The Strategic Playground™ helps leaders and teams think bigger—on purpose.
A bold, immersive experience that makes strategic thinking practical, energizing, and accessible at every level—not just the top. Participants bring real challenges and leave with actionable tools, sharper instincts, and a mindset that transforms how they think, work, and lead.
VIDEO
Watch and EXPERIENCE the Playground…
Problem:
When deadlines keep you in firefighting mode, competitive pressures are rising, and market changes keep blindsiding your plans, it’s easy for teams to get stuck reacting instead of leading. Opportunities get missed. Innovation slows. Decisions are rushed and focused on quick fixes instead of lasting impact. That’s when you need The Strategic Playground—so leaders and teams can think ahead, spot patterns before they become problems, and turn strategy into bold, effective action.
Solution:
Strategic thinking isn’t just for the C-suite—it’s a competitive advantage for everyone. The Strategic Playground turns strategy from a theoretical concept into a bold, energizing, and practical skill set.
Designed for leaders and teams who want to stop reacting and start leading, this immersive, real-world experience blends hands-on workshops, scenario-based learning, and on-the-job application. Participants tackle their challenges like navigating shifting customer demands, anticipating market disruptions, improving cross-department collaboration, and making high-stakes resource decisions while learning to spot patterns, challenge assumptions, and frame smarter solutions.
The result: practical tools, lasting habits, and a sharper, more strategic way of working—every day, at every level.
Program Description
Strategic thinking isn’t just a C-suite skill. It’s a competitive advantage that belongs to everyone—and The Strategic Playground is here to build it.
Born from the belief that strategy shouldn’t be intimidating, exclusive, or overly theoretical, The Strategic Playground is a bold, energizing development experience designed to help leaders and teams think and work more strategically—on purpose. It was built for people who want to stop reacting and start leading. For teams who want to think bigger and contribute more. For organizations that know strategy lives and dies in everyday decisions, not just annual plans.
This isn’t a lecture. It’s an active, modular, real-world experience. Participants practice thinking differently about the work they already do—spotting patterns, challenging assumptions, seeing beyond the obvious, and framing smarter solutions. Through hands-on workshops, scenario-based learning, coaching, and on-the-job application, they learn frameworks they’ll actually use and develop habits that stick.
The Strategic Playground is built on five core principles:
• Strategic thinking can be taught (and should be).
• Leaders at every level deserve access to it.
• Teams learn best by doing—not by theory.
• Play and curiosity fuel great thinking.
• Big impact starts with small, practical shifts.
The result? A practical mindset shift that transforms how leaders see their role, their challenges, and their opportunity to lead. The Strategic Playground empowers teams to not just do more—but think better.
Who It’s For:
Senior Leaders Who Want to Strengthen Strategic Depth Below Them
Mid-Level Managers Ready to Drive Long-Term Results
High-Potential Employees Preparing for Bigger Roles
Cross-Functional Project Teams Navigating Complex Challenges
Sales & Service Teams Who Need to Balance Today’s Wins with Tomorrow’s Growth
HR, L&D, and OD Leaders Building a Stronger Strategic Bench
How the Program Works
The Strategic Playground is more than a workshop—it’s a flexible, end-to-end development experience designed to build lasting strategic capability across your organization.
The program includes a series of modular workshops that can be delivered as full sessions, short sprints, or embedded into existing development tracks. Each module builds on the last to create continuous, digestible learning experiences that spark growth without overwhelming busy teams.
To support long-term impact, the program also includes:
• Practical assessments to benchmark and track growth
• Reinforcement sessions that deepen learning and sustain momentum
• Toolkits and discussion guides that leaders can use with their teams to keep strategic thinking alive on the job
Organizations can integrate the full program into their internal learning and development offerings, allowing internal teams to scale the experience and bring the tools, language, and frameworks to more leaders over time.
It’s hands-on, real-world, and built to shift how people think—not just what they know.
Strategic Approaches to Real Business Challenges
The Strategic Playground is more than a workshop—it's a toolkit for building sharper minds and stronger teams. Each module focuses on a specific dimension of strategic thinking, blending practical tools with fresh perspectives. Whether you're looking to expand your team's mindset, spark better decisions, or build action plans that actually drive change, these modules are designed to be applied, not just admired.
The Strategic Mindset
Uncover what it really means to think strategically—and what gets in the way. This module builds awareness, surfaces hidden habits, and equips participants with simple mindset shifts to sharpen everyday thinking.
Bust Silos, Increase Impact
Help your team think beyond their own lane. This module shows how to move from tactical to strategic, align with stakeholders, and measure what really matters—while navigating cultural and organizational pushback.
The Bigger Picture: Spotting What’s Next
Strategic thinkers don’t just react—they anticipate. Expand strategic awareness, explore external trends, and surface hidden signals with tools like PESTLE analysis in this module.
Building Strategic Action Plans
Ideas are great. Action is better. This hands-on module brings it all together with a clear process for translating insight into forward-looking, high-impact plans using tools like TOWS analysis and strategic design principles.
Problem Framing
Better problems lead to better solutions. This module gives leaders powerful question frameworks and tools to reframe challenges, break through stuck thinking, and open up new possibilities.
Eliminating Bias and Assumptions in Decisions
Bias is sneaky—and costly. This module gives your team tools to test assumptions, reduce blind spots, and make smarter, clearer decisions grounded in reality, not habit.
Seeing Shifts Early: Making Future-Focused Decisions
Most people miss the early signs of change. This module teaches how to map potential shifts, track patterns, and prepare for inflection points before they hit—so your team stays a step ahead.
Not Your Average Leadership Program.
Strategy gets built here—with sticky notes, stretch thinking, bold ideas, and a serious approach to play. Play sparks the thinking that drives real impact.
Strategic thinking isn’t a C-suite privilege. It’s a capability every team should bring to the table.
Need a broader learning strategy to support your talent goals?
VP CLIENT STRATEGY AND SERVICE, B2B MARKETING AGENCY
“I came away feeling like I know several more avenues to consider, a bigger way to think about things, and questions to ask before I make a decision or a conclusion or an assumption. I learned some fantastic tools I never tried before.
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER, MANAGEMENT CONSULTING GROUP
“What a wonderful class!! I really liked the content - such great reminders of actions that can be taken to 'think" strategically and/or probe others. I can see how this would be perfectly aligned for the executives we support!”
DIRECTOR OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT, MAJOR BEEF PROCESSING COMPANY
“I loved the session! The experience challenged me and pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me engage in different ways than I typically do. I felt like after every exercise I had something I could take away and really use. I’ll definitely be using this with my team! And the Powerful Questions really helped me drive a clarifying conversation about my vision. I’ve been using those questions since I got them and asking them is helping people think a little differently!”
We’re proud to have delivered custom workshops for many respected clients. Here are some of the organizations we've worked with.
