Thought Leaders Blog - In Professional Development

Why Making Strategic Decisions is an Important Skill to Master as a Business Leader

Written by In Professional Development | 16 August 2022

Making the right decisions at the right time is crucial within a business. Our CMI Level 7 - Strategic Decision Making for Leaders Programme gives business leaders the tools they need to ensure they make the right strategic decisions for their businesses.

Thinking strategically and making strategic decisions is an important aspect of being a business leader. When faced with critical situations and problems to solve in the workplace, thinking strategically is a vital aspect to be successful. Strategic decisions form the base and the foundation of every successful business. Without thinking strategically, it is easy to make more reactive decisions, resulting in ineffective solutions to the problems. In this article, we will explore why strategic decision making is a vital skill for every business leader to develop in order to be successful.

Strategic Thinking vs Reactive Thinking

When faced with a situation where an effective decision needs to be made in order to continue the success of the business, often our first and most natural instinct is to react in the moment, in order to make a quick decision. In doing so, we feel that we have solved the problem quickly, and we have limited any negative effect the problem may have within the business. In this moment, it is important to remember that a quick decision is not the best decision. Making a swift decision may result in a worse outcome, therefore it is important to think more strategically and to take the time to think more strategically to create the best solution.

Understand How Personalities and Bias Influence Decisions

Personality and bias, whether conscious or subconscious, can have a heavy influence on the sort of decisions we make. Cognitive bias can result in making business decisions that are emotionally influenced, and are not grounded in logic. These kind of decisions can lead us to be vulnerable to making mistakes, whereas decisions based on logic are often better thought out and better implemented, resulting in a long lasting solution.

Utilise Strategic Planning Tools

The aim of strategic planning is to set up the goals of the business, and to make plans on how the business will achieve them. In order to plan strategically, the business needs to utilise certain strategic planning tools. SWOT Analysis, Porter’s Five Forces, and PESTLE Analysis are 3 examples of strategic planning tools that are effective tools to utilise in order to make effective strategic decisions.

CMI Level 7 – Strategic Decision Making for Leaders Programme

Our dynamic and consultative Strategic Decision Making for Leaders Programme has been designed for senior leaders, who are responsible for engaging with complex organisational decisions, and have a role in deciding upon, defining or presenting organisational strategy.

Our comprehensive strategic decision making training programme is a popular choice amongst managers and leaders that need to consolidate their strategic thinking and decision making skills. Our in depth programme develops the capacity and confidence of our delegates, and it enables them to make well-thought-out, informed and comprehensive decisions that are critical to the success and the productivity of the business.

Book a Course with Us

Our CMI Level 7 - Strategic Decision Making for Leaders programme focuses on teaching delegates everything they need to know to be able to make effective strategic decisions. Effective strategic decision making is an essential skill that business leaders need to hold in order to ensure the success of the workplace.

At In Professional Development, strategic decision making is a skill within the workplace that we also cover on many of our other professional training courses. To find out more about our courses, visit our Courses page, and click on the relevant course. Alternatively, or if you’d like more information before booking, email us at enquiries@inpd.co.uk, send us a message using the form on our Contact page, or call us on 0161 826 3139. We look forward to hearing from you and advising you on the right course for you.