Found this interview with Joseph Ellis courtesy of InsideWork. Mr. Ellis is a master of strategic thinking and vision. He was formally with Goldman Sachs and is a well noted author.
How do you approach your strategic thinking? When you consider the future do you see anything? By the way, strategic thinking is not a meeting at an off-site with your boss. It can happen there, but it starts with you and the years of practice (strategic thinking and visioning).
Keep in-mind that what you see may not always be the yellow brick road. Maybe you’ll see that what your doing today is destined to become extinct. Some organizations and people should have exited their markets years ago (see the music business). There are other dreams to dream, other businesses to be involved in.
Humans are notorious for self-delusion. Our retirement, out second home on the coast or the new Lexus keep us hostage to a present reality that only we see. No wonder innovation and change are so often dreaded in corporate America. If you’re truly a visionary and a strategic thinker, then you’ll realize that there is an ebb and flow to all things. Timing is everything here.
Take a deep breathe and See.