For mid-level managers aiming to move up, enhancing their conceptual skills is essential. Among these skills, strategic thinking plays a crucial role. While senior executives need strategic thinking, mid-level managers require it as well—though to a different degree. After all, if mid-level managers don’t understand the strategy of senior leadership, how can they execute it effectively?

According to a study by the Strategic Thinking Institute involving over 10,000 senior executives, strategic thinking is considered the most critical leadership behavior for a company's success. However, only 23% of executives are skilled at strategic thinking. More than half of them admitted that their time was consumed by daily operations, leaving no room for big-picture thinking. Yet, when asked, “If you had an entire day to be more strategic, what would you actually do?”, most responded with a shrug or a confused look.

Many managers use being "too busy" as an excuse to neglect strategic thinking. However, having a strategic mindset is not about having more time—it’s about how you think. To develop strategic thinking, we first need to understand what it truly means. If we ask AI, we’d likely get a definition such as: "Strategic thinking is a way of approaching problems from a broad perspective, planning for the long term, and adapting flexibly to change. It’s not just about solving immediate issues but about making wise decisions in complex and uncertain environments to achieve long-term goals." However, truly thinking from a big-picture perspective requires a set of conceptual skills.

To improve strategic thinking, managers must step away from daily operational concerns and focus on strategy-related tasks. This requires having a competent and independent team that understands department operations and can solve problems without constant supervision. The first step is to develop your team’s capabilities to create a reliable support system.

Once freed from daily tasks, managers must analyze and understand the company’s overall strategy. However, developing a big-picture perspective requires looking beyond your own department. You must understand the role of each department in the company’s strategy and summarize their core responsibilities concisely. While managers don’t need deep knowledge of every department’s basic tasks, they must grasp their overall missions. At the same time, managers should also understand the company’s industry positioning. Market knowledge is essential. Only when a manager internalizes both internal company dynamics and external market conditions can they truly step into the realm of strategic thinking.

Once you develop a holistic perspective, you can assess whether the company’s current strategy makes sense. From there, you can set a clear departmental strategy that aligns with the company's objectives. This includes Defining departmental strategic goals, identifying key milestones and potential obstacles, allocating budget and resources accordingly and integrate Strategy Into Team Operations

Strategy cannot be executed alone—it must be a team effort. The more team members understand the strategy, the better their decision-making will be when challenges arise. However, teaching strategic thinking takes time.

Research from the Strategic Thinking Institute found that only 14% of employees understand their company’s strategy, and just 24% feel that the strategy is relevant to their job responsibilities. Interestingly, the study also revealed that employees' understanding of strategy is not directly related to how often leadership discusses it, but rather to their level of involvement in the process.

To improve the team’s strategic awareness, managers should actively involve employees in strategy discussions. Bring the department’s strategy to the team and encourage them to voice their support or concerns. Through discussions, team members can refine ideas and reach a consensus, improving not only the manager’s strategic mindset but also the entire team’s understanding of strategy.

Strategic thinking is not an exclusive skill for senior executives—mid-level managers must develop it as well. By freeing themselves from daily operations, broadening their perspective across departments, aligning team efforts with company strategy, and actively involving employees in strategic discussions, managers can gradually strengthen their strategic mindset. In doing so, they not only prepare themselves for leadership roles but also foster a team that thrives in a strategic-driven environment.

Simon So

Chief Experience Officer of Hantec Group