Top Ten Traits of Strategic Thinkers
Want to become more strategic? Add these traits to your collection of skills and watch your success soar!
1. Maintain a self-responsible attitude.
Strategic thinkers live by the saying, "if it is to be, it's up to me".
2. Capitalize on strengths and minimize weakness.
Understand your core competencies and use them to your best advantage. Partner with others who excel in the areas where you are less proficient.
3. Effectively use intuition.
Rather then a flighty notion, strategic thinkers consider intuition to be the product of past experience, observations and projections. From this vantage point they are able to develop sensitivity to probable solutions.
4. Have a clear sense of purpose.
Strategic thinkers start at the end. They know exactly what they want to accomplish before they begin and determine appropriate actions based on how well it will help them achieve the desired results.
5. Ability to identify or create better alternatives or solutions.
By thinking strategically, limitations are removed and possibilities are considered.
6. Consistent "what's right" positive perspective.
Strategic thinkers manage from a position of strength by focusing on what's working. This mindset allows new solutions or improvements to be created without jeopardizing an existing competitive advantage.
7. Lead the way, take initiative.
Strategic thinking promotes ideas that are new and often unproven. As an innovator, a strategic thinker creates greater resources and market advantage.
8. Welcome risks -- comfortable with the unknown.
To a strategic thinker, risk is nothing more then information that is not yet fully understood. Risk is managed based on intuition, a "what's right" perspective, and the ability to adapt and create improved solutions.
9. Encourage and promote innovation and change.
Strategic thinkers look for constant improvement. If something is good, they want to know how to make it even better.
10. Able to deliver results.
Equipped with the other nine traits, strategic thinkers can adapt to changing technology trends, market conditions, industry concerns, budget restrictions and basic challenges of life to persevere until they succeed!
Jeannette Kraar the Breakthrough Career Coach is a highly- acclaimed Trainer, Speaker and Consultant. Jeannette is the author of BREAKTHROUGH, The Hate My Job, Need A Life, Can't Get No Satisfaction SOLUTION. Learn more about the book at http://www.breakthroughcareersolutions.com. You are also welcome to email Jeannette at pmi@manageyoursuccess.com or visit her on-line at http://www.manageyoursuccess.com
MORE RESOURCES:
| RELATED ARTICLES
The 7 Critical Steps to Formulating Your Annual Strategic Business Plan Businesses tend to avoid doing their annual business plan thinking that it is an arduous task that does not accomplish much. Formulating your annual plan is, however, critical to your business success and if done correctly should be quick, easy and generate bottom line results. Getting Started with Succession Planning: Part II Succession planning requires the owner of a small or medium-sized business to plan for what the company will look like and how it will operate after the transition to new owners is complete. Unless the owners have succession goals in mind, they won't achieve them. Vendor Relations Strategies Sample Outline One of the quintessential parts to any business is your supply chain. To insure that the supplies are there when you need them; in this new day and age of "just in time" distribution where very little sits on warehouse shelves until you order it you will need excellent vendor relations. Microsoft Great Plains in Agriculture - implementation highlights In this small article we'll concentrate on farmers associations and non-profit state-sponsored organizations, dealing with subsidized state and federal programs distribution and management - loans to farmers and rural communities. As we realized this is relatively narrow market niche and it is almost ignored by software developers. Attributes of Companies You Dont Want to Buy! There are no "rules of thumb" in the pursuit of companies tobuy. Each purchase opportunity has to stand on its own merits. Bounced Checks in Your Business Location Outlets The new check cashing instant clearing will take some time to get use to. If checks clear immediately and deposits take a few days then franchise outlets may find more bounced checks in their establishment. SWOT Analysis Is No Magic 8 Ball Q: A key investor in my business has suggested that I hire a consultant to do a SWOT Analysis to help plan for the future. I try not to argue with my investors, but I'm not so sure I need to have this done. Microsoft Great Plains Implementation: Healthcare/Hospital example - overview for consultant Microsoft Great Plains fits multiple services market niche and healthcare is not exemption. In the case of Healthcare/Hospital there is usually healthcare patient history tracking system in place and backoffice or accounting application should be integrated on the ongoing basis with the above mentioned system plus often Hospital or association is non-profit organization and non-for-profit accounting specifics should be taken into consideration. Water Conservation and Water Issues for Mobile Car Washers and Auto Detailers Obviously, there will never be an actual water shortage since two-thirds of our earth's surface is water. The problem is distribution. Ten Steps To A Great Strategic Plan Ask a small business owner about their strategic plan and they'll either laugh or get that stricken look in their eyes. Yet it's well documented that businesses with a strategic plan are more successful. Are You Aware of Planning in Business? Human beings are rational agents. Rationality endorses one to take up planning in every sphere of life from shifting to a new house to marriage, as well as business. 5 Strategies That Will Boost Your Business Productivity Today! - Part 2 Growing your own small business can be one of the most exciting journeys you could ever embark upon!But it's important that you continuously implement new and fresh ways to generate sales and improve your profitability in order to stay ahead of the market!Here are the next 5 Strategies to help you propel your business to new heights of success!1. Develop your own Loyalty ProgramIf you have a look in my wallet, I have a Jesters Pies Card, a Subway Card and a Video Ezy card - all of which entitle me to something for nothing once I have made enough purchases!Some people will call me cheap?I just think it makes sense! If I'm going to buy something anyway?why not go somewhere that rewards me for my loyalty?If people have to buy your type of product or service from somewhere, why not make it more attractive for them to buy from you?Create your own loyalty program and create regular, satisfied customers who get rewarded for giving you their business!2. Consolidation in the Software Industry is Hardly New: Obsess About It or Risk Losing it All Some analysts credit [Larry] Ellison with anticipating the consolidation in the enterprise software industry and leading the charge. Ellison 'called a major shift in an entire market, which was impressive. Family and Friends Referrals Make the Best Franchisees As a franchisor it is imperative that you seek, find and recruit the best franchisees to maintain a strong franchise system. Your current Franchisees are your very best sales people, sometimes without even knowing it. Action Planning ACTION PLANNING: Action Planning is a process to develop strategies for changes in the organization based on an analysis of the problems which precipitate the need for change. It is a collaborative method of planning which involves the people working in the organization and permits the people who will be influenced by the decisions and change to have influence on the product or outcome. Dayton, OH; Why your Company needs to expand there In Ohio: besides the 3-Cs you should look at Akron, Dayton, Canton, Toledo, Youngstown and their suburbs. We have been serious studying these areas quite intensely for quite a while, here is what we found; Dayton OH, is looking up after the recent GM Plant received high ratings for productivity being able to beat the Domestic Averages for time to build cars and SUVs, it's SUV Plant was amongst the top performers in the Country for time to build at an average of 20. In Business Planning, Competition is Good When developing the competition section of your business plan, companies must define competition correctly, select the appropriate competitors to analyze, and explain its competitive advantages.To start, companies must align their definition of competition with investors. Fail to plan... or Plan to FAIL?? Running a business, whether it be an offline multi-billiondollar company or an online part time home business, theyshare many similar traits.One of the biggest obstacles I have endeavored totranslate to many, many small business / home businesspeople, is a very simple phrase. Completing the Annual Planning Process Imagine an office without a desk, or lights, a computer, or even something as simple as a chair. When the architects and designers started planning a building or office space they knew they would have to make concessions for these items during each of the building activities. The Impact of Price Popularity on Profits The goal of almost every business owner is to generate a profit either for themselves or their shareholders. This can be challenging at best. |


