Here's how you can enhance your strategic thinking abilities as an executive facilitator.

When you start thinking beyond the immediate problem that's when you develop a strategic mindset. Some of my top few notes on 'How' to get there are: 1. Keeping up with industry trends, market dynamics, and competitive landscapes will enable you to add a meaningful and competitive perspective to your facilitation. 2. Start learning to interpret data and drawing insights, this will help you lay a solid foundation for understanding & taking strategic decisions. 3. I am a hardened believer of the fact that 'Questions' are a powerful tool if utilized well, hence if you can think of related questions and make a mindmap of the responses, this itself will help you enhance your strategic thinking. I hope this helps :)

Participate in groups and forums where diverse perspectives are represented. This can include professional networks, social media groups, and discussion forums.

To enhance your strategic thinking, start by broadening your horizons. Engage with diverse perspectives and challenge your assumptions by seeking out information and opinions that differ from your own. This could mean reading widely across various disciplines, attending workshops outside your field, or simply having conversations with people from different backgrounds. By exposing yourself to a range of ideas and experiences, you'll develop the ability to spot trends, understand complex systems, and anticipate the impact of external factors on your organization.

Executive facilitation needs strategies thinking to bring relevant conversations to the table by asking great questions that leads to solutions. Creatively sharing relevant stories and facts that connect with the stake holders who are looking for solutions for their problems.

Regular reflection is indeed a cornerstone of strategic thinking. Set aside dedicated time to review past decisions and their outcomes. This practice allows you to identify what worked, what didn’t, and why. Reflect on your thought processes and the information you used to make decisions. Consider how your actions align with the long-term objectives of your organization. Through reflection, you’ll gain insights into your decision-making patterns and learn how to adapt your strategies for better results.

Curiosity fuels strategic thinking. Cultivate a habit of asking probing questions that challenge the status quo and uncover deeper insights. Inquire about the 'why' behind processes, the 'what if' of potential changes, and the 'how' of implementation. This line of questioning not only clarifies your understanding but also sparks innovation and uncovers hidden opportunities. By fostering a questioning mindset, you'll inspire your team to think critically and approach problems with a strategic lens.

Never underestimate the power of a great question. Having great questions demonstrates to a group that you understand their organization and situation. It shows you’ve done your homework and helps a group or individual feel comfortable that you care about them. It elicits insightful answers that advance the facilitation process. It leads to other, better questions. And it unlocks creative thinking that can lead to a more productive outcome.

Strategic thinking thrives on creativity. Encourage brainstorming sessions where all ideas are welcomed without immediate judgment. This creates an environment where unconventional solutions can surface. Use techniques like mind mapping to visually organize thoughts and explore connections between seemingly unrelated concepts. By nurturing creativity, you'll find that innovative strategies often arise from the intersection of different ideas and disciplines.

A key mistake I see organisations making when it comes to fostering creative ideas is not closing the loop on those ideas. What happens once the ideas have been expressed? Do you consolidate them? Who makes the decisions on which ideas progress and which don’t? Are participants left wondering what ever happened after that session we held on…? 🤔 If your team are continuously churning out ideas without closure expect ideation burnout, lack of enthusiasm and even cynicism amongst the team. Don’t let what happens in a creative brainstorming session stay in the session. Communicate it out to those it affects. Circle back in. Review and revise! This will help your team know progress is being made without needing to put all ideas 💡into action.

Listen... The only way to facilitate is to really, truly and generously listen. Listening is your best beginning, your best middle and your best end. It's the container that holds any gathering of people together, and the only skill you truly need to continuously, curiously and courageously develop over time. It's the greatest gift we can give our participants and the greatest guide for growth and learning we could ever offer our leaders. When we listen, the questions we use, and the spaces we create, to guide the conversation become more deeply connected with what's actually needed. When you experience discomfort, get curious and listen. If the atmosphere is feeling off, pause, and listen. The next steps will come naturally.

Cette partie est pour moi la plus importante. Une stratégie est efficace que si elle est exécutée et qu’elle apporte les résultats attendus. Pour être exécutée, les acteurs doivent se l’approprier. Rien de mieux que d’impliquer ces acteurs, sous le format d’un travail collaboratif pour contribuer à la construction de la stratégie. Cela prendra certes plus de temps mais garantira l’atteinte du résultat

Enhancing your Executive Facilitator abilities while in the role is essential for continuous growth. Invest in ongoing professional development through workshops, courses, and mentorship programs tailored to executive facilitation skills. Practice active listening and empathy to better understand the needs and perspectives of diverse stakeholders. Utilize feedback loops to evaluate and refine your facilitation techniques, adapting them to different audiences and contexts. Embrace technology to streamline processes and enhance engagement during sessions. By prioritizing self-improvement and staying adaptable, you can elevate your effectiveness as an executive facilitator and drive meaningful outcomes for your organization.

Une stratégie se doit de s’adapter aux résultats obtenus (bons ou mauvais) et aux évolutions de l’environnement. La réflexion stratégique ne peut plus être une tâche posée dans le temps mais un travail à réaliser en continue dans le temps pour coller au plus prêt des réalités du terrain et surtout des signaux faibles du marché, des clients, des concurrents et des partenaires.

In my coaching experience the following areas help enhance your strategic thinking perspective 1) Networking conferences which bring strategic insights in various domains 2) Reading multiple books and articles by HBR 3) Reflection and analysis of key newspaper on global events and strategic impact of business /geo political events,economic ,environmental events on your business 4) Engaging with a coach to learn tools and techniques and develop a strategic mindset

One skill that has served me well in strategic facilitation and at the executive level is synthesizing information from diverse sources. I spent my youth devouring books on various subjects, which exposed me to new issues, interdependencies, and tradeoffs. This curiosity led me to untangle complex problems like a ball of string. To create a coherent strategic framework, it's essential to understand key management strategies and your subject area. Be open to creativity—unexpected connections can lead to breakthroughs. When inspiration strikes, give it a moment; it might lead to something valuable.

A facilitator facilitates conversations but what’s important are the conversations that may need to be discussed at the executive level. If we want to do things strategically, we must have a plan and an end goal that opens the floor for comfortable and uncomfortable conversations at an executive level regardless of the challenges that may have came before. AI won’t change our feelings today or tomorrow but we hold an accountable opportunity to grab on to our future.