Here's how you can enhance your strategic thinking and planning skills as a leader.

As a leader, developing strong strategic thinking and planning abilities is crucial for driving organizational success. Start by taking a step back to gain a big-picture perspective - analyze industry trends, identify key challenges and opportunities, and envision your desired future state. Encourage creative problem-solving by fostering an environment that welcomes diverse viewpoints. Regularly review and refine your plans, staying agile to adapt to changing circumstances. Empower your team by clearly communicating the strategic vision and aligning day-to-day activities to higher-level objectives. With disciplined planning and a forward-thinking mindset, you can navigate complexity and lead your organization to new heights.

Curiosity enhances learning and memory by engaging the brain's reward system, which motivates individuals to retain information better. This intrinsic motivation plays a significant role in how effectively a person learns and remembers new information. Additionally, curiosity stimulates brain regions such as the hippocampus and the nucleus accumbens, which are crucial for memory formation and learning.

Augmented reality (AR) can also be used minimally to enhance immersion with reality without an excess of devices. In some scenarios, a guiding GPT voice integrated into a risk-free environment is sufficient to optimise a simulation combined with a real-world situation. This approach allows for effective training and decision-making by providing real-time feedback and instructions without overwhelming the user with technology. It reduces the cognitive load and keeps the user engaged in the activity, enhancing learning and performance outcomes. By integrating a guiding AI voice, users can receive timely guidance and support, improving their ability to navigate complex scenarios with confidence and clarity.

Networking is about what you give, not what you get. There are many win-win ways to build your network: • Help someone more junior than you navigate their career via 1:1 mentoring calls on ADPList or Topmate • Give a talk at a conference once you know enough about a topic to speak on it • Offer to work on a side project with someone in your network to increase visibility for both of you Before you ask your network for help, ask what you have done to help your network.

Improvisation Training: Strategic training planning is most effective when it derives knowledge cycles from simulated scenario conclusions, simplifies these into a few action rules for near-impossible missions that exceed standards and reality, thus ensuring better preparedness for any situation, reducing uncertainty and mental load for agile decision-making. The problems of life don't come with instructions. Be comfortable with confusion and calm within chaos.