Strategic Thinking

• An understanding of business.
• Desire to learn and improve strategic thinking skills.

Audience

• Junior to mid-level managers
• This course is geared towards business development and strategy teams

Strategic Thinking refers to the process of thinking through problems and situations through a big picture lens, considering the implications of various actions, then acting upon the most ideal strategy for overall business success.

Good strategic thinkers look at challenges and opportunities analytically and consider them within the context of a company's vision and goals. Whether used by a strategy manager considering how to allocate an investment or a business developer evaluating the potential of expanding into a new market, strategic thinking is a skill that can be learned, practiced, and refined. Strategic thinking gives managers the clarity and edge needed to make better decisions and continuously move their companies in right direction.

In this instructor-led, live training, we walk new managers through the most important concepts of strategic thinking, putting theory into practice through task-based activities based on real-life cases. Participants get a unique opportunity to learn new ways of thinking, implement key concepts to solve problems, reflect on how these principles apply to their own work, and listen to and share their own perspectives with their instructor and class peers.

Format of the Course

• Participants will gain a big-picture understanding of what drives their business and how their role within the organization contributes to the business's goals, vision, and bottom line. The course is interactive and activity-based, with case-studies, team-based tasks and individual presentation and problem-solving making up an important part of the course.

Introduction to Strategic Thinking

Key Business Areas that Managers Must Master

• Leadership
• Strategy
• Finance
• Communication
• Marketing
• Culture and innovation

Leadership

• Self-assessment exercise
• The collaboration mindset

Strategy

• Identifying the company's strategic and operational alignment
• The role of the manager in strategy and operations

Finance

• Understanding the numbers
• Finance's role in extending the company's influence, competitiveness and survival

Communication

• Communicating across functions, departments, regions and language
• Presentation skills

Marketing

• Identifying and responding to demand and market shifts
• How technology changes the game

Culture and Innovation

• An organization's personality
• A growth and learning mindset

Strategic Decision Making

• Anticipating problems
• Obtaining and interpreting information
• Placing challenges and opportunities within strategic context
• Discussion, decision and feedback

Professional Development

• Mentorship and ongoing training
• Seeing the future and using it to your advantage

Summary and Conclusion