THE ART OF STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING

Here’s a question for you: When was the last time in your career that a month (or even a week) went by completely as planned with no surprises, setbacks, or last-minute issues?

 
For most of us, the honest answer is something along the lines of, “I don’t remember.” And that’s not a failing — it’s just real life. No matter how experienced you are, how well-structured your company is, or how much you think you’ve planned for contingencies, the world simply has a way of interfering. We see this almost daily, from honest miscommunications to cybersecurity attacks to changes in the stock market. There’s virtually no end to the list of factors that can derail our goals or require us to regroup. They’re also as frequent as they are frustrating.

It’s an obvious truth that none of us can see the future. But it’s also true that you’re not as helpless in the face of the unexpected as it may seem. The answer lies within a concept called pattern matching. Across the world, truly great leaders use pattern matching to foresee potential risks and devise strategies to tackle them before they escalate.

Read more in The Power of Pattern Matching in Leadership. 

As I discuss in my latest blog, founders who take the time to understand and leverage pattern matching — recognizing and identifying regularities, structures, and trends within a set of data or information — are better equipped to lead their company through the 5 Stages of Development and beyond. That’s because pattern matching is a critical skill for something that the best leaders in the world are experts in: strategic decision-making.

PERSPECTIVES

“You have to see the pattern, understand the order, and experience the vision.” — Michael Gerber

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” ― Winston Churchill

MARK MY WORDS

Strategic decision-making is enhanced by the ability to identify and interpret patterns within the market and organizational data. As founders, we’re in the unique position of needing to make strategic decisions more often than other professionals. Refining your pattern matching prowess is one way to help make these decisions faster, easier, and just plain better.

However, this doesn’t mean that founders alone should be responsible for mastering this skill. Pattern matching is also something to look for and encourage in your Senior Leadership Team (SLT). The blog touches on a few different ways to assess a person’s pattern matching capabilities, which can be used as a part of your hiring process to identify which candidates are more likely to excel in this area.

Developing an SLT of critical thinkers and pattern matching experts helps position your company for early detection of market trends and customer needs, proactive risk management, enhanced problem-solving, stronger long-term planning, and more. As an added bonus, when you have faith in your team’s ability to make strategic decisions, the end result is a more collaborative, engaged, and high-trust company culture.

TUNE IN

It’s time to uncover the complexities of data management and its significance in business operations. I’m discussing how data, while often perceived as straightforward, is actually a powerful and intricate tool that requires careful handling.