It’s impossible to make your knowledge, degrees, and skills work for you if you can’t think strategically. Thus, learning how to improve strategic thinking skills is critical to your professional success.
I know you want to make sound strategic decisions and look educated, informed, and bright, because you are reading this post. Don’t you?
Wondering how to develop and leverage your strategic thinking skills?
Indeed, we were not born with a sharp and strategic mind. But we can learn to put our ideas in motion to get the right things done if we find appropriate support —and relevant resources.
That said, you should be able to improve your strategic thinking skills by getting a coach, taking classes, or reading on the subject until you become proficient.
For example, to help you get started, this post shares 6 books on how to improve strategic thinking skills.
These books might not be for you. But If you are interested, feel free to go over the list below.
1- Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell, examines split-second decisions people take based on instincts and biases that have significant consequences. The book defines the difference between poor choices and smart ones and advises how to achieve the latter.
2- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Nobel prize winner and world-famous psychologist Daniel Kahneman. As The Daily Beast put it, “For anyone interested in economics, cognitive science, psychology, and, in short, human behavior, this is the book of the year. Before Malcolm Gladwell and Freakonomics, there was Daniel Kahneman, who invented the field of behavior economics, won a Nobel . . . and now explains how we think and make choices. Here’s an easy choice: read this.”
More Resources on How to Improve Strategic Thinking Skills
3- Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella H. Meadows. This is a must-read for those wanting to become better thinkers. As Hunter Lovins, founder and President of Natural Capital Solutions, put it, “Thinking in Systems is required reading for anyone hoping to run a successful company, community, or country. Learning how to think in systems is now part of change-agent literacy. And this is the best book of its kind.”
4- HBR Guide to Thinking Strategically by Harvard Business Review. This is a practical guide for professionals wanting to learn to focus on big-picture thinking, strategic decision-making, and effective prioritization.
5- The Art of Strategy by Avinash K. Dixit and Barry J. Nalebuff presents a game-theory view of the world. The book shows how having common sense and thinking of counterintuitive measures can help outsmart your competitors.
6- Think and Grow Rich. Napoleon Hill’s timeless classic needs no introduction. Referring to this book, Daymond John, Founder and CEO of FUBU apparel, said, “I read it every two or three years to keep my drive going.”
Do you need guidance to create a system to sharpen you strategic thinking skills? Email the CBL Team now. Please share this post with your smart friends.
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