Leveraging Career Skills

Most CEOs make million-dollar decisions using the same process they use to pick lunch. And that's exactly why 70% of strategic initiatives fail. Here's what I've noticed after watching hundreds of leaders in action: The average founder attacks problems like a firefighter. See problem → Rush to solution → Wonder why it keeps happening. But the best CEOs? They're more like detectives. They know that the first solution is rarely the right solution. The obvious answer is usually incomplete. And moving fast without thinking costs more time than thinking first. I learned this the hard way. Years ago, our sales were tanking. My gut said "hire more salespeople." Seemed obvious. More people = more sales, right? Wrong. When I finally slowed down to really examine the problem, I discovered our pricing was confusing customers. Our best prospects were ghosting us after demos. The fix? A simple pricing calculator on our website. Cost: $500 and one afternoon. Result: 40% increase in close rate. The expensive hiring spree I almost launched? Would've made things worse. Here's what separates strategic thinkers from reactive leaders: 1/ They question before they answer. What's really broken here? What are we not seeing? 2/ They zoom out before they zoom in. How does this connect to everything else? What's the real impact? 3/ They explore before they execute. What are ALL our options? What haven't we tried? 4/ They test before they invest. Can we try this small first? What would prove this works? 5/ They align before they advance. Is everyone clear on the why? Do we all see the same target? The ironic part? This "slower" approach is actually faster. Because you solve the right problem. Once. Instead of the wrong problem. Over and over. Strategic thinking isn't about being smarter. It's about having a better process. One that turns your biggest challenges into your biggest advantages. What expensive mistake could better thinking have helped you avoid? ♻️ Repost to help a leader in your network. 💡 Follow Eric Partaker for more strategy insights. 📌 Want the full high-res Strategic Thinking Wheel? Subscribe to my FREE NEWSLETTER and I’ll send you the complete framework — plus one concise, highly actionable CEO insight every week to help you make better decisions, avoid costly mistakes, and scale with clarity. Join 235,000+ leaders committed to operating in the top 2%. https://lnkd.in/eCz9t9HH

"You (or your thinking) aren't strategic enough." Here are 7 actionable steps to help you address this TODAY: (Prioritize #6 - others can't read your mind) 1. Seek Specific Examples ↳How: Approach the feedback with curiosity rather than defensiveness. Ask your manager or key stakeholders for specific instances where you could have been more strategic. Frame these conversations around seeking advice rather than just feedback. Mentors can also help here. ↳Why: Helps you focus your efforts on the appropriate next step(s). 2. Understand the Business Strategy ↳How: Dive deep into your company's strategy. This can be done through reviewing formal strategy documents, participating actively in strategy meetings, or having one-on-one discussions with key leaders. ↳Why: A deep understanding of the overall strategy will provide context for your actions and decisions. It also signals to others that you are ingesting the necessary inputs. 3. Link Your Work to the Strategy ↳How: Explicitly connect your current projects and initiatives with the broader business strategy. When communicating about your work, balance the focus between immediate outcomes and future implications. ↳Why: This showcases your long-term thinking and impact, beyond what is being delivered in the near-term. 4. Scale your Work ↳How: Identify ways to expand the impact of your work, either horizontally across different areas of the business or vertically by adding more value to functions you already serve. ↳Why: Scaling your work demonstrates a strategic mindset that thinks beyond the immediate scope. 5. Propose New Opportunities ↳How: Put forward new ideas for the organization, regardless if they may be immediately pursued or not. ↳Why: This shows initiative and a strategic approach to business growth. 6. Expose Your Thought Process ↳How: When in meetings or preparing documents, go beyond presenting results. Articulate the thinking behind your decisions and actions. ↳Why: This helps showcase your strategic thinking to others. 7. Communicate at the Right Altitude ↳How: Tailor your communication to your audience, especially when dealing with senior leaders. Start with the main message ('the punchline') and the first level of detail. ↳Why: This approach ensures that your communication is concise, focused and effective in strategically aligning with the interests and concerns of your audience. PS: Strategic thinking requires mental space, create time for it in your schedule. ----- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for daily Leadership and Career posts.

