Strategic: my inner architect

By popular demand, this is part 4 of a 5-part series unpacking my Top 5 CliftonStrengths.  I am a certified Clifton StrengthsFinder Coach, specializing in managers and leaders - whether that’s an individual leader, a team leader, a community leader, or an executive leader.  

Interested in CliftonStrengths?  Click here.   Interested in how my coaching practice can help uncover and aim your strengths?  Let's talk! 

 

Strategic - what does it mean?

“People exceptionally talented in the Strategic theme have create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues."

Those with Strategic as a Top 5 Strength have "the ability to sort through the clutter and find the best route.  This is not a skill that can be taught." This ability "allows them to see patterns where other simply see complexity.” - Gallup CliftonStrengths

What does it mean to me? 

Strategic can be an overused and loaded word.  My Strategic theme is often situated with a positive-orientation, which is surprising because I tend to consider myself a pragmatist at best.  Strategic, to me, is all about possibilities and options for improvement.  

Gallup CliftonStrengths says it best in that I am definitely the person who can quickly think of all of the different permutations and options in a given situation, and evaluate which might be the best ones to explore.  Not only do I see a path forward, but I see many paths forward.  

“Not only do I see a path forward, but I see many paths forward”

This could come across as indecisive, because I tend to continue thinking of alternative ways to proceed even after a decision has been made.  This dark side of my Strategic theme proved troublesome in my recent thesis work, where I had trouble deciding on a topic and sticking with it.  I wanted to keep thinking of alternative ideas, imagining even better results than the work I had already committed to.  My imagination got the best of me, and I found myself thinking “What if I did this instead?  What if I did that instead?” ad nauseum.

Despite that side of Strategic that sometimes creeps to the surface, I deeply connect with and love my Strategic theme.  Similar to my Intellection (my #2) and Learner theme (actually my #6), Strategic is a thinking theme - mental stimulation is paramount.  The “mental hum” of thoughtfully evaluating alternatives is intuitive for me.

One of the concepts that I’ve loved exploring in my work and beyond is the idea of systems-thinking.  Systems thinking is often described as holistic thinking - seeing the connections among all of the moving parts in any system.  The systems thinker takes a “bird’s eye view” - can naturally see how an individual, a process, a community, an organization, a planet are all connected and intertwined.  These types of thinking processes are second nature to those with Strategic talents.  

How does it show up in my life?

My somewhat odd affinity for public transportation comes through when I think of my Strategic theme.  When living in Boston, Chicago, Seattle, and even visiting places like NYC, Rome and Paris, I absolutely love getting into the nitty gritty of the subway lines, bus routes, and commuter rails.  The complex system of connections, routes, and alternatives makes me giddy!  I love finding shortcuts just as much as I love mapping out the scenic route if I had extra time in my day.  Chicagoans know that when an L train line is down, the city seizes with inconvenience.  When that happens for me, I stay calm and just find another route.  There’s always another way, another possibility, and hey, it might be a great chance to see a new part of the city.  It’s my Strategic theme at its best.  

I see my Strategic talents often in my work.  I use it to assess risk often - thinking of all the possibilities where risks or unintended consequences may result from the team’s decision.  I consider these risks (and their corresponding opportunities) before taking action, which is the essence of Strategic thinking.  It’s strange to me to think that others don’t automatically/mentally do this all the dang time.  This is often called scenario-planning in the organizational world.  I just call it my normal Strategic thinking!  

Do you have Strategic in your TOP 5?  How does it show up for you?

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photo credit @Twenty20