How do you encourage strategic thinking in your nonprofit team?

1 Provide a clear direction

One of the first steps to encourage strategic thinking is to provide a clear direction for your nonprofit. This means having a well-defined mission, vision, and values, as well as a strategic plan that outlines your objectives, strategies, and indicators of success. These elements should be communicated and reinforced regularly to your team, so that they understand the purpose and direction of your work, and how their roles contribute to it. A clear direction also helps your team focus on the most important and impactful activities, and avoid distractions and deviations.

2 Encourage curiosity and learning

Another way to foster strategic thinking is to encourage curiosity and learning among your team members. This means creating a safe and supportive environment where they can ask questions, challenge assumptions, explore new ideas, and learn from mistakes. You can also provide opportunities for them to learn from external sources, such as experts, peers, clients, partners, or competitors. By stimulating curiosity and learning, you help your team develop a growth mindset, expand their knowledge and perspectives, and discover new possibilities and solutions.

3 Solicit and value feedback

Feedback is essential for strategic thinking, as it helps your team measure their progress, identify gaps and areas for improvement, and adjust their plans and actions accordingly. Therefore, you should solicit and value feedback from your team members, as well as from other stakeholders, such as donors, beneficiaries, volunteers, or board members. You should also encourage your team to give and receive feedback among themselves, in a constructive and respectful manner. Feedback should be timely, specific, and actionable, and it should be followed by recognition and support.

4 Delegate and empower

Delegating and empowering your team members is another effective way to promote strategic thinking. This means giving them the authority and autonomy to make decisions, take risks, and solve problems within their scope of work, without micromanaging or interfering. Delegating and empowering your team also implies trusting them, respecting their opinions, and acknowledging their contributions. By doing so, you motivate them to take ownership of their work, exercise their creativity and initiative, and develop their leadership skills.

5 Facilitate collaboration and dialogue

Strategic thinking is not a solo activity, but a collective one. Therefore, you should facilitate collaboration and dialogue among your team members, as well as with other relevant actors. This means creating spaces and opportunities for them to share their insights, opinions, and experiences, listen to different perspectives, and co-create solutions. You can also use tools and methods that foster strategic thinking, such as SWOT analysis, scenario planning, or logic models. Collaboration and dialogue help your team leverage their diverse strengths, skills, and backgrounds, and generate more innovative and effective outcomes.

6 Here’s what else to consider

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