The Strategic Playground: Think Like a Strategist

The Strategic Playground: Think Like a Strategist

The Strategic Playground Workshop is an engaging and immersive experience designed to help leaders at every level sharpen or re-activate their strategic thinking skills and step into a strategic mindset. It provides an opportunity to recharge, reflect, and rethink, equipping participants with practical tools and innovative methods to think more strategically.

This session explores the key principles of strategic thinking and why developing a strategic mindset is essential for success. We'll discuss how to recognize if you're truly thinking strategically and identify common obstacles that hinder strategic thought, including the impact of the business environment and systemic barriers. Attendees will learn how to frame the right questions to elevate conversations, tackle unspoken assumptions, and increate their impact. We'll also dive into how bias and assumptions limit our effectiveness and explore strategies to overcome these barriers to drive better, more strategic decisions.

Learning Objectives:

• Define Strategic Thinking:  Understand what strategic thinking is - and what it is not.
• Recognize Barriers: Identify the factors that prevent us from adopting a strategic mindset, even when we intend to
• Strategic Questioning: Learn to ask the right questions and frame challenges in ways that reveal new and diverse solutions.
• Utilize Strategic Frameworks: Discover and apply frameworks and tools that foster a strategic mindset and generate fresh, innovative ideas.

Presenter: Mary Rapaport, Founder of Xcelerate and The Strategic Playground 

Mary Rapaport is on a mission to democratize strategic thinking. She believes it's not just for the elite few, but for everyone in an organization. When everyone channels a strategic mindset, the business culture thrives, teams become more creative, and employees lean in and engage more. Cultivating this mindset helps leaders create a better (and more fun) place to work, fostering a stronger culture of creativity and innovation.

As a strategic thinking architect, Mary empowers leaders and teams across all functions and levels to think, act, and lead more strategically. As the founder of Xcelerate, she builds learning strategy, designing and delivering immersive learning experiences that ignite "aha moments" and drive tangible business results.

As a trusted strategic thinking coach, Mary partners with individuals and teams at leading brands to develop customized learning and development strategies. She works closely with clients to identify blind spots, refine critical thinking skills, and translate strategic insights into actionable plans for tangible ROI.

Mary's passion extends beyond individual development. She champions inclusive growth through the Minority Business Growth Alliance, a non-profit providing invaluable coaching and support to BIPOC entrepreneurs. She holds an MBA, a BA in International Business and French, and is a certified leadership and sales trainer. Mary has extensive experience in marketing, transformation, and strategic initiatives. She also serves as the current president of the Twin Cities chapter of the Association of Talent Development.

Please contact programs@atdgreatercleveland.org with event/registration questions.