STRATEGIC THINKING

Strategic thinking is the art of discerning the opportunities that lie in the present situation; strategic planning is about mobilizing the will of a group to achieve what seems to be impossible. Both are necessary skills of organizations that intend to survive, let alone prosper.

The LENS approach to strategic thinking combines a highly participatory format with a systematic process to produce results that are bold, imaginative and practical. Most important, they are owned by participants in the planning process.

LENS consultants guide managers and staff through a set of steps that disclose the group's wisdom about what it intends to achieve, what obstacles are hampering its progress and what are effective and creative approaches to dealing with them. Both rational and intuitive thinking modes are used to draw forth innovative solutions as the basis for determining effective action; this process produces both renewed motivation and good results.

Consultants do not bring advice so much as they facilitate a process to assist groups to access and mobilize their own wisdom. In today's intelligent business environment, people have the necessary experience and expertise to deal with their situations. The LENS process provides an open platform for the free flow of ideas. Reaching decisions through a consensus process integrates differing viewpoints into a coherent framework. The results are a sense of common purpose and a set of coordinated strategies.