Strategic thinking isn't a personality trait. It's a practice most executives are skipping. The biggest lie executives tell themselves is that strategic thinking is something you either have or you don't. Like you're born with some special ability to anticipate market shifts and spot hidden opportunities. That's not how it works. Strategic thinking is a muscle. And many leaders aren't exercising. I've watched executives transform their strategic capacity by treating it like any other critical skill. They stop waiting for inspiration to strike and start creating the conditions where strategic insights can emerge. The difference comes down to their habits. They protect time by thinking like their job depends on it. Because it does. They block recurring meetings with themselves and treat strategic thinking as essential work, not a luxury. They come prepared with powerful questions that force them to zoom out. What's our biggest opportunity? What could derail us? What are we assuming that might be completely wrong? They intentionally step outside their usual information sources. They read widely. They talk to experts in different fields. They understand that breakthroughs come from connecting ideas others miss. The executives who seem naturally strategic aren't gifted. They've simply committed to the practice. Which habit are you skipping?

Strategic thinking isn't just for executives. (it's a skill you can learn today) Most managers wait for permission to think strategically. VPs don't. They start thinking like owners before anyone asks. 9 Strategic Thinking Frameworks: 1/ The 3-Horizon Portfolio Model → Core business: 70% of resources → Growth initiatives: 20% of resources → Future bets: 10% of resources 2/ The Second-Order Thinking Test → Ask "And then what happens?" → Map consequences 2-3 steps ahead → Consider competitor countermoves 3/ The Resource Allocation Filter → Does this move us toward our north star? → What's the opportunity cost? → Can we 10x this with same resources? 4/ The Stakeholder Influence Map → Who decides? Who influences the deciders? → What motivates each stakeholder? → Build coalition before you need it 5/ The Strategic Options Framework → Create multiple paths to same goal → Preserve optionality until data emerges → Kill weak options early, not late 6/ The Constraint-Based Planning → What's our biggest bottleneck? → What if we removed it completely? → Where will the next constraint appear? 7/ The Customer Jobs Framework → What job do customers hire us for? → Who else could do this job better? → How will this job evolve? 8/ The Risk Scenario Matrix → Best case: What could go perfectly? → Worst case: What would kill this? → Most likely: The 80% scenario 9/ The Weekly Strategic Review → What assumptions did we test? → What did we learn about customers? → How do we adjust next week? Strategic thinking isn't reserved for titles. It's reserved for people who practice it. Twice a week I send frameworks like this to 15,000+ operators in Tactical Memo. Join free: https://lnkd.in/eFNHsxmh

💡 I was having an insightful conversation at my workplace with colleagues & we decided to explore how to make our discussions more meaningful & impactful. In today’s fast-moving workplace, we often rush to find quick solutions and move on. But during this conversation, we came across a powerful concept that could change the way we approach problem-solving—second-level thinking. It’s more than just finding an answer; it’s about thinking deeper and more strategically, particularly when interacting with leadership. Let me break it down: 👀 First-level thinking is what most of us default to. It’s immediate, reactive & usually stops at the surface: “What’s the problem? Let’s solve it fast.” While essential for quick wins, it often lacks depth. 🤔 Second-level thinking, on the other hand, asks us to step back and consider the bigger picture: 🌍 What are the potential long-term impacts of this decision? 🚧 Could solving this problem create new ones down the line? 🎯 How does this choice align with our broader goals? 🔄 Are we optimizing for today’s success or tomorrow’s sustainability? This approach is particularly powerful when interacting with leadership teams. Leaders want more than just quick fixes—they value strategic foresight. Second-level thinking demonstrates that you’re not just solving problems but also anticipating future outcomes and aligning actions with the company’s vision. 💬 During our conversation, we realized that second-level thinking is what sets apart great decision-makers from average ones. It’s about looking beyond the obvious, considering both the immediate and long-term consequences. When you can present not just a solution but a forward-thinking perspective, it adds immense value to leadership discussions. 🚀 For example, instead of simply proposing a solution to streamline a process, second-level thinking might ask: 🔍 What happens if this solution scales? 🔗 How will it affect other departments or stakeholders? ⏳ Will this short-term fix lead to long-term challenges? By practicing this mindset, you start to become a more proactive, strategic thinker. You’re no longer just solving today’s problems—you’re preparing for tomorrow’s opportunities and risks. 👉 So, next time you are in a meeting or facing a challenge, take a moment to go beyond the surface. Don’t just look for a quick win—ask yourself, “What happens next?” Second-level thinking isn’t easy, but it’s one of the most impactful skills you can develop, especially when interacting with leadership teams who value foresight, strategy, and long-term thinking. 🌱 Have you ever practiced second-level thinking in your workplace? 🌱 How has it shaped your decisions and leadership conversations? Looking for your insights ! #leadership #mindset #strategicthinking #strategic #communication #workplace #insight Veryon

