Building a team that thinks strategically in three easy steps

Step back from your daily deadlines for a moment and ask yourself some critical questions. Do the leaders in your company take time to foster independent decision-making at every level? Many companies now employ teams that work in a hybrid fashion; some in-office and some remote. This workforce arrangement often translates to more situations requiring autonomy. Do frontline supervisors and workers understand the top three goals of your company and their role in reaching those goals?

So often, executives tell me that they don’t trust their leaders and staff to do the right thing. They are frustrated because managers don’t hold team members accountable. It is easy to understand how leaders and teams become reactive in the daily rush to meet deadlines.

To overcome reactive behavior, leaders must take a thoughtful and courageous approach to set expectations and hold teams accountable.

That’s where Sandra comes in. Last year, Sandra took on a strategic growth initiative at her CEO’S request. The initiative required a new level of skill, accountability, and client interaction from everyone on her team. Serving the company’s enterprise-level clients at a higher standard meant understanding complex, changing issues. Now add the complexity of the team working remotely, and it’s easy to see how breakdowns might occur.

Sandra was frustrated because she inherited a team that reacted to customer complaints without thinking, leading to costly errors. So, how did Sandra help talented team members with little experience in strategic thinking build this vital skill?

Help your team to understand the difference between strategy and tactics.

Sandra compared two relevant scenarios. The first involved responding quickly to billing errors made on the number of software licenses a client uses. She pointed out the necessity of responding promptly to tactical mistakes. The second scenario involved Sandra asking each team member to become familiar with the daily issues their clients encounter running their business, opening the door to partnering with clients to solve issues through a strategic approach.

2. Help your team see their role through the eyes of the CEO.

Sandra took time to help her team understand how each job contributes to achieving company goals. In her one-to-one meetings with her team, she asked a series of open-ended questions:

• How do you add value to the company?

• How do you help the company make money, save money, or both?

• What matters to you in your career, and how can I help you make progress?

3. Increase employee engagement through active listening and tying individual goals to company goals.

As the team began to think more strategically, Sandra encouraged further development by asking more in-depth questions:

• What can we do better that will serve our clients and help our company?

• What hinders the progress of our clients and company that we can address?

As a leader, Sandra helped her team develop strategic thinking skills. She wants a team that questions the status quo and thinks about better ways to serve clients. She knows that the tactical, day-to-day work must be done to survive, but strategic thinkers are essential for her company to thrive.

Kathleen Winsor-games is the VP of Sales and Organizational Excellence at Achievement Dynamics, Inc., a Sandler Training company. She provides values-based training and coaching on sales and leadership. Contact her at Kathleen.winsor-games@sandler.com