Strategic Thinking: How not to do it!!

As a manager, you may occasionally be asked to “think strategically.” That means to consider issues that have a broad impact on the company, such as long-term revenue opportunities, more efficient competition in a changing marketplace, and securing job offers from other companies before everyone at your company realizes you’re clueless.

Unfortunately, “thinking strategically” requires time, effort, and precious brain power that could be better spent on fantasy cricket. 

Here are five ways to avoid it:

1. Force yourself to focus on the day-to-day.

What’s due by the end of the week? When are those reports from London coming in? Don’t you have some sort of meeting to attend? Don’t worry about the fact that your company has no office in London. The point is, you’re a manager. Look busy.

2. Only manage down.

Pay lots of attention to the work your subordinates do. Has it been double-checked? Would it look better with a slightly larger font? How about an emoticon on the cover page? Don’t worry about your peers in other departments. And by all means don’t bother your boss. Respect his privacy and let him do his own job, and he’ll let you do yours.

3. Look busy.

Did I mention that? Get to work five minutes before your boss arrives, and pretend you’ve been there for hours. At the end of the day, splash water on your shirt and the back of your neck, then hurriedly rush by your boss’s office carrying a stack of reports just as he heads out the door.

“Oh, sorry, sir, didn’t see you!”
“Staying late again, son?”
“No, sir—early night. I should be done by nine.”

Leave two minutes after he does. The more time you spend thinking about how to look busy, the less time you have to worry about “strategic” things.

4. Never leave the office during the day.

That comes with the territory of being a manager. Don’t go to lunch with colleagues. Don’t meet with people from your industry. Don’t attend conferences. Don’t play on the company team, where you might meet someone from another department. You have work to do, and the office is the best place to pretend to do it. (See tip #3 above.)

5. Remember: minutiae are your friend.

No detail is too small to overlook. How many paper clips can you salvage in a day? Did you know that staples can be reused if you just bend the edges back? Try it! You’ll be surprised.

Good luck. And remember: don’t worry about the forest—it’s just a bunch of trees!