If you want to design your next promotion you need to stop waiting for your organization to slot you in a role and start creating and advocating for your role in your org’s growth trajectory. But here's a trap that many aspiring leaders can fall into - they wait until a job is posted or someone leaves before they start thinking about their next move or what the future of the organization might look like. By then, the opportunity has already taken shape, and it may not be shaped for you. The best career moves come from anticipating what's around the corner in your organization and showing up like you belong there before anyone else sees it. This skill helps you design your next promotion. This future-focused thinking also builds your strategic thinking skills. It's easy to get caught in the day-to-day of our roles and many leaders I coach are so focused on doing their job well that they forget to zoom out and study their organization’s goals to ask: ▫️What's changing in the company? ▫️Where is the growth coming from? ▫️What needs to scale and where are the cracks starting to show? ▫️What are your organization's 2-5 year goals? ▫️What new problems will the company face if it doubles its clients/revenue? ▫️What kind of leader does this growth require? What skills or competencies must they have? ↗️ These are the questions employees don't ask often enough, but they should so they can seize the opportunities and gaps that come with growth. However, developing this critical future-focused skill can help you build your strategic-thinking muscles and uncover new opportunities for you to tackle in your next career steps. Win-win. How can you position yourself and your skills as the leader your organization needs to close the gaps and be future ready?

I spent my 30s managing enterprise IT projects. Here’s what I wish I knew at 29. 1/ Getting teams to simply talk is most of the battle. 2/ Getting sign-off (actual sign-off) on scope will save your bacon. 3/ The right time to think about risks is before you notice problems. 4/ No one is thinking about your project as much as you are. (/should be) 5/ When you have to ask ‘whose job is that?’, it’s probably your job. 6/ If someone asks you if you can do something ‘just this once’ it’s probably their job. 7/ If you do something once, it will be expected for every project in perpetuity. 8/ Understanding *why* someone is making an unusual request will give you insights. 9/ Seeing into the future is a superpower developed through experience. 10/ Senior PMs have good stories. Ask them to share. 11/ Every exec has (at least) two tones. The one they use among piers, and the one they’ll use 1:1. Don’t be startled. 12/ The first step in planning should be to define what you’ll do when things don’t go to plan. 13/ Planning is useful only if that plan quickly evolves into actual work. 14/ Repetition in meetings helps define expectations. Expectations help with accountability. Accountability is how you influence without authority. 15/ Holding people accountable—without being a jerk—is how you preserve relationships. 16/ Don’t ask if something is ‘in progress’. Ask ‘how much work is left’. Use percentages. 17/ Budget more time than you need. Then push hard to use less time than budgeted. 18/ Expect things to go sideways so you’re never surprised--and so you're always ready to act. 19/ Don’t burn bridges. Assume you’ll have another project with them. 20/ Trust is the single most valuable currency in project management. What are your lessons learned?  ____ 👋 Follow me Timothy Morgan for more about enterprise project management.

A Project Manager isn’t remembered for the project plan they created. They’re remembered for the projects they delivered. The risks they prevented. The stakeholders they aligned. And the decisions they helped teams make. Behind every successful project is someone constantly balancing scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, and risk. While experience builds judgment, knowing the right formulas helps you make faster, more confident decisions. That’s why I created this Project Management Formula Sheet—a one-page reference with 25 essential formulas and metrics every Project Manager should know. It covers: 📊 Earned Value Management (EVM) 📅 Schedule & Cost Performance 💰 Budget Forecasting ⚠️ Risk Management 📈 Resource Planning 👥 Stakeholder Engagement 📦 Scope & Change Management 🚀 Agile Metrics ✅ Quality Management 📉 Forecasting & Financial Metrics Whether you’re preparing for PMP, leading enterprise projects, or simply want a practical reference, this is designed to be something you’ll come back to again and again. Because great Project Managers don’t just manage tasks. They manage trade-offs. And the better you understand the numbers behind a project, the better your decisions become. 📌 Save this post so you have the formulas when you need them. 💬 Which project management formula or KPI do you rely on the most? I’d love to include more in Version 2. ♻️ If you found this useful, share it with another Project Manager who would appreciate having this reference sheet.

