Experience is a true double-edged sword for the strategic thinker. Having too much experience can limit creativity in generating alternatives. Having little or no experience will increase the time needed to solve the problem or create a plan.
Most strategic thinkers prefer to have the experience available and use it as a resource, but make a concerted effort to keep an open mind when it comes to the status quo. They realize that many problems are created due to the hidebound thought, “That’s the way we’ve always done it.”
Experience can be a great teacher. She can also be a conniving and deceitful mistress and lure you down the path of ill repute. Strategic thinkers are very careful in their use of experience. Their goal is to understand history and learn from it, not necessarily to repeat it.
Retail stores always look at past history when evaluating holiday sales. They base inventory decisions at least partially upon how certain products have historically sold. Their goal is to understand what did not sell well and why, so that they do not place large orders for similar items in the future.
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