The John Maxwell leadership training center shares 5 ways to improve Strategic Thinking in 2018, as shared in following article:

http://johnmaxwellcompany.com/blog/5-steps-to-improve-strategic-thinking

1. Make reflection part of the daily schedule — A leader’s day can easily become packed with meetings, emails, and phone calls, leaving little time to meditate on deeper questions about pressing issues. In this hectic environment, what look like no-brainer decisions may actually be knee-jerk reactions.

2. Break down the issues — Leaders who want to dream big—and achieve those dreams—must learn to think smaller. Everything needs to be broken down into more manageable pieces.

3. Ask why before asking how — Jumping directly into problem-solving mode can actually hurt a leader’s chances of devising lasting solutions with strategic thinking.

4. Create connections between ideas, plans, and people — The best strategic thinking leaders see everything as connected, a web of ideas and people offering the promise of potential and the possibility of synergy at every turn.

5. Be willing to make choices — it takes courage to close one door (for which you may be blamed) and open another door (for which you could get credit) rather than simply maintaining the status quo.

 

Reflective thinking requires intentional action and delivers at least 5 key benefits:

1. It Gives True Perspective. When leaders reflect, they’re able to put an experience into perspective.
2. It Gives Emotional Integrity in Your Thought Life. When leaders reflect, they distance themselves from the intense emotions of experiences and see them with fresh eyes.
3. It Increases Your Confidence in Decision-making. When leaders reflect, they diffuse doubt and strengthen intuition over time.
4. It Clarifies the Big Picture. When leaders reflect, they can put events into context and better learn about the future.
5. It Makes Good Experiences Valuable Experiences. When leaders reflect, they turn experiences into insight.