Linked In Training: Strategic Thinking

LinkedIn module by Dorie Clark.

Strategic Thinking: Reevaluating new information and adapting accordingly.

-> Question assumptions - interrogate habits and practices in a targeted way
-> Observing - if too busy doing, not observing big picture, macro view of company
-> Reflecting - be present & sit with our thoughts

Transition to being a leader -> Stop being evaluated on whether you can implement a task or project but to conceptualize & make determinations on what employees should be spending time on.

Strategy is having a long-term vision with short term actions on how to get to the vision
   * Being clear and proactive in what we're going to do and what we are not going to do
   * Good strategy is about making choices

 

Strategic thinking considers:

   * Future: Monitor and recognize trends; think through how different options could play out

   * Past: Understand past and dig into they why, beyond the simplistic reasons
   * Assumptions: Avoid clinging to past assumptions

Implementing strategies:
   * Identify assets and allies
   * Consider constraints
   * Brainstorm objections, be prepared to address
   * Put together next steps
   * New information - Respond decisively: Do not need to change strategy instantly but respond to give more options long-term

Measure success -> for my OneNote page for Geoff & Josh, note what they are focused on & determine measurement of success

Making decisions, thinking strategically -> all muscles that need to be flexed

Playing Big by Tara Mohr, 2014

At the conclusion of Playing Big, Mohr talks about women who have taken her course and consider the ideas paradigm shift in how they approach their lives and careers.  From the first few chapters, this is exactly how I have felt.

I like how Mohr's approach focuses on what to do: listen to your inner mentor/gut, learn to recognize your inner critic who speaks in absolutes and about the future.  Instead of on the negative and what not to do, especially when that something (listening to my inner critic) is something that I've done for decades. 

When I think something is too big to implement or too big of a change, that is my inner critic.  When I hold back and don't share an experience because I don't think it's relevant or that people won't understand, that's my inner critic.  Part of this is tied to the "duality of identity" that I have struggled with all my life.  My inner critic cares too much about what other people think.

My inner mentor is part of something bigger, part of the 'Transition Team' that has the power to really affect outcomes and make an impact. 

Other topics covered in Thinking Big that were not already covered in previous posts:

Communicating with Power - The ones I want to focus on have to do with undermining structure:

• Speak in short sentences
  
• use periods and pause, instead of clause after clause and so on and so on...
• don't pile words on 
  
• will give me time to breath and stay centered while allowing listener time to absorb
• Don't disguise statements in form of a question
• does not sound like I have a point of view
• ideas, important points & astute observations are hidden

Other communication notes: instead of "Does this make sense?" which I use often... use "What do you think?"  (things I used to do was use words like "just" and "quick" until I read why they were not empowering, and a previous mentor had told me once that I uptalked, which I made a conscious effort not to do)

Let it Be Easy -  "I became motivated not by self-criticism or wanting to change how I was seen, but by tender friendship with myself and wanting to change how I felt."

 

Motivation based on compassion to myself instead of shame or guilt; 'gift goals' and not 'should goals'

Where we think we need self-discipline, we need more self-love.  Create this through routines and rituals that we set up to enable that changes we desire to happen naturally and with ease.  Turn gift goals into the default behavior. 

Hiding - Collecting and curating what everyone else has to say.  Over-relying on what other people say.  Omitting my own story.  Need to share my story (and accomplishments!) more.

As Monica shared with me from one of her friend's dad who was an executive when she was just starting out in consulting: No one in the room knows the answer.  People have different credentials and experiences, but are figuring things out just like everyone else.  I need to have an opinion and contribute to finding answers.

First of many Leaps.  Bean bags for my daughter.

Leaping - Similar to agile software

development, leaping is taking an iterative approach to things, throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.  Get feedback early. 

Leap criteria for thinking big is manageable, something that can be described in a short phrase, something started and completed in 1-2 weeks.

Calling - Don't underestimate the level of expertise that I do have.  Don't assume I need to be an expert to make a valuable contribution.  "cross-trainers" -> people who are experts in their fields (e.g. PM, processes, scalability) and apply that expertise/lends to a new field.

When reading about Leaping, Calling and Let it Be Easy, my thoughts focused on my personal life.  On the hobbies and crafts that I've let fall by the wayside, and my interest/calling in supporting the Chinese immigrant community. 

