Strategic Thinking Self-Assessment

Use this tool to get a sense of where you stand in your use of strategic planning.

You’ll rate a series of statements from one to five. Each number corresponds to how well the statements represent you and your workflow. One is “rarely,” and five is “usually.” Try to answer as honestly as possible so that you can have the most accurate depiction of your strategic planning skills.

1. I’m curious about the activities of others in my team or workspace.
2. When new ideas indicate a change in direction is necessary, I can quickly adapt.
3. I’m always on the lookout for valuable opportunities that will benefit our business.
4. I confront challenges with a positive attitude and see them as opportunities for growth.
5. No matter how strange it may seem, I am open and receptive to new ideas.
6. I thrive on critique and strive to incorporate it into my daily life without acting defensively.
7. I’m actively working to broaden my skills, experience, and knowledge.
8. My coworkers’ opinions are valuable to me, and I often seek them out as sources of inspiration or advice.
9. I reflect on the ways in which my actions will affect my colleagues.
10. I constantly challenge my own long-standing assumptions and help others to do the same.
11. I can see how outside forces affect my team’s ability to work cohesively.
12. I have an intimate understanding of who my company’s customers are and what they value.
13. I’m aware of my company’s competitors and know what sets us apart from them.
14. I seek out news, innovations, and new technologies in our company’s industry and share them with my team.
15. I stay objective as often as possible when analyzing situations.
16. I always look for the pros and cons in deciding how to tackle challenging situations.
17. I’m good at piecing together abstract ideas to form a larger picture.
18. I’m not afraid to brainstorm various options, come up with new opportunities for business, and am not afraid to try out new approaches.
19. I can see patterns across a wide range of fields and use these patterns to help further my company and my colleagues’ work.
20. I know how to decide which information is relevant and which is irrelevant to a challenging situation.
21. I often come up with ideas that others haven’t foreseen.
22. When making important decisions, I come up with various possibilities and courses of action.
23. I always look at short- and long-term consequences of important decisions.
24. I’m aware of potential complications from my decisions that may affect my colleagues.
25. I can stay focused on my objectives while juggling issues or challenges from many directions.

Now, calculate your score.

104-125, Exceptional: You know how to think strategically to help not only yourself but your colleagues. You possess many of the traits, behaviors, and attitudes that are necessary to think strategically. You are a valuable addition to your workplace, and your colleagues feel comfortable following your vision.

78-103, Superior: While you’re very comfortable thinking strategically in certain areas, you can work on furthering your skills to lead to true success.

51-77, Adequate: Some of the traits of strategic thinking are already present in your day-to-day work, but you can practice and apply them to broader skills and challenges.

25-50, Deficient: You have an opportunity to practice your strategic thinking skills, which can use some development. Learn how to analyze opportunities and problems and predict how you can better respond to future ones. Pay attention to how your decisions can affect those around you.