Attributes Of Strategic Thinking, Part 2 

There are four key attributes of strategic thinking. Today’s study will address the second two.

Key 3: Strategic thinking builds a platform and focal point from which to work. If you plan to build something, you must have both a platform and the tools. What is it that Father has given me as the platform of my operation? What key relationships, mission, church, business focus, or other resources has He provided as my base?

Key 4: Strategic thinking relativizes and prioritizes all activity. That is, strategic thinking puts everything into perspective. If you are in the cattle business and a chicken opportunity comes, you must ask, “How will this chicken deal fit into the cattle-raising business?” If it does not fit, do not do it. Whatever does not fit into your primary function is jettisoned. We prioritize by identifying our primary directive, ensuring all our activities are directly related to it. We ask: How will this lead to the furtherance of the master plan or assignment? Will it matter in five, ten, or twenty years that I am doing this?

I now measure my days by these long-term questions. I do not judge the success of my day by how much work I got done. I can grind out a lot of work, but this effort is moot if it has not moved the ball down the field one inch; all it has done is maintain my current assignment. I must instead look at whether today’s efforts will matter next year and many years from now. If I put time into something that matters in the big picture, I consider it a good day. If you do not invest a portion of your time into long-run projects, you will continually stay in the hamster wheel. You will answer all your emails and phone calls, shuffle papers, read some books, and at the end of the year, you will be satisfied until you realize you are in the same place you began. We must recognize that which is our long-term work and sow into it.

Thought of the Day: Strategic thinking puts everything into perspective.