I've realized my calling since I was in my 20s and have volunteered and donated here and there, and am ready to make supporting and giving back to the community my default behavior

Playing Big: Influecing and Visibility

Playing Big talks about leaving good student habits behind.  It notes that students are praised for following authority versus challenging or influencing authority.

This makes me think of my daughter since I often tell her that it's important to listen to her teachers and elders.  I've changed that messaging to tell her that it's ok to ask questions or suggest something else, but in a respectful way and with good manners.

Beyond that, it's a good reminder for me that I should focus on influencing authority.  As a project manager, I am constantly influencing people.  I just need to elevate this behavior to the executive level.

Similar to thinking about feedback as data points about the person (versus something tied to me directly), thinking of self-promotion as visibility is transformative.  I have negative connotations when I think about self-promotion, but not about visibility.

"Speaking forthrightly about our accomplishments allows women to know our accomplishments and integrate them into our sense of self."  This ties into my epiphany after reviewing my StrengthsFinder results that my skills and value that I add are big deals & not just a bit above average.

Playing Big emphasizes taking risks and playing bigger v over-preparation; refocusing energy spent on preparation to improvisation.

I have noticed that attending meetings that I am not running opens me up to play bigger.  Instead of focusing on the meeting itself (keeping people on topic, time checks, etc), I have the space to think strategically and contribute ideas. 

As a project manager, I am often running meetings.  I need to learn to balance the tactical elements of effective meetings with improvisation.  A possible way to do this is to not share my screen as much since my focus becomes driving the meeting/my screen versus taking the space to think.

=============== Exercises =================

RELATING TO AUTHORITY

Old Skill: good at figuring out what each authority figure wanted and providing it

New Skill:

• challenge & influence authority figures
  
• find alternative authority figures aligned with your point of view
• become the authority

What I did:

Steered executive away from analyzing survey results for alternative solution (just as effective but less work)

What I Learned:

Instead of implementing what executive sponsors/decision makers want, I can and should go ahead with my own ideas, and not wait for someone else to sign off on

What I Want to Do with This Next:

Continue to act on this: that I should go ahead with my own ideas instead of asking permission/waiting for someone to validate them first

PREPARATION V IMPROVISATION

Old Skill: be prepared, ready with the answer for anything you might be asked

New Skill:

• brilliant careers require that we think on our feet
• get used to the idea that improvising is part of the job description
  

What I did:

For meetings that I run, focus on the agenda but loosen up and allow room for improvisation.  To allow for improvisation, I stopped sharing my screen when it was no longer necessary.  This small step made me feel more engaged as a participant v organizer.  When presenting, I'm not able to see other people in the meeting.  When I stopped sharing my screen, it took the focus away from the agenda and allowed me to become more engaged with the meeting.

Something else I will do: stop multitasking during team meetings and focus on contributing/improvisation instead...

What I Learned:

Not sharing my screen makes me more present in the meeting as a participant v organizer.  That going off agenda is ok, although I still focus on hitting the key points.  Going off agenda also allows me to strengthen relationships

What I Want to Do with This Next:

Share my screen when necessary in meetings (it does add value & keeps people focused) but then unshare when it's not needed.  And to stop multitasking during meetings & really focus my dedicated time instead of going through & responding to emails.

INSIDE OUT V OUTSIDE IN

Old Skill: look outside yourself for answers

New Skill:

• turn your focus inward and trust what you already know
• when instinct is to look outside yourself for an answer, take a few deep breaths, slow down, and look instead to see what ideas and insights are already in you
  

What I did:

As part of preparing for a Deep Dive for LDP program, had asked what I should focus on.  Realized though, that I was able to answer this myself by taking the time to look at reference materials and just think...

What I Learned:

Initial guidance is usually already out there (whether in emails, posted online in SP or through a google search), I just need to take the time to stop and put in the work to do the work/thinking myself

What I Want to Do with This Next:

When I have a question on how to do something/next steps, I should jot down the item in my notebook so that I can come back to it and spend some time thinking about it v taking the easy way out and asking someone

JUST DO GOOD WORK V DO GOOD WORK AND MAKE IT VISIBLE

Old Skill: work hard and perform well, get a good grade

New Skill:

• work hard, but make sure people know about your excellent performance
  
• find your way to own your accomplishments and talk about them gracefully
  

What I did:

Instead of sharing credit for a tracking spreadsheet & review process that I worked on when it was praised, I said thank you & reiterated the value/reason why I created the spreadsheet.

