Strategic Thinking

This opening module introduces the Strategic Thinking workshop for senior managers and directors, framing why long-term, big-picture thinking matters alongside day-to-day execution. Participants practice raising their "eye line" through a warm-up called Future Flash, where in pairs they each share three predictions for where their industry will be in five years (and, as a bonus, fifteen years), explaining why each trend matters and how it would affect their team. A group debrief then connects these predictions back to the habit of anticipating change as a core strategic leadership skill. The exercise is built around a travel industry scenario for this cohort; the underlying skill of forecasting trends and their team impact generalizes to any industry context.

This module teaches two techniques for turning strategy into measurable, actionable plans: Gap Analysis and Pre-Mortem. Participants first learn to define the gap between a current state and a goal, then identify leading indicators (early signs of progress) and lagging indicators (ultimate outcomes) to track it, practicing with a personal goal and discussing measurement challenges with a partner. Participants then learn the Pre-Mortem technique ??? imagining a project has already failed and working backward to uncover unintended consequences before they happen ??? first watching a live demo on a sample goal, then applying it to their own goal and discussing how to mitigate the risks they surface.

This closing module wraps up the Strategic Thinking workshop by consolidating three tools practiced earlier: Future Flash for envisioning long-term, big-picture possibilities; goal-setting through gap analysis and distinguishing leading from lagging indicators; and the premortem for surfacing risks and creative input before execution. Participants review how each tool supports thinking beyond day-to-day work, clarifying vision and strategy, and prioritizing efforts toward sustainable value, then commit to specific next steps to bring back to their teams.