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the time to research the answers. The more you ask, the more you—
and they—will learn.
Running a SWOT analysis helps you think strategically
(strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). Identifying the
pros and cons, along with the opportunities and dangers that might
arise, enables you to assess how to proceed. Involve your staff in this
exercise. Welcome their input and brainstorm freely. This gives
everyone a chance to make each other smarter.
Graduate to a higher level of strategic thinking by applying these
tools:
Dig down at least three layers: Look deeper than the surface prob-
lem. Keep asking “why.” You’ll know you’ve examined an issue in
depth when you’ve dug at least three levels down to expose the inner
workings of an issue—the root causes that merit attention.
Perform triage: Separate facts or insights that matter from irrele-
vant details that you can ignore or file away. Focus only on the most
compelling, revealing strands of information to avoid getting buried
in a dumping ground of data.

Weigh all sides—and all consequences: Think ahead to identify
the repercussions of a strategic decision. Know what’s at stake and
predict the range of consequences to eliminate nasty surprises later.

“To think strategically is to think with discipline
and make informed decisions about the direction
you want to go.”
—John Woods

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