What I Learned:

I do not need to/should not share credit with someone who worked on a project with me, that it's not insincere or unctuous to do this.  When I do share credit, it takes away from my accomplishment and ownership of what I did to make things happen.

What I Want to Do with This Next:

Continue to not share credit when not necessary, and I need to reference past successes and work (which I consider non-exceptional) but really is great work.

I need to do this as a reminder to myself of my strengths and value that I add, as well as building my reputation with others.  Ultimately leading to executive presence: Ability to project authority while communicating with confidence and authenticity. 

Playing Big: Unhooking from Praise and Criticism

"Feedback doesn't tell you about you; it tells you about the person giving the feedback" is an utterly powerful paradigm shift for me.

To think of feedback as not a reflection of me or my ideas, but instead, as an indication of what captures someone's attention and what doesn't.  That feedback give us facts about opinions and preferences of those giving the feedback.  That really, someone's feedback does not tie into my merit or worthiness.  To think of feedback in this way completely unhooks me from so much.

Having spent over a decade as a program manager leading cross-functional teams, I'm intensely attuned (too attuned...) to feedback to ensure I understand what different teams need.  In fact, I have fine-tuned and over-developed this skill and realize now that the behavior that made me successful is now preventing me from moving to the next level.

I need to look at feedback as facts about the opinions and preferences of those giving the feedback.  It tells me if I'm reaching the people I want to reach.  It is a source of tactical information, not something meant to validate my self-esteem, ideas or contributions.

Like all information, feedback can be valuable.  Instead of responding to all feedback though, I need to filter feedback in the interest of going fast or even making things easier.  I should only focus on feedback that is strategically useful, improve effectiveness or make things better.

I've often valued the feedback from experts but realize the feedback is only relevant if the expert is the intended audience or decision maker.  If the expert is not the decision maker, I need to filter the feedback based on what the decision makers are looking for.

An exercise from Playing Big is for my current projects, identify who are the people I need to influence or reach in order to be successful?  These are the critical people from whom I need to gather feedback.  Taking this a level deeper:

Before each meeting, I should take a moment to think about whom I am trying to engage or influence.  This is just as important as having a well-though out agenda.

Women (and men) who play big get criticized.  That is pat of doing impactful and visible work.  They are not afraid to rock the boat or care about being liked.  Negative feedback, a bad meeting, a failed idea - they move on.

Realizing that I can, and more importantly should, filter out feedback is incredibly freeing.

Criticism (& in my case, perceived criticism) Hurts...

Only when it mirrors my inner critic.  Criticism that I know is not true bounces off of me.  This demonstrates that criticism is not about the external event but a reflection of my inner critic, which I control...

Th shift is not to become impervious to other people's reactions or feedback, but to become less hindered by it.  To reduce the heightened awareness of other people (the "noisy room" reading too much into everything when frankly, majority of the "noise" has nothing to do with me, but a reflection of what that person is going through at the moment).

If there is criticism that stings, I need to focus on how that criticism mirrors my a belief held by my inner critic and how I can update that belief.

Part of unhooking from criticism is unhooking from praise.  Praise is the cherry on top and feels good, but what is more important than praise?  Being my authentic self and making things better.

Hooked and Unhooked

Hooked	Unhooked
I look to feedback to tell me about my talent, my merit, or the worthiness of my ideas	I look to feedback to give me emotionally neutral, strategic information about how to most effectively achieve my aims.
I assume that feedback tells me something about myself.	I know that feedback can tell me only about the people giving the feedback.
I seek feedback on my work and ideas widely - from whomever I think may have something smart to say.	I seek support from friends and family but gather feedback from a thoughtfully chosen set of people I need to influence and reach in my work: key stakeholders, decision makers, or my inteded audience or customers.
I see criticism as a problem, a sign I did something wrong, or as a failure to anticipate others' reactions.	I see criticism as something that simply comes with playing big and doing important work.
I know that some kinds of criticism hurt me terribly, and I do my best to avoid those.	I know that the criticism that hurts me most hurts because it echoes what I believe about myself, and I use painful experiences of receiving that kind of criticism as opportunities to look at and charge my own beliefs.
Praise is the sundae.	My own fulfillment, service to others, and self-expression is the sundae, and praise is a lovely cherry on top.

