Everyone can be strategic with a bit more work.

Issue #272 of the Better Humans Newsletter. Subscribe here for inspiration and knowledge. [Tony Stubblebine](coachtony?source=email-c7f27b30bfea-1660749576030-newsletter.subscribeToProfile-7038e003d060------------------------988b8825_fb93_42ea_944d_53749a805940--------de6e5ad096a9)[Tony Stubblebine](coachtony?source=email-c7f27b30bfea-1660749576030-newsletter.subscribeToProfile-7038e003d060------------------------988b8825_fb93_42ea_944d_53749a805940--------de6e5ad096a9) in [Better Humans](   ∙  3 min read   ∙  [View on Medium]( Everyone can be strategic with a bit more work. Issue #272 of the Better Humans Newsletter. [Subscribe here]( for inspiration and knowledge. ··· A common progression at work is that you learn how to do a craft, you get good at that craft, you get given some management responsibility and then you get good at management. Well, nobody ever really gets good at management, but bear with me. That progression can happen in a few years, but it more commonly takes ten years or more. So then what? Well, around the time that you get your head wrapped around the basics of being an acceptably good manager people start expecting you to be strategic. [Caveat: I’m not subtweeting anyone at work, rather I’m thinking about specific old coaching clients.] Most people at work who should be strategic often aren’t. I’d include myself in this. Sometimes I want something for no other reason than that I want it. Consider this phrase: “Wouldn’t it be cool if we did ?” Well, tell me what the objective is and then paint the picture about how this thing you want to do fills that objective and then maybe I could answer the question. That’s basically the gist of why people forget to be strategic. It’s a chore to constantly be checking your ideas against your goals. In the Medium back catalog, the most popular article teaching this is [Julie Zhou]( [How to be Strategic](. I’d recommend it and want to pull out one snippet. These are the components that go into any strategy, big or small. achieving a particular objective : it should be clear what success looks like. set of actions : there should be a concrete plan. credible and coherent : the plan should make sense and believably accomplish the objective. There should not be conflicting pieces of the plan. focused on overcoming the biggest hurdle(s) : there should be a clear diagnosis of the biggest problem(s) to be solved, and the plan should focus resources towards overcoming those hurdles. ··· In a lot of companies, upper management labels various employees as either strategic thinkers or not strategic thinkers. The label is a value judgment on potential It’s unfair, but they (we?) are overwhelmed and end up relying on pattern matching. The reality is that anyone could be strategic, it’s just that this basic responsibility to set a goal and design your own solution isn’t a big part of most people’s early work history. You might blame school too. We’re all trained to do what we’re told however we’re told to do it. Being strategic is easy to teach and only a mild chore to practice. That’s important to know for yourself and anyone that you manage. ··· Sort of tangential, here is a tip from an article about research into [why therapeutic methods work](stevenchayes/the-most-important-skill-set-in-mental-health-b9fd1ea372aa?source=email-c7f27b30bfea-1660749576030-newsletter.subscribeToProfile-------------------------988b8825_fb93_42ea_944d_53749a805940--------de6e5ad096a9): The third and final pillar of psychological flexibility is valued engagement. This means knowing what matters to you, and taking steps in this direction. It involves being in contact with your goals — objectives you want to reach or achieve — and your values — those personal qualities you choose to manifest and be guided by, regardless of a specific outcome. These matters need to be freely chosen, rather than being forced on by others, or mindlessly followed out of custom. But once you have clarity about what matters, you can take action to build sustainable habits that make your life more about what gives it meaning. I think this quote is saying that to do the work of mental health effectively, you need to be strategic according to the definition that Julie uses above. [Reply to this story](mailto:tony+newsletter@tonystubblebine.com?subject=Re: Everyone can be strategic with a bit more work.)[View story]( Sent to {EMAIL} by Tony Stubblebine on Medium [Unsubscribe]( from this writer’s Medium emails Medium, 548 Market St, PMB 42061, San Francisco, CA 94104[Careers]( Center]( Policy]( of service](