- An understanding of business.
- Desire to learn and improve strategic thinking skills.
- Full explanations of all tools and terminology will be provided
Audience
- Junior to mid-level managers
- This course is geared towards business development and strategy teams
- There will be a number of case studies and examples taken from the fashion industry
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
- Leadership toolkit
- How to manage effectively
- The importance of feedback
- How to get the most out of your team
- Influencing staff
- Effective leadership
Strategy
- Identifying the company's strategic and operational alignment
- The role of the manager in strategy and operations
- When strategic planning is a bad idea
- SWOT, 5 Forces, Ansoff, Porter, PESTLE
Finance
- Understanding the numbers
- Finance's role in extending the company's influence, competitiveness and survival
- Evaluating strategic decisions and choosing the right one
- Pitfalls to avoid
- The importance of being Lean
Communication
- Communicating across functions, departments, regions and language
- Presentation skills
- RACI
- Communication protocols
- Effective communication
Marketing
- Identifying and responding to demand and market shifts
- How technology changes the game
- Fundamental marketing checklists
- Analysing the worst marketing mistakes in history and learning from them
- Marketing strategy
Culture and Innovation
- An organization's personality
- A growth and learning mindset
- Analysing culture and how it influences the organisation
Strategic Decision Making
- Anticipating problems
- Obtaining and interpreting information
- Placing challenges and opportunities within strategic context
- Tools that help you decide the optimal solution
- Discussion, decision and feedback
Professional Development
- Mentorship and ongoing training
- Seeing the future and using it to your advantage
- Megatrends and perspectives
- How to predict future opportunities
Summary and Conclusion