Playing Big: Old New Way of Looking at Fear

Along the lines of how eskimos have 50 words for snow to describe the different varieties, the Hebrew Bible uses two words for fear:

• prachad - fear of projected or imaged things, fear driven by the inner critic
• focuses on future outcomes
  
• yirah - feeling that overcomes us when we inhabit a larger space than we are used to, when we come into possession of coniderably more energy than we had before

Yirah

Yirah is something to be leaned into.  It's dissolving a boundary while pachad is the fear one feels within that boundary.

I consider yirah to be similar concepts to be in the 'flow' or 'the zone.'

Playing bigger means taking emotional risks, doing things that expose us to failure, criticism or even attack.

Recommendations to handle prachad: Take a deep breath to clear prachad out and then:

• Tap into your inner mentor
• Invite love in
• Get curious
• Reconnect to your desire to serve
• Come back to the present -> prasad is about the future
• notice your breath, focus on sights, sound

The prasad that shows up in my life is the following fear fact:

Fear Fact	Shows up Like This	Journaling Questions
We are not too good at figuring out what to fear.  We tend to perceive threats where they do not exist and miss threats that do exist	"I'm afraid of embarrassing myself when I'm giving a presentation - even though there is little basis for that fear.  On the other hand, I never feel 'afraid' about wasting time over-preparing for those presentations - even though that's probably a much bigger threat to my career."	What kind of irrational, over-reactive fears invade your consciousness? In what ways do you fear the wrong thing - the dramatic potential disaster rather than the more boring (but more real) threat in front of you?

I disagree that over-preparing is a waste of time...  I'm of the mindset that "luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" but the rest of the fear fact does resonate with me.

When presenting or speaking at meetings, my prasad is that people won't think my idea is a good idea.  They will judge me as not being smart.  I realize this stems from my mother, who could be quite judgemental, and I took it to another level growing up.

Margot Lee Shetterly, author of Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, recently spoke at a company event and said that the women where hidden figures because they "did not want to stand out for their differences but to fit in to be able to contribute."

I grew up in a mostly white, affluent suburb.  My parents were immigrants, who did not speak much English, who worked many hours and multiple jobs unlike the attorneys, professors and doctors that were in my community.  I speak with an accent, did not see the movie ET or have a Benetton sweatshirt as a child.

I remember one elementary school music class where the music teacher asked kids to stand up if they hadn't seen ET, which had just come out.  Me and one other girl stood up.  The other girl was blonde, whose parents were hippies and did not believe in letting their children watch TV or movies.  Like me, she was a misfit.

By the time I reached high school, I leaned how not to be a misfit by blending in, not standing out.  One of my high school friends asked me once why I cared so much about what other people thought.  I couldn't put my finger on it back then, but now realize it's something I've carried for way too long. 

Due to my ethnicity & my upbringing, I have always been different from my co-workers and even my friends.

I have learned to deal with my prachad when forced to.  When giving presentations, running meetings.  However, when I'm not forced to (i.e. speaking up in meetings) I tend to revert back to fitting in the background, not standing out.  The fear always is that my idea will not be a good idea.  Instead of realizing that not everyone will always have great ideas all the time, I take not having an idea accepted that I'm a misfit again.

That something I think is a good idea will not be perceived so by others not because it just may not be a good idea, but instead, that I don't fit in, that I don't think like other people do, which I don't.

As I'm writing this, I realize it's all a bit circular and nonsensical, but something I have always struggled with as part of my identity.

The next time I feel prasad, I will tap into my inner mentor and invite love in.  I will focus on the bigger picture, my desire to serve, to make things better.  I will work to focus on the present since prasad focuses on the future... after many failed meditation attempts, I know I have a difficult time living in the present, being present but will put time aside each day to focus on the present.

I feel yirah when I've successfully given a good presentation (e.g. Crisis Management) or had a really good meeting where key decisions are made, where there is expected resistance but due to the hard work of addressing concerns, producing results/data and being able to articulate the path forward (e.g. Return to Office).

The next time I experience yirah, I will remind myself that no one knows the answer, that we're all figuring things out as we go along.  That I've had lots of moments of yirah throughout my career and these experiences have earned my place at the table.

Ultimately, it's ok that I never watched ET when everyone else did.  That when I did finally see it, it didn't leave much of an impression on me anyway...