Thinking-Man_sWhat if we thought more about strategic thinking? How much more effective could we be? The typical leader’s average day consists of meetings, fire fighting, shaping relationships and more meetings. Many leaders don’t give much thought in terms of strategic thinking. I jumped out of bed early Saturday morning to run a few errands before my son’s football game. I quickly get ready and dart out the house. I need to make multiple stops between Philadelphia, King of Prussia and Exton, Pennsylvania. In my haste, driving back from Exton via the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I forgot that I also needed to make a stop at Chesterbrook but I had already blown by the closest exit miles ago. Strategically thinking, I would have simply taken the time to plug all of the destinations in the GPS to optimize my trip. I could have gone old school with a pen and paper to map out my morning as well. Unfortunately, I was in “fireman mode”. I heard the alarm and I jumped up a reacted based on a my “Saturday program”. Let me explain, during football season I am programmed to eat, interrogate my son regarding his preparedness and go to the game. Now, think about how the lack of thinking produces a string of negative outcomes in relationship with others who follow you:

  1. As I drive back from my final stop I receive the dreaded call from my wife, “where are you?”  (Big Daddy should be on time!)
  2. My son is possibly in the midst of focusing on being late instead of mentally preparing for the game. Additionally, part of my “Saturday programming” is giving my son some a hefty dose of pre-game encouragement. (Why isn’t Dad home yet?)
  3. I’m a coach and I harp about preparedness so I will temporarily lose some credibility when I get to the field. My explanation for being late is not credible. The team may give me grace, but I know I did not do my best.
  4. I wasted time and money (gas) because I did not prepare.

Obviously, mapping out a Saturday morning does not compare to some of our daily challenges we encounter as leaders. However, the story reveals my lack of strategic thinking and the downstream impact. Think about the last time you did not strategically plan for an event or project.  How many people did you impact? How bad was the outcome? Strategic thinking is not something that you decide to do for your next project or trip, it’s a mindset. The way we think, what we think about and how much time we spend thinking matters. How much more effective would we be if we just slowed down and meditate on what needs to be done before we start our day?

“Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.” – Thomas Edison