Many managers are highly capable in their day-to-day roles. They hit deadlines, manage their teams, and keep operations moving. But when the work shifts from operational delivery to strategic thinking, a different set of skills is required. Stepping back from the immediate to assess complex information, weigh competing priorities, and make decisions with longer-term consequences doesn’t come automatically to many managers. For most managers, it’s a capability that needs to be deliberately developed.
The good news is that strategic thinking and confident decision-making are not fixed traits. They can be built and developed through structured learning and workplace practice.
Leadership courses that develop strategic thinking should combine critical-thinking frameworks, decision-making tools, realistic workplace scenarios and opportunities to apply learning. The right problem-solving and decision-making training will depend on whether you need a targeted skill uplift or broader leadership development.
This guide is designed for current managers and leaders who want to improve how they assess complex situations, set priorities and make decisions with longer-term consequences.
What strategic thinking looks like at work
Strategic thinking is often described in abstract terms, but in practice it shows up through specific, observable behaviours. A manager who thinks strategically can:
- Connect daily work and team priorities to broader organisational goals
- Recognise risks, patterns, and emerging opportunities before they become urgent
- Challenge assumptions rather than accepting the first available answer
- Evaluate evidence and distinguish between what is known, what is inferred, and what is unknown
- Compare options and trade-offs rather than defaulting to the most familiar solution
- Anticipate the longer-term consequences of decisions, not just the immediate outcome
- Make clear decisions and communicate them in a way that builds understanding
Research published by Harvard Business Review, drawing on studies involving more than 20,000 executives, identified anticipating, challenging, interpreting, deciding, aligning, and learning as the core capabilities of a strategic leader. Fortunately, they are skills that can be observed, assessed, and developed with the right training.
The Australian Public Service Academy similarly describes strategic thinking as encompassing environmental scanning and the ability to assess the consequences and trade-offs of different actions. These capabilities are relevant to managers at every level.
Signs you may need to develop these skills
Not every manager can immediately recognise a gap in strategic thinking skills, especially in themselves. Fortunately, there are a few common indicators you can look for when assessing your strategic thinking skills and development needs, including:
- You spend most of your time responding to urgent issues rather than planning ahead
- You struggle to prioritise competing demands when everything feels equally important
- You rely on your manager to navigate complex decisions rather than making your own decisions
- You find it difficult to present a clear recommendation, especially when information is incomplete or ambiguous
- You avoid making calls under uncertainty, and instead prefer to wait for more data before committing
- You’re preparing for a more senior role and know that the decisions will become more complex
If any of these resonate with you, targeted development in strategic thinking and decision-making could help you approach these situations with greater structure and confidence.
How leadership courses develop strategic thinking
Not all strategic leadership courses address strategic thinking directly. The ones that do tend to share a few common features.
Effective courses provide structured frameworks for strategic and critical thinking, giving managers a repeatable process rather than requiring them to rely on instinct or experience alone. They also introduce decision-making models that help leaders evaluate options systematically, account for bias, and assess risk with greater confidence.
As CIPD makes clear in their factsheet Evidence-Based Practice for Effective Decision-Making, sound decisions should draw on research, organisational information, professional expertise, and stakeholder perspectives. Good leadership courses teach managers how to integrate all of these inputs rather than defaulting to the simplest or most familiar option.
Applying the learning in the workplace is equally important. Strategic leadership courses use real workplace scenarios, invite peer perspectives, and provide facilitator feedback to create conditions where learning transfers directly to practice. They provide tools that participants can apply immediately to current challenges, pending decisions, or ongoing projects. This can be the difference between training that sticks and training that fades.
Which IML leadership course is right for you?
The Institute of Managers and Leaders offers a range of leadership courses suited to different career stages and development needs. The table below can help you find the right starting point.
| Your career stage or goal | Recommended course | What you’ll develop |
| Team members who are preparing for or have recently stepped into a management role | New Manager | Build foundational skills in delegation, communication, feedback and people management |
| Managers who need stronger decision-making skills, alongside broader people-management capabilities | Management Essentials | Strengthen problem-solving, decision-making, resilience, performance and team leadership |
| Managers seeking broader and more sustained strategic leadership development | Foundations of Intentional Leadership | Develop strategic thinking, influential communication, accountability and high-performing teams |
| Senior and executive leaders making enterprise-level decisions | Accelerate | Strengthen enterprise leadership, strategic influence and the ability to lead teams and the business |
Explore our full range of Management and Leadership Courses to compare all of our training options and find the right course for your capabilities and development needs.
