When my sons were young, I made a conscious parental decision. I began asking each of them, "Who do you want to be?" and "What do you want to do?" The reason that I asked for their thoughts was because I aspired to teach them how to build meaningful lives based on their views of themselves and the world. I understood that their perspectives would change over time, but regular inquiry set a strategic tone and had them evaluating their lives’ choices from an early age. Additionally, I thought about the potential conflicts that we might encounter as they grew. I reasoned that if they started to put a framework together, then I could be a guide through the twists and turns, based on their choices rather than those that I might impose. There were certainly conflicts, but each time trouble arose, I re-posed my two questions. I asked if their choices aligned with the paths that they had chosen for themselves. Many times, even during knock-down and dragged out battles, they realized that I wasn’t trying to tell them what to do. Rather, I was supporting the goals they had laid out for themselves. It has become the foundation for who they are as human beings and who we are as a family.
I have grown this same strategic practice through my career. In fact, I ask myself these two questions on a regular basis. It keeps me focused on the big picture when discussing with clients how a purposeful quality of life is being provided for the older people in their care and the ways in which their burdened leaders and overextended frontline staff are being supported.
With that in mind, let’s begin here. A little homework for you to consider as we explore the question of strategic thinking in the workplace. Take a few minutes to pose these questions to yourself, "Who do you want to be?" and "What do you want to do?" It may mean taking three steps backwards and reflecting on the work you have chosen to do, the person that is doing the work and the way in which you engage with others.
Often, we are buried under a pile of personal and work-related issues that, at times, seem insurmountable. We imagine that there is not a single moment to think about what we are facing. Rather, we must manage the tasks at hand, put out fires to the best of our ability and move on. But what if the time we took upfront to strategically maneuver through issues might save us minutes, perhaps hours or even days, in addition to energy and heartache on the back end?
The next time the stressors are overwhelming and the answers elusive, take a few minutes to do the following:
- Find a quiet place
- Take three deep breaths
- Let go of the noise inside of your head and the tenseness in your emotions
- Think about the two questions we have discussed here and reflect
- Re-examine one issue that you are grappling with
- Consider perspectives that support and oppose your point of view
- Think about two strategies that might help to address one of the issues you are facing
- Congratulate yourself for taking the time
- Try out your new thinking
We will continue to explore strategic practices in my next blog post.