Chess Masters Make Good Strategic Planners A good strategic planner is a good problem solver. A good problem solver has a lot of characteristics similar to a chess master. They are both presented with intense and complex problems that need a simple solution. Here are a few of their key characteristics that make them so good at what they do. They both work under extreme pressure to find a solution quickly. In chess, except for the standard rules of play, the environment is under constant revision. Every move made changes the face of the game. Every play the opponent makes ruins old plans and calls for an alternate route to the same goal.
The Moves of the Master Masters learn to go with the flow and make good decisions quickly. They analyze all the consequences of their actions and decide if the move is worth the risk. When it is, they move and challenge the other player to deal with the changing environment. They never forget the end goal though and work through sacrifice to reach it. So too are strategic planners expected to work in their environments. Every day, something in the game changes and planners need to be ready for that change. They make decisions on a daily basis that bring them closer to their end goal. Their decision making processes follow closely with the ones made by the master.
The Moves of the Strategist Next, a master knows the value of each of his pieces. He knows their strengths and weaknesses, how much he needs them and whether or not they are needed or can be sacrificed. One professional is known for sacrificing his queen early on in the game to better value every other piece he has. When the player understands the value of each piece, he will keep the most valuable ones safe at all costs. Strategic planning services require a similar mindset. They need to know every variable involved in the project. When they know which variables are most important and which can be adjusted, they can best react to the changing world. With a core set of variables that have to be protected for the project to survive, a strategic planner would carefully safeguard them by sacrificing less important ones if it was required.
Finally, good masters know the game back to front. They know what it looks like at the beginning, they know what it looks like at the end and they have seen everything in the middle. They are hardly surprised by certain changes in the game because he has seen them before. He has spent enough time with the pieces, the board and the opponents that he knows what to do in nearly every scenario. So too must a professional in strategic planning services be able to know the industry well. In order to be the best, they need to immerse themselves in a project from the beginning to end. They need to seek out projects that will test and push them to learn everything that happens in the middle. Once they have had these experiences, they will be better prepared to face every challenge. This takes a lot of practice and hard work. Once you do it though, you can become an unstoppable force in your field.