4 Key Principles to Structure Strategic Thinking

To make a real impact, you need a monastery of the mind

Photo: Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

We’re overly devoted to execution. We rush frantically to fulfill hastily chosen ends; we exhaust ourselves blindly in the name of sketchy goals; we chain ourselves to schedules, timelines, and performance targets. We focus on execution at the expense of the final product, which was the point of all the effort to begin with.

Our bias toward execution makes evolutionary sense; our ancestors needed to act quickly to survive. But in our day and age — where we are surrounded by acute choices as to what to do with our lives, aiming for happiness rather than basic survival — we should ask strategic questions. What are we ultimately trying to do here? What would best serve our happiness? Why should we bother? How is this aligned with real value? Identifying the clear purpose of what you aim to achieve will guide your approach, especially in unpredictable times.

The First Question to Ask Yourself When You Sit Down to Work

Because we’re often under pressure to produce — and are soothed by the familiarity of execution — it can…