Objectives from your boss
Once you've gained a sense of the big picture, it's time to clarify your strategic objectives. That is, you need to determine what you hope to achieve through strategic thinking.
Oftentimes, your boss may define strategic objectives for you—for example, "We need to cut costs to improve company profitability." But if such objectives are presented in vague or overly general language, confusion may result.
For instance, you might think you're satisfying the cost-cutting mandate by reducing expenses in your immediate group—only to discover that your boss wanted to implement broader-scale programs to cut costs across the entire division.
To avoid such misunderstandings, ask your boss questions about the objectives he or she defines for you. Examples might include:
- Where in our organization do we need to focus our cost-cutting efforts?
- What degree of cost-cutting are we aiming for?
- Which processes am I free to change in order to cut costs, and which processes must remain untouched?
Also offer additional ideas about objectives your boss has defined.
For instance, "Are there different objectives that can help us further enhance the company's profitability—such as boosting sales in addition to cutting costs? If we cut costs in this particular area, would these changes affect other areas of the company in ways that could ultimately raise costs and defeat our purpose?"
Taking a broader perspective and asking questions about how your potential actions will impact others are hallmarks of strategic thinking.