Strategic Thinking Studio

Helping teams and individuals improve their strategic thinking and decision making skills.

I’m struck by how often smart, capable operators get the same frustrating feedback: “You need to be more strategic.”

It’s well-intended, but vague, and hard to act on.

In my experience, the best way to build strategic thinking is in the work itself. As teams navigate real decisions, they start to recognize and strengthen their strategic capabilities.

This is why I started this offering. I’m excited to work closely with teams, bringing structure, practical tools, and outside perspective to not only help build strategy, but also help team members gain the clarity and confidence to lead it.

Strategy Training & Coaching Services

1:1 Direct Coaching

Active mentorship and guidance on a specific initiative or project

  • Hands-on coaching through a strategic recommendation

  • Reinforces key concepts: problem definition, evaluating tradeoffs, strategic communication

Team Workshops

Designed to help work groups build a common approach to strategy

  • Modular & flexible in format and duration

  • Group practice to improve problem solving, prioritization and strategic communications

“Train the Trainer” Workshops

Manager training focused on getting higher quality outputs out of their teams

  • Full-day in-person/virtual/hybrid format

  • Trainers guide & seminar-style workshop to facilitate discussion among participants

  • Case studies and best practice sharing to set a common language and quality bar for strategy

I work with mid-career professionals including:

  • Efficient Operators who are effective at driving initiatives but have trouble pulling up out of execution

  • Broad Thinkers who have innovative ideas but struggle to analyze options within business constraints

  • Functional Experts who are expanding to leadership roles that contribute to strategy development

I cover strategy development at all levels, from setting a long-term vision to framing critical business decisions.

Strategy Topics

BUILDING YOUR FACT BASE

ESTABLISHING CONTEXT using business, consumer, and macro data sources

DOT CONNECTING: Actionable insights vs. “reporting the weather”

SYNTHESIZE: focusing on what’s important

DEFINING YOUR WHO

CUSTOMERS & INTERMEDIARIES: clarify who are you designing for and their influences

MOTIVATIONS & TENSIONS: Identifying needs and what you are solving for

PROBLEM DEFINITION

SCOPE THE PROBLEM Determining what you are trying to answer

STRUCTURE THE PROBLEM Diagnose uncertainty & disaggregate issues

CREATING HYPOTHESES to prove/disprove

STRATEGIC CHOICES

POSITIONING Define where you compete, your right to win, and crystallizing your “why”

CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS Determine “what needs to be true” to win

LEARN & ITERATE establishing a learning plan that will inform strategic iteration

EFFECTIVE INFLUENCE

ENROLLING YOUR STAKEHOLDERS a critical lever to build strategic conviction.

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION Writing with clarity and purpose; facilitating leadership discussions with conviction & tact

MINDSET & PRACTICES

THE ROLE OF MINDSET A critical enabler for successful strategy development

BUILDING STRATEGY HABITS Creating your ideal conditions for divergent and convergent thinking

Claire combines deep experience in brand and strategy with a passion for coaching and developing leaders. She has a unique ability to simplify strategy development, making it clear and actionable for leaders at all levels.

Her toolkit and 'train the trainer' session equipped my directors with the confidence and frameworks to coach stronger strategic thinking in their teams while sharpening their own skills. Claire is both direct and supportive—a great partner for any leader looking to elevate their team's strategic capabilities. 

—VP, Global Customer and Partner Innovation, Starbucks