Analysts and technical people aren’t usually known for their solid strategic skills. They’re seen as too task-oriented, too detail-oriented, and too focused ‘inside’ their machines or heads. All the skills that make them phenomenal technical people are seen as drawbacks when it comes to being seen as strategic or strategic thinkers.
Recently, I was chatting with a director in the digital transformation space, and she made an interesting observation. She was talking about how the newest generation of analysts doesn’t seem like the older generations of analysts. They seem to be able and willing to stick their heads up over the parapets and look around at what is happening in the world. They seem to be a little less inwardly focused. However, her following comment reflected what many analysts have experienced over their careers.
She said that perhaps by the time they have developed their analytical and technical skills sufficiently to be deemed specialists or experts, that enquiring nature may have been snuffed out. And that is a sad, albeit accurate, reflection of the analyst’s journey from junior to Subject Matter Expert (SME).
Analysts and technical people tend to report to other analysts and specialised people. And to ensure that their work passes snuff, they need to be focused on the detail, deliver precisely, and be able to communicate all that detail in a way that makes sense to senior line manager(s). And this means that there is a strong emphasis on logic, quantitative analytics, technicalities, facts, sequencing and detail. It’s all focused on the problem being solved to ensure that it is accurate and delivers to expectations.
Don’t misunderstand me — strong technical skills and a focus on complex data are critical. Without them, technical people wouldn’t be the technical experts that we rely on. Analysts and technical people are clever, often very clever. And they’re really good at doing what they do. It is fair to say that strategic thinking often isn’t seen as a necessary skill for them to develop, right up until they need it. And then there is a gap, between where their strategic thinking skills are, and where they need to be.
So, what are strategic thinking skills?
Strategic thinking skills are critical thinking skills (so far, so good — most technical people have exceptional critical thinking skills). However, analysts and technical people tend to use their critical thinking skills to solve known problems. When it comes to strategic thinking, those same critical thinking skills are used to not only think critically and solve problems; notably, those critical thinking skills are used to imagine, envisage, plan and solve future challenges.
Where critical thinking skills are seen as all about the detail for analysts and technical people, in strategic thinkers, critical thinking skills are all about the big picture, the future and what comes next. At its core, strategic thinking is about finding and developing unique opportunities that will create value for you or your organisation — they are future-focused.
Here’s why technical people should care about developing these skills sooner rather than later
It is important for technical SMEs to develop these capabilities as it demonstrates that not only are they more than competent individuals; it also demonstrates an appreciation of the challenges facing their team, business unit and the overall organisation. In addition to this, it demonstrates that they think more widely than completing a task list. Most importantly, strategic thinking demonstrates that they’re not making decisions or recommendations in isolation, but rather taking multiple stakeholder considerations into consideration as well as the overall business objectives and constraints, and determining a way forward that encompasses all of this in the best interests of the business.
Here are my top tips for developing and improving your Strategic Thinking Skills
1. Stick your head above the virtual parapet; get up and literally (or virtually) meet with people in other areas of the business. Learn more about their pain points. Ask them about what they see as the key upcoming future challenges. And I don’t mean drop them an email. I mean engage with them; develop a working relationship with your colleagues, and do this before you need to ask them for something.
2. Make time in your calendar — schedule an hour or two if needs be — then actively think differently, and imagine how things might be different, what that vision looks like, why that future might be better, and the impact that those changes would have on you, your team and your organisation. While you’re at it; have a think about your customers — your internal customer, as well as the actual customer — what is their experience like? What are their pain points? What would make things better for them?
3. Discuss your ideas with people. I know most analysts and technical people are strong introverts, even more reason to have those conversations. What insights do other people have? What keeps them up at night?
4. Reflect on the conversations that you’ve been having. What have people said? What new information have you learned? How does that new information change your thinking? If this new information doesn’t change your thinking at all, perhaps think about why that is.
5. Chat about your ideas with your line manager or a trusted mentor, get their input, and ask them what you might have overlooked. Ask them for their feedback.
6. If there are big important meetings happening, and they’re above your pay grade, volunteer to take the minutes. Yes, I know that this sounds super dull. But you know what else they are? They’re an excellent opportunity to learn about things you would otherwise have absolutely no sight over. They’re an opportunity to gather more information, to learn more, and to see how higher levels of the organisation operate.
Making these changes will have an impact!
If you can demonstrate that you’re thinking strategically, you will be more likely to be considered for leadership or more senior roles. You most likely will find that you’re less frustrated, and you’re less likely to feel like you’re relegated to the back corner. You’ll certainly learn about things that you would otherwise not, and adding this new information to what you already know, with your very detailed understanding of your technical areas, means that you will be in a position to make recommendations that not only take your constraints into consideration but also seek to resolve pain points for other areas in the business.
Strategic thinking is not only reserved for the Senior Leadership Team or the Exec. These are skills that everyone should develop and improve. Analysts and technical people are well placed to add significant value, as they have a detailed understanding of the systems and processes that could best benefit from a strategic overhaul. The trick is to step back and see the overall picture, to imagine what is possible and how to facilitate that future.
I’m deeply curious and passionate about helping analysts and technical people transition from technical roles into leadership roles. If you’d like to know more, please book a free discovery session here.
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Further Reading
- https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/how-to-develop-strategic-thinking-skills#:~:text=Strategic%20thinking%20skills%20are%20any,or%20even%20years%20to%20achieve. - https://www.masterclass.com/articles/strategic-thinking-guide - https://cmoe.com/glossary/strategic-thinking/ - https://www.effectivegovernance.com.au/page/knowledge-centre/news-articles/what-is-strategic-thinking - https://www.fraserdove.com/master-strategic-thinking/ - https://www.iese.edu/standout/strategic-thinking-how-to-improve-it/ - https://hbr.org/2016/12/4-ways-to-improve-your-strategic-thinking-skills - https://hbr.org/2019/09/how-to-demonstrate-your-strategic-thinking-skills#:~:text=Showing%20strategic%20thinking%20skills%20tells,the%20outside%20world%20will%20respond. - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-strategic-thinking-essential-todays-disruptive-john-reynolds-phd - https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2020/05/27/the-importance-of-thinking-strategically-not-transactionally/ - https://www.aha.io/blog/strategic-thinking-vs-strategic-planning#:~:text=Strategic%20thinking%20helps%20you%20consider,process%2C%20or%20deliver%20something%20new. - https://hbr.org/1994/01/the-fall-and-rise-of-strategic-planning - https://saliencelearning.com/insights/three-types-of-thinking/ - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/strategic-vs-critical-thinking-mike-kallet - https://criticalthinkingsecrets.com/critical-thinking-vs-strategic-thinking/ - https://www.forbes.com/sites/terinaallen/2018/11/20/3-unmistakable-signs-youre-a-strategic-thinker/ - https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/strategic-thinker - https://au.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/examples-of-strategic-thinking
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