Introduction to Strategic Thinking
how to play ahead of the game
Today you’ll learn:
👉 What is strategic thinking?
👉 The 3 Pillars of Strategic Thinking
👉 What skills to focus on to get better at Strategic Thinking
After a short break, Code.Lead.Succeed Newsletter is back!
I wrote it two weeks ago, and through writing it, I realised it’s what I practised for a long time in my career but lacked in my writing. I had to rethink the “whats” and “whys” you’ll learn about today. Lead and succeed will stay the main focus point, and the focus will be on bridging the worlds of technology and people skills.
More fun will come in the upcoming months, but let’s return to Strategic Thinking.
What is strategic thinking?
It’s an ongoing thought process focusing on the “what” and “why” of work.
It’s continuous work on decisions, problem-solving and processes supporting your software. Goals and requirements change; you must revise and adapt to new information. It’s an iterative process of getting more and more clarity as you learn more about the problem you solve.
It’s looking forward to three steps ahead.
The 3 Pillars of Strategic Thinking
Technical skills
You need to be excellent at your craft.
Every technical solution depends on the context it’s used in. Your technical knowledge of a variety of solutions allows you to adapt to new challenges coming up every day. What you’d like to avoid is to be the developer with a hammer, seeing every problem as a nail.
The goal is to expand your technical knowledge of new technologies and contexts in which the technology is used.
Problem-solving with a sprinkle of creativity
Strategies are the overarching principles guiding tactical decisions.
Strategy is not a solution; it’s a theme that fits a theme of similar solutions, keeping open to innovation. Strategy tries to guess tomorrow's problems and use this knowledge to find solutions for today. It narrows the possible ways from everything to the narrow few that will last for a long time.
Strategy is about narrowing the possible options so decisions are easier to make.
Analytical skills
For a good strategy, you need quality data.
To think about the future, you must know what will happen in the software and the business. You also pay attention to the constraints of the system and organisation. Time and money often eliminate the perfect answers, forcing you to think again.
The less you assume designing your strategies, the more solid they are.
How can you learn it?
Observe and listen
Get curious about what’s happening around you.
Start listening for insight instead of agreement. When you hear an opinion you disagree with, ask what’s behind it. It will provide you with the data to build your strategy.
If you feel you’re missing something - start asking around.
Continuous learning
Start hunting for insights from people who did it again.
Every book, course and YouTube video can teach you something. Find new creators and points of view that can open more options for your future decisions. Focus on people you disagree with and who you find uncomfortable to listen to.
You’ll grow into a generalist mindset with infinite possibilities.
Coaches and mentors
Find someone who has already done it.
A one-to-one conversation about a problem is the best source of new points of view. Experienced coaches and mentors will also know how to spot the barriers in your thinking that are invisible from the inside. They will also be a source of wisdom and mistakes you can learn about without the time and punishment of making them.
Learning decades of mistakes in one hour is the best leverage.
Conferences
If you struggle to find a mentor, the next best thing is conferences and meetups.
Listen to people explaining how they solved particular problems, the context, and how they implemented their changes. It is even better when they mention the challenges and failures of their approach. Even if they are at a high level, you can put yourself in their shoes when a similar scenario happens to you.
You can stay at home and watch all of them on YouTube.
Try it out
Strategic thinking is a skill like any other. You master it by practice and feedback. Next time you face deciding by yourself or within the team, ask yourself the following questions.
What’s the goal?
What’s the today’s problem?
What are the constraints?
What are the possible options?
What’s needed now?
What seems to be the best long-term option?
What part of it can be done to solve today's problems?
If impossible - what’s the next best option?
It will take a moment to practice and get used to the new way of thinking, but it will make your decisions last the scrutiny of time.
PS: Let’s have a chat
If you’re an aspiring technical leader or you’re one already.
If you value learning new things every day.
If you’re ambitious and strive to win big.
Let’s have a chat about how we can support each other.
No sales
No pitching
No products
Just a conversation between technical leaders.
Reply to this email or DM me on LinkedIn.
Have a great weekend!
I love the quote: "Learning decades of mistakes in one hour is the best leverage".
I also found it really insightful to listen carefully to people who tackled similar problems, to understand their context and see how I can adapt for my case.