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It's been almost a year since I last wrote a book review. Most of my past reviews can be found on edmondbusiness.com/author/phil-klutts, where I published a monthly column of business and leadership-focused books.

I read a couple dozen books each year, and wanted to share my most recent read with you because I think it is incredibly relevant, well-written, and discusses vital skills for leaders. We all face uncertainty, complexity, and volatility. Leaders need the knowledge, ability, and space to guide organizations into the future.

Michael D. Watkins returns to write another book that should be on your shelf. Watkins's last bestseller, The First 90 Days, is an essential read for starting a new role. Now he's come back with "The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking" to help leaders with a set of skills that is needed now more than ever.

Strategic thinking isn't a new concept or something reserved for elite leaders. We all need to be strategic at some level and in various ways. Most of us know what strategic thinking is. The problem is that we often don't understand what's involved with strategic thinking or how to develop the skills required. Watkins dismantels this vital leadership skill in a way that will help us all be better at it.

The book starts by showing Strategic Thinking Capacity (STC) as the combination of Endowment, Experience, and Exercise. I like this definition because we have some innate ability (endowment) but can get better regardless of our given talents. Gaining experiene or exposure to strategic thinking can take some intenionality. You have to make and find opportunities to see others work on strategy and show how you do the same. Exercise is where the real opportunity is and where Watkins spends the bulk of the book.

As the title suggests, Watkins identifies six mental disciplines that "collectively lay the foundation of strategic thinking." These disciplines are what we need to focus on to be better strategic thinkers:

1. Pattern Recognition - "The ability of the human brain to identify and detect regularities or patterns in the world around us."
2. Systems Analysis - "Building simplified mental models of complex domains."
3. Mental Agility - "Ability to look at situations from multiple perspectives, think through potential scenarios, and anticipate actions and reactions."
4. Structured Problem-Solving - "Breaks the process of analyzing problems down into discrete steps."
5. Visioning - "The process of creating a compelling and inspiring vision for an organization's future and communicating that vision to guide and motivate others."
6. Political Savvy - "The ability to navigate and influence your organization's internal and external political landscapes."

Watkins goes into depth to break down what each of these disciplines and show how a leader can improve at each skill. The stories included are helpful to get a real-life picture of what it looks like to use these skills.

I dove into this book quickly because it articulates what I often have a hard time explaining to people about the work that I do. For a lot of people, strategy work is obscure and vague. Watkins' frameworks help explain what is sometimes a complex and mysterious type of work.

If reading about these disciplines has you thinking about your own strategic approach, let’s talk. I help leaders like you take these concepts from theory to practice so you can confidently lead your organization forward. Reach out, and let’s walk through the process together.

Thanks for reading!

Phil

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405 Leadership Advisors LLC

We help leaders define strategy and implement with ​confidence and clarity.