinking Is Not

Strategic Thinking Is:

  • A discipline
  • Driven by inquiry
  • Structured evaluation
  • Holistic alignment

Strategic Thinking Is Not:

  • Not firefighting
  • Not driven by urgency
  • Not guesswork
  • Not long term planning alone
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Operational vs Strategic Thinking

Operational Focus

  • Task focused
  • Short term horizon
  • Solves immediate problems
  • *How* to execute

Strategic Focus

  • Impact focused
  • Future oriented
  • Shapes long term outcomes
  • *Why* and *What* to execute
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What Makes a Decision Strategic?

Decisions become strategic when they have:

🔭
Wider scope
👥
Larger stakeholder impact
⚠️
Greater risk or consequence
🗓
Multi month implications
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Common Misconceptions

Myth

  • Strategy is long term only
  • Only senior leaders think strategically
  • Requires perfect information
  • Being busy equals being strategic

Reality

  • Strategic thinking applies daily
  • All managers need the skill
  • It requires *sufficient* information
  • Structure and focus are key
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The Strategic Clarity Model

1. Context
2. Drivers
3. Options
4. Trade offs
5. Impact
6. Communication
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Component 1: Context

Understanding the playing field before the decision.

🌍
External environment
market, competitors
🏢
Internal shifts
resources, priorities
🚧
Constraints
budget, policy
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Component 2: Drivers

Identifying the forces shaping the outcome.

👥Stakeholders
🚧Constraints
⚠️Risks
🎯Motivations
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Component 3: Options

Generating a diverse set of real choices.

3️⃣
Identify realistic options
usually 3 to 5
🔄
Explore alternatives
including 'do nothing'
⚓️
Avoid anchoring
the first idea is rarely the best
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Component 4: Trade Offs

Explicitly evaluating the costs and benefits of each option.

Gains

  • Increased efficiency
  • Higher user satisfaction

Losses

  • Higher initial cost
  • Slower team integration
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Component 5: Impact

Clarifying the intended and unintended consequences.

✅
Define success
clear metrics or outcomes
🏢
Organisational effect
on other teams, resources
🌊
Ripple impacts
long term, cultural changes
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Component 6: Communication

Deliberately sharing the decision to create alignment.

📢
Stakeholders
Who needs clarity
📝
The Decision
What they need to understand
💡
Rationale
The *why* behind decisions
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Strategic Clarity Model Summary

Context
Drivers
Options
Trade offs
Impact
Communication

Use this six step structure as a practical checklist for any high consequence decision.

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Case Study Exercise

Apply the Strategic Clarity Model to a realistic scenario.

1. Context & Drivers
2. Options
3. Trade offs
4. Recommendation
5. Communication
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Case Study Debrief

What did the structured process reveal?

💡Sources of greatest clarity
🧩Challenges in generating options
⚖️Key insights from trade off analysis
🚀Ideas for process improvement
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Why Bias Awareness Matters

🧠Distorts judgement
❌Creates predictable errors
📉Weakens credibility
🛡️Bias awareness improves decision integrity
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Five Common Biases for Managers

Confirmation Bias
seeking confirming data
Anchoring Bias
sticking to the first number seen
Recency Bias
overemphasizing latest events
Overconfidence Bias
believing your judgement is superior
Groupthink
prioritising consensus over critical thinking
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Reflection: Bias in a Recent Decision

Consider a recent high impact decision you made.

Which bias was present?
How did it influence the choice?
What should you adjust next time?
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Reducing Bias in Decisions

🐢Slow decisions (allow time for process)
🔍Seek disconfirming evidence
📐Use structure (the Clarity Model)
🗣Include diverse views and perspectives
🔄Revisit and challenge assumptions
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Why Strategic Questions Matter

❓
Reveal hidden assumptions
Expose risks
Expand perspective
Improve clarity
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Clarifying Questions

What assumption are we making?
What problem are we truly solving?
What critical information is missing?
What specific outcome do we want?
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Perspective Questions

Shifting focus to see the bigger picture.

How would another team see this decision?
What is the ultimate customer impact?
If we were starting from zero, would we do this?
What does this decision look like in six months?
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Risk and Opportunity Questions

Balancing protection and ambition.

What happens if we do nothing (our baseline risk)?
What is the biggest operational risk?
What opportunity exists here?
Where is the highest potential upside?
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Practice Instructions

Structured practice using strategic questioning techniques.

  • Three roles: manager, colleague, observer
  • Five minute rounds on a simple challenge
  • Feedback focused on clarity
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Practice Debrief

Reflecting on the power of questions.

Effective questions used
Moments of clarity
Tone and presence observed
Improvement areas
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Group Scenario Briefing

Applying the full Strategic Clarity Model and Questioning Skills.

1
Analyse
Context and drivers (10 mins)
2
Generate
Options and evaluate trade offs (15 mins)
3
Recommend
Decision and plan communication (10 mins)
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Team Working Time

Focus on structured reasoning for each component.

Analyse the problem space
Align on a clear recommendation
Prepare a concise presentation of your rationale
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Team Presentations

Presenting your strategic decision and rationale.

Recommended decision
Supporting reasoning
Key risks and assumptions
Communication plan
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Facilitated Debrief

Consolidating learning across the group.

Interpretation differences
Strategic patterns
Key assumptions
Strengths and weaknesses
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Personal Reflection

Three actions to take away.

Where to apply strategic thinking
Habit to interrupt
Strategic question to use
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Building a Weekly Strategic Rhythm

Sustaining the practice of clarity.

Ten minute clarity review of priorities
Revisit critical assumptions in ongoing projects
Align with long term goals
Ask one strategic question per key meeting
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Key Principles Recap

Clarity: Know your context and impact
Structured thinking: Use the 6 step Model
Evaluative judgement: Master trade offs and bias reduction
Conscious communication: Share the rationale
Consistent practice: Build a strategic rhythm
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Thank You

Contact us for follow up resources.

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