Project Management Cheat Sheet 1. Key Phases of a Project 1.1. Initiation: Define the project scope, goals, and objectives. Identify stakeholders. Develop a business case or project charter. 1.2. Planning: Create a project plan (scope, timeline, budget, resources). Develop a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Identify risks and plan mitigation strategies. 1.3. Execution: Assign tasks to team members. Monitor progress and ensure quality deliverables. Manage stakeholder communication. 1.4. Monitoring & Controlling: Track project performance against KPIs (e.g., cost, time, scope). Manage risks and implement changes. Conduct regular status updates and reviews. 1.5. Closure: Deliver the final product or service. Obtain client or stakeholder sign-off. 2. Common Project Management Methodologies Waterfall: Sequential approach (ideal for predictable projects). Agile: Iterative and flexible (ideal for dynamic projects). Scrum: Framework under Agile with sprints. Kanban: Visual task management using boards. PRINCE2: Process-driven framework focused on control. 3. Essential Documents and Tools 3.1. Documents: Project Charter Project Plan Risk Register Gantt Chart Issue Log Stakeholder Register 3.2. Tools: Task Management: Trello, Asana, Jira Timeline Planning: Microsoft Project, Smartsheet Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams Collaboration: Google Workspace, Miro 4. Project Management Metrics (KPIs) Schedule Performance Index (SPI): Actual progress vs. planned progress. Cost Performance Index (CPI): Earned value vs. actual costs. Burn Rate: Rate of spending project budget. Milestone Completion: Percentage of milestones completed on time. Customer Satisfaction: Stakeholder or client feedback. 5. Risk Management Process Identify risks (brainstorming, checklists). Assess risks (impact and probability). Plan risk responses (mitigate, transfer, accept, avoid). Monitor and control risks throughout the project. 6. Tips for Effective Project Management Define Clear Objectives: Ensure everyone understands the goals. Communicate Often: Keep stakeholders updated. Prioritize Tasks: Focus on high-value activities. Stay Flexible: Be ready to adapt to changes. Document Everything: Maintain proper records for accountability. Use Technology: Leverage tools to streamline workflows. Evaluate Performance: Regularly review team and project performance. 7. Common Challenges and Solutions 7.1. Scope Creep: Solution: Define scope clearly and use a change management process. 7.2. Poor Communication: Solution: Establish clear communication channels and regular updates. 7.3. Budget Overruns: Solution: Monitor spending closely and manage risks proactively. 7.4. Missed Deadlines: Solution: Use detailed planning and track progress frequently. 7.5. Resource Allocation Issues: Solution: Use resource management tools and prioritize tasks. Keep this cheat sheet handy to ensure you stay on top of your project management responsibilities and deliver successful outcomes!

There’s a shift happening in Project Management that not enough people are talking about. It’s no longer about tracking tasks or running ceremonies. It’s about navigating complex, ambiguous, multi-team environments — and bringing structure where none exists. Here are 5 things that matter more than ever today: 1. Orchestration over execution Managing a single team is easy. Aligning multiple teams, vendors, and stakeholders with competing priorities, that’s where real impact happens. 2. Clarity without complete information You won’t always have full requirements. The ability to move forward with partial clarity while managing risk is a core skill. 3. Communication is the real deliverable Status reports don’t drive outcomes. Clear, timely, and actionable communication does. 4. Visualization beats documentation Dashboards, simple views, and real-time visibility create far more alignment than long documents. 5. Influence over authority Most roles today are individual contributors. Success comes from influencing decisions, aligning stakeholders, and driving outcomes not from direct control. The best project managers today don’t just manage projects — they bring order to chaos. Curious how others are seeing this evolve in their teams. #ProjectManagement #Leadership #PMO #DigitalTransformation #Agile #CareerGrowth