Strategic thinking wouldn’t be necessary if the business world were benign, stable, and predictable. But, of course, it’s none of those things.
Michael D. Watkins, author
Takeaways of Note:
4 dimensions of difficulty faced by Leaders (C.U.V.A.):
- “Complexity” acknowledges there are many interconnected variables… Strategic thinkers are skilled at navigating complexity because they understand how systems work and focus their attention on what really matters.
- “Uncertainty” acknowledges that specific events cannot be perfectly predicted regardless of how much information is gathered… Strategic thinkers isolate the most important uncertainties, think about probabilities, and explore the implications of plausible scenarios.
- “Volatility” acknowledges that important things change rapidly… Strategic thinkers rapidly sense and respond to emerging threats & opportunities.
- “Ambiguity” means there are diverse viewpoints about what should be focused on and are likely competing perspectives about solutions… Strategic thinkers negotiate among differing interests and perspectives to create shared “frames” of problems & agreements.