Short courses for targeted skill development
If you need to address a specific capability gap, or can’t currently commit to a longer course, a short course may be right for you.
At IML, in addition to our longer form leadership courses, we also offer an array of short courses to help you develop specific skills faster, including:
- Problem solving and decision making: The strongest direct match. It covers critical and creative thinking, gathering information, comparing solutions, implementing decisions and evaluating outcomes.
- Time and priority management: Helps managers align priorities with organisational direction and make clearer decisions about where to focus.
- Think on your feet: Helps professionals structure ideas, simplify complex information and communicate decisions under pressure.
- Communication essentials: Supports the communication and stakeholder influence required to gain support for decisions.
Should you choose a short course or a leadership course?
Both pathways have merit, but the right choice for you depends on where you are, what you need, and how much time and budget you have available to invest in development.
| Choose a short course when… | Choose a leadership course when… |
| You have one specific skills gap to address | You need broader leadership development across multiple capabilities |
| You want tools you can apply quickly | You are preparing for greater responsibility or a more senior role |
| Your available time or budget is limited | You want sustained learning with structured workplace application |
| You want to complement previous training | You need development that builds over time, across several capabilities |
It’s worth noting that these aren’t mutually exclusive. Many managers use both as part of the same ongoing development pathway. A short course can serve as a good entry point to complement a longer course, or a targeted top-up between more substantial development activities.
What to consider before enrolling
Before committing to a leadership or decision-making course, it’s worth taking a few minutes to clarify your situation:
- What decisions are becoming part of your role?
- Which specific capability is currently holding you back?
- Do you need targeted training in one area, or broader development?
- Does the course suit your current management level and experience?
- Is the course based on practical frameworks, rather than theory alone?
- Is there a current workplace challenge you could apply the tools and learning to immediately?
- What format, duration, and investment level suits your circumstances?
- Is the course delivered by experienced facilitators with opportunities for discussion and feedback?
- Does the course contribute CPD credits or recognised professional development?
The answers to these questions will help you choose a course that delivers practical value in your current role while preparing you for future opportunities.
Ready to build your strategic thinking and decision-making capability?
Explore IML leadership and management courses.
Looking to close a specific skills gap?
Build a targeted capability with an IML short course.
Frequently asked questions
What is strategic thinking and why does it matter for managers?
Strategic thinking is the ability to step back from daily operations and assess situations with a broader perspective. This can include recognising risks, evaluating options, and making decisions with an awareness of the potential long-term consequences.
Can strategic thinking be learned or is it a natural ability?
Some people may find strategic thinking more intuitive; however, it can also be learned. The underlying capabilities, such as evaluating evidence, identifying assumptions, comparing options, and anticipating consequences, can all be developed through structured learning and deliberate practice. Leadership courses that combine frameworks, real workplace scenarios, and facilitator feedback are particularly effective because they give managers both the tools and the opportunity to apply them immediately.
How do I know if I need a short course or a full leadership course?
A short course suits you if you have a specific skills gap, want tools you can apply quickly, or have limited time or budget available. A full course is a better fit if you need development across multiple capabilities, are preparing for a more senior role, or want sustained learning over time. The two can also work together as part of a wider training model. Many managers undertake short courses to complement a longer course or as a first step before committing to something more substantial.
How long does it take to develop strategic thinking skills?
Short courses can equip you with practical frameworks quickly. However, broader shifts in how you approach complex decisions typically develop over months of deliberate practice, reflection, and feedback. Courses that build in workplace application and peer learning tend to accelerate this process by creating structured opportunities to practise learned theories in real contexts.
Can leadership courses help with decision-making under pressure?
Yes. This is one of the areas where structured learning offers a clear advantage. Under pressure, most people will default to familiar patterns rather than applying deliberate reasoning. Courses that use realistic scenarios, time-constrained exercises, and structured reflection help managers develop the mental habits that hold up when stakes are high and time is short.
References
Australian Public Service Academy (2023) Strategic thinking. https://www.apsacademy.gov.au/strategic-thinking
CIPD (2022) Evidence-based practice for effective decision-making. https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/factsheets/evidence-based-practice-factsheet/
Schoemaker, P., Krupp, S. and Howland, S., (2013) Strategic leadership: The essential skills. Harvard Business Review
https://hbr.org/2013/01/strategic-leadership-the-esssential-skills
