The Leaders Agenda ArchiveThe Leaders Guide to Strategic ThinkingAmy BernsteinSeptember 30, 2025We recently asked you what topics youd like us to cover in The Leaders Agenda, and among the answers was the request for guidance on becoming a better strategic thinker. Given that many organizations are dealing with profound challenges to their strategies right now, I cant imagine a timelier topic. Here are a few thoughts that I hope youll find valuable.First, understand what strategy really isand what its not. Therere are countless explanations out there (weve published many of them), but the one I return to comes from Felix Oberholzer-Gee of Harvard Business School. Hesays, Strategy is a plan to create value. Important note: A strategy is not the same as a plan, as former Rotman dean Roger Martin hasnoted.Knowing what strategy is doesnt make you a strategic thinker, however. Strategic thinkers are characterized by their ability to take a future-focused view of their organization and the shifting context in which it operates, and they make decisions proactively to strengthen their organizations competitive advantage.They tend to be comfortable with uncertainty and theyask smart questions.The most successful strategic thinkers excel at certain skills and behaviors, says Rich Horwath, the founder and CEO of the Strategic Thinking Institute. InHow to Become a Better Strategic Thinker,he lays out the areas that you should focus on developing:Acumen, or how you think. This has three core components: context awareness, insight and innovation.Allocation, or how you plan. This area includes how you focus resources, make decisions, and work to achieve competitive advantage.Action, or what you do. The three components are collaboration, execution, and personal performance.The bigger point here is that we can all learn to become better strategic thinkers. Thats good news for anyone working to drive a strategic transformation.***We want to make The Leaders Agenda as useful to you as possible, so any feedback you may have will be invaluable to us. What are your top concerns? What sort of insight would be most helpful to you? Please share your thoughts here.Thanks for reading,Amy BernsteinEditor in Chief, HBRFurther Reading:Six Ways to Scale Corporate Leadership Development Quickly for Strategic AdvantageKnowAnd UseYour Organizations Business StrategyStrategic Thinking: Because Good Ideas Can Come From AnywhereGet on the ListDont miss a future issue! Subscribe to receive The Leaders Agenda in your inbox monthly.SubscribeClients come to Harvard Business Impact to accelerate and strengthen leadership across their organizations. We create learning experiences that help leaders drive change, inspire teams, and move businesses forward.Contact us to learn more.Explore Previous EditionsThe Leaders Guide to Strategic ThinkingStrategic thinkers take a future-focused view of their organization and the shifting context in which Read more: The Leaders Guide to Strategic ThinkingThe Leader's AgendaWhy Courage Is the Leadership Quality We Need NowWith geopolitics, the economy, and society in a constant state of upheaval, risk aversion seems Read more: Why Courage Is the Leadership Quality We Need NowThe Leader's AgendaLeadership AttunementAttunement is when a leader deeply notices, actively listens, and signals to an employee, and Read more: Leadership AttunementThe Leader's AgendaLead with Strength: Build Your Conflict IntelligenceConflict intelligence can provide an antidote to todays low levels of employee engagement and its Read more: Lead with Strength: Build Your Conflict IntelligenceThe Leader's AgendaThe post The Leaders Guide to Strategic Thinking appeared first on Harvard Business Impact.