How to Think Like an Executive

 

One of the most common pieces of feedback ambitious professionals get: “You just need to be more strategic.”   If you’ve ever heard that, you probably walked away wondering: Okay… but what does that even mean?   It sounds like a compliment and a critique at the same time. And because no one actually explains what “strategic” looks like, most people try to fix it by doing more of what they already do.   They create fancier presentations. They add more data. They make sure every bullet point is perfect. But that’s not what being strategic means.   It’s not about slides or polish. It’s about how you think, how you make decisions, and how you communicate your point of view.   Early in my career, I prided myself on being efficient. If something needed to get done, I was on it. Fast.   But one day, an SVP stopped me mid-update and asked: “That’s great, Maya… but why are we doing this?”   I froze.   I could tell you what we were doing, but I hadn’t thought deeply about why it mattered in the bigger picture. I was optimizing for speed, not impact. And in that moment, I realized that’s the difference between being a high performer and being a strategic leader.   So What Does “Be More Strategic” Actually Mean? When a manager says “you need to be more strategic,” they’re not asking for fancier decks or longer reports. They’re telling you they need to see that you can think like an executive not just execute.   Here’s what that means in practice: You understand the bigger picture — not just what you’re doing, but why it matters. You anticipate implications — how one decision affects other teams, customers, or priorities. You focus on leverage, not activity — choosing what moves the business forward. You communicate with a point of view — not just data, but a clear recommendation.   It’s not about knowing all the answers. It’s about showing that you can connect your work to business outcomes and make confident, informed decisions the way leaders do.   Here’s how to start doing that.

Step 1: Get the Context Before You Act Too often high performers jump straight into execution. Strategic thinkers start by understanding the landscape.   They want to know: What are the company’s top priorities? How does our team contribute to those goals? What’s happening in the market or industry that could impact us? What do my stakeholders actually care about?   Without that context, you’re operating in a vacuum. You can’t connect the dots if you don’t know what the dots are.   That’s why one of the best things you can do is run a stakeholder listening tour — short conversations with key leaders to understand their goals, priorities, and challenges.   You’ll be amazed at how much clarity you gain and how much more confidently you can make decisions that actually matter.   Step 2: Zoom Out and Connect the Dots Once you have context, you can elevate your perspective.   Most high performers are trained to think in terms of projects and deliverables. What’s due, who’s responsible, and how to get it done faster. But executives think in terms of systems and outcomes.   They can explain how today’s projects tie to tomorrow’s results. They can see how one decision affects another function. They anticipate risks and trade-offs before they happen. They stop thinking in tasks and start thinking in systems.   A simple habit that helps: before starting anything new, pause and ask: “How does this decision fit into the broader strategy, and what are the downstream effects?”   That single question instantly changes how you’re perceived: from someone who executes to someone who leads.   Step 3: Make a Call and Communicate a Point of View Here’s where many high achievers get stuck. They collect tons of information… and then stop short of an opinion. They share all the details but no direction. They think it’s safer to “let leadership decide.”   But strategy requires judgment. Executives don’t want a data dump — they want your perspective.   They want to know: What do you recommend? What options did you consider? What’s the trade-off you’d make and why?   That’s what shows you’re thinking at the next level. As one of my clients put it, “I stopped giving updates and started giving recommendations, and that’s when people began treating me like a peer, not a report.”   How to Show Strategic Thinking at Work Thinking strategically is one part of the equation. The other part is showing it through the way you communicate, plan, and prioritize. Here are 3 simple ways to do that every week:   1. Reframe Your Updates Around Outcomes Stop reporting activity. Start communicating impact.   Instead of: “We launched the campaign this week.” Try: “We launched the campaign to improve adoption by 15%, which ties directly to our Q4 growth goal.”   This shift helps people see that you understand the why, not just the what. (If you missed my newsletter on sending strategic weekly updates, you can get my exact formula here)   2. Ask Questions That Elevate the Conversation Strategic thinkers don’t just provide answers, they ask better questions. They zoom out and consider the long term instead of only considering the immediate response.   Try these zoom out questions in your next meeting: What does success look like from the exec team’s perspective? If we say yes to this, what are we saying no to? How does this align with our top company priorities? What’s the biggest risk if we don’t act? How will we measure success?   Every time you ask a question like that, you demonstrate altitude. You’re thinking like a business owner, not a task owner.   3. Align Proposals to Company Goals Before any planning session or pitch, review your company’s annual objectives or the CEO’s priorities.   Then ask yourself: How does what I’m proposing help achieve those goals?   When you frame your recommendations that way, you’re not just offering ideas — you’re offering strategy.

Your Next Steps “Be more strategic” isn’t vague feedback it’s a roadmap for leadership.   It means: Stop reacting, start understanding. Stop reporting, start interpreting. Stop summarizing, start leading.   When you combine context, big-picture thinking, and a clear point of view, you stop being seen as the doer… and start being trusted as the decision-maker.   So, before your next update or meeting, pause and ask yourself: “Do I have the full context? Am I connecting the dots? Am I making a call?”   That’s how you start thinking like an executive — and more importantly, how you start being seen as one.