How to be a strategist: 3 things to do today

I've been thinking again about how to answer the dreaded BBQ question - you know, the one: "So, what do you do for work?"

Ugh.

Even after all these years, I'm terrible at answering. "Ah, I'm like an author, um, speaker, sort of a consultant, but not really, um..."

Does anyone else hate answering that question? I'm still working out how much detail to provide, and I always get it slightly wrong. 

Not here, though. Here, you know what I mean when I say I'm a strategist. *puffs up chest proudly* But here's the thing: that doesn't make me special at all. You're all strategists, too. Everyone is - it's our defining characteristic. Our ability to join the dots and plan for the future is what makes us human. 

Spoiler alert: strategy is simple

I'm determined to change the narrative around strategy. It doesn't need to be some complicated, jargon-infused world dominated by old white American dudes. You don't need blue oceans, five forces, long documents or multi-grid canvases. 

But strategy is not much good without strategists. So, I reckon there are three key things you can do to more fully embrace your strategist identity (and none of them require you to have a strategy MBA).

1. Ask better questions

2. Play the long game

3. Have more ideas.

1. Ask better questions

When in doubt, zoom out. Strategists are annoyingly curious and ask many questions from a wider perspective. How do things fit together? How does this thing affect that thing? Is this the same or different than the thing we did last year? Why are we doing it like this? Do we need to do this at all? etc.

(Be careful; this one will really annoy people who just want to get on with their lives and uphold the status quo.)

2. Play the long game

Strategists consider how today's choices affect tomorrow's reality. Rather than wondering what will look or feel good in the short term, strategists play a longer game.

They know their values and what kind of life they want, and they use that as their lens... even when it means suffering or looking stupid now.

By thinking more carefully about how small choices fit into the big picture and allocating time, energy and resources to the things that will make the most difference, strategists have an edge that most people envy. That can be you.

3. Have more ideas

Most people have one or two good ideas, then decide. Strategists pull the edges of their thinking a bit further.

Masters of a simulation, strategists push harder and ask: what else could we do? What haven't we thought about? What if we did the opposite? What if we had twice as much time and half as much money? Half as much time and twice as much money? What's the worst idea we can think of? And so on.

You'd be surprised at the goodness that comes out when digging deeper. Try to devise 10 different options for every challenge, even when they seem ridiculous.

Live your best strategist life.