Focus on the mindset, not the method

 2 minute read

In the quest to create the perfect piece of strategy, hours are spent toiling to find the right blend of brevity, clarity and inspiration. Data is waded through and provocations developed, but when it comes to the final strategic narrative, where do you start? And how do you know what you’re labouring over will be well received?

Unearthing insights, developing hypotheses, thinking creatively, and writing killer briefs are key tasks that we invest in at an individual and department level, but the mindset we need to adopt before even getting started is often neglected.

Even a cursory glance at the guidance available tells you the balance is in favour of developing your craft and putting more tools in your toolbox, rather than developing an individual style and the confidence to let that style shine through.

So, rather than sifting through all of the available methodologies and approaches, starting somewhere else could prove more beneficial than simply having a few more frameworks up your sleeve.

I always keep three things in mind. They have served me well when wrestling with a new brief or the odd bout of imposter syndrome that besieges my career from time to time.

This is not me advocating ignoring the rule book. It’s more a case of ensuring you’re starting in the right head space to give yourself the freedom to express your thinking, knowing that you don’t have to be bound by convention or rules.

1.    Be the best version of you

It’s very easy (in the formative years of your career, and especially when surrounded by a collective of brilliant minds as the head of a department) to find yourself comparing yourself with others. “Am I as intellectual?”, “Where’s my effectiveness award?”, “I’ve never worked in that category”, “That’s not how I’d do it…”. The list of potential fear points is endless, but the one area you can use to your advantage is knowing where your strengths and weaknesses lie.

Embracing both your faults and your best bits is not only a fantastic indicator of emotional intelligence but gives you with the benefit of being to be able to forge a style that you immediately feel comfortable with.

If you’re not the best orator, think about other ways to bring your work to life.

An average writer? No problem.Providing the content’s correct, the style in which it’s delivered doesn’t need to be worthy of a best screenplay Oscar. A more rudimentary approach will be just fine if you can deliver your key points with aplomb.

2.    It’s better to be exciting rather than right

There’s no question that good strategic thinking is built on firm foundations. A body of evidence and killer insights are essential to unlocking something that is motivating for an audience and differentiating for a brand. But what’s considered to be robust and well considered by one audience, may fail to spark a fire in another.

I’m not for one second suggesting that my creative brethren aren’t ‘detail people’, but in my experience giving them a brief they can relate to and them feel inspired by reaps greater rewards than one focused on providing them with as much information as possible, just to prove a point.

This is a bit of a no-shit-Sherlock statement, but it has a bigger point. That is the fact strategic and creative thinking has many parents and to engender a sense of possibility rather than a finished article, there has to be some room for an idea to be stretched and moulded. For those involved, they have to feel as though they can contribute to making your original thinking better. This comes through seeing the seeds of an idea as they germinate and helping decide which should be nurtured (or clipped).

A mindset of ‘exciting rather than right’ is one where you accept that whilst you think you have most of the answers, it’s cool for others to have their own and to build something together.

3.    Don’t underestimate your previous achievements

Pivotal workshop, pitch, a brief that needs an extra 10% sprinkled over the top, meeting a new client for the first time…all of these have the potential to strike fear into a strategist, regardless of experience. The jeopardy associated with ‘getting it wrong’ is what keeps the mind sharp when the pressure’s getting ramped up, and it’s what can often act as an untimely blocker when you least need it.

At this time, rather than reaching for further inspiration I’d encourage you to tap into your bank of previous experience and draw upon your own achievements as an endorsement of your capability. Developing a piece of thinking will be easier with a clear mind and feeling ten feet tall goes a long way towards convincing someone what you’re selling is right for their brand.

Still new to the game and lacking in the experience bank? No bother. You have points one and two to get you through those daunting moments!

So, continue to build your strategy armoury and become familiar with the tried and tested methods that give us a foot up when it comes to your own thinking. But remember to never stop investing in your own style and unique way of applying of those methods.