From the course: Leading in Government

Strategic thinking for public leaders

From the course: Leading in Government

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Strategic thinking for public leaders

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- It's been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. And this is absolutely true in government. So as the leader, you need to know how to use past and current events to plan for and improve the future. Let's say you're the City Facilities Manager and have been asked to partner with Homeland to upgrade security at the 40,000-seat city-owned stadium without increasing your budget. To create a successful plan, you need to think strategically. First, review the objectives of your department and your overall organization. The overall objective for the ballpark is to provide a variety of safe, affordable events for the entertainment of the city's residents and visitors. For your department, that includes providing the most up-to-date security for a bunch of sporting events, six major concerts, and four other events at the stadium. Then research the past. That's a lot of events and hundreds of thousands of people that you've been protecting. How have you been doing it so far? How did you get to where you are today? Talk to the people in your department. Ask them what they're seeing now that they haven't seen in the past. Then listen and take notes. Research what your department was doing a few years ago, even if you were there at the time. Go back and look. You'll be surprised at how much you'd forgotten. Next, get a handle on what's currently taking place in your department. Talk to your customers, the people that lease the facility. Ask them open-ended questions about security and the way it's being provided. Are you meeting their needs or missing the mark? Again, talk to your people on your team. What challenges are they facing and where do they see success? Look at the current audits or assessments of your department. Are you meeting your objectives? Talk to your partners, the other departments you work with to provide security. This is the step where you connect past events to your current situation and figure out how you got where you are. Why is your department doing things the way they are? Finally, look to the future. Use planning tools to determine the resources you'll need and to predict the things that will affect your work. As a government leader, you'll need to deal with legislation, the media, and public perception, as well as the day-to-day running of your department. Strategic thinking is what sets you up for successful planning. It helps you reach your objectives while things are continuously changing. Strategic thinking is the what that will lead ya to the how. It's a step-by-step cognitive process. So when thinking strategically, keep the past in mind, understand the present, and keep the future in sight.

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