As a CEO, how do you determine what is 'strategic'?

How do we discern if our initiatives or the actions we are about to take in our organization are strategic?

This question often arises when working with CEOs. Here, I'll provide a guide based on my experience, acknowledging that others may have different perspectives.

To begin with, we need to understand that determining what is strategic is about deciding whether something matters to the organization’s success and demands being addressed with insight and innovation.

Interestingly, what matters and makes so much sense to one organization might not make any sense to the other. This is why organizations should operate not only by their own playbook, but also by their aspirations. In order words, every organization must have guiding aspirations.

To bring clarity to organizations, I encourage them to candidly answer specific questions. By addressing the following questions below, organizations can quickly grasp the strategic significance of their planned initiatives or objectives:

• - If we don’t pursue this opportunity, will its absence be widely noticeable?
• - If we do pursue it, will its impact be widely noticed?
• - If we ignore the underlying situation or opportunity, will it create significant issues?

A positive response to these questions indicates the strategic nature of the initiative. However, it's essential to recognize that various approaches exist for organizations to discern what is strategic to them.

As the CEO, always remember, not everything that can be counted truly counts.

If insights like this resonate with you, follow our company’s Linkedin page for exclusive CEO-level perspectives and actionable strategies to build high-performance, system-thinking organizations.

For further inquiries or to discuss how Mentoring Consult Ltd can support your organization’s strategic transformation, please contact us at transform@mclgroup.net or reach us via phone or WhatsApp at +372 5838 2595.