#081 - How to become a more strategic thinker
Today, I'd love to change your mind....mainly about how you think. This little post and subsequent podcast could be one of the more important things you think about in 2016...and here's why:
Live long enough on the planet and you'll hear:
You are what you think.
Live a little longer and you'll hear this variation:
You don't get what you want, you get who you are AND who you are is a direct result of what you think.
(Read the sentence again 5 times slowly. If you blow by it, success will blow by you. But if you soak it in, success will soak into you.)
Bottom line, what you think shapes the results you get in life. So if you're not content with what you're getting then you must change what you're thinking.
So far we've talked about the need to change WHAT we think. However, we haven't talked about the need to change HOW we think.
You can Become More Strategic
In today's episode I teach you how to become a strategic thinker. Although I lack plenty of gifts, skills, and talents, according to the Gallup Strengths Data, 1 of my top 5 strengths is Strategic.
According to Gallup all this means is:
I'm able to sort through the clutter and find the best route. It is a distinct way of thinking, a special perspective on the world at large. This perspective allows me to see patterns where others simply see complexity. This recurring question helps me see around the next corner. There I can evaluate accurately the potential obstacles. Guided by where I see each path leading, I start to make selections. I discard the paths that lead nowhere. I discard the paths that lead straight into resistance. I discard the paths that lead into a fog of confusion.
Whether or not Strategic is 1 of your top 5 too is actually irrelevant. In today's episode I unpack 5 steps for how to Become a More Strategic Thinker. When I'm hired by individuals or organizations for a day or hour of —I rarely do these any longer—I help them by engaging them in a little framework I call FOCUS.
Get better results with FOCUS
Basically it all comes down to FOCUS. I'll use a metaphor to illustrate what I mean. Imagine that becoming a more strategic thinker is similar to harnessing more of the sun's power. In our little story, more sun equals more strategy.
So, if you're lying on a beach, how do you get more sun? For starters, you can lie out in the blazing sun. After doing this for 3 hours, you'll get a fairly bad burn. But what if you put a magnifying glass over your arm. In a matter of 3 minutes you could burn a hole into your skin.
Weird huh? What changed?
Although it's the same sun and the same skin, the magnifying glass FOCUSED the sun's rays and amplified the energy. The result was dramatic.
Imagine if your thinking could have a similar effect.
Imagine if you had the ability to burn through obstacles in your personal and professional life. You can by utilizing a framework I call FOCUS.
In the podcast I take you on a deep dive, but I'll give you a quick list below too. And if you want me to help you further, then check out the schedule for Igniting Souls Conference in about 60 days. http://www.ignitingsoulsconference.com
The attendees in the room will be equipped with a brand new paradigm for innovative, strategic, and productive thinking.
F = Filter O = Orient C = Cut U = Unhackability S = Singularity
The R.O.I. (Return on Investment) from the Igniting Souls Conference is one you and your business/ministry CAN'T afford to miss. (Just 25 tickets left.) It's time you discovered how to Become Unhackable. http://www.ignitingsoulsconference.com