Strategic Thinking: A Necessity for Economic Dignity and National Progress

When Strategic Thinking Transforms from an Elite Tool to an Existential Necessity

From the first moment of his consciousness, man was not just a being, but a being who thought about what he would become. This ability, which distinguishes him from all other creatures, is not only evident in his tools or his language, but in the way he manages time: he accumulates experience, he postpones pleasure, and he connects small decisions to distant destinies. Yet, the great paradox in contemporary societies, especially those emerging from the captivity of dependency into the realm of national ambition, is that they are often preoccupied with quick fixes, they accumulate superficial achievements, and they are dazzled by momentary performance, without planting in the individual—the citizen, the employee, the student—that missing ability: to think strategically. Strategic thinking is not a managerial skill or an academic methodology; it is, at its core, the ability to look from above, across time, and through others. It is to see a decision not in the light of its immediate results, but in the light of its profound effects on the context, on value, on growth, and on the nation's self-image.

From Instinctive Thinking to Strategic Thinking: Man as a Deferred Project

Why do some societies fail to transform despite an abundance of resources? Because, simply, they have not changed their minds. And because they remained hostage to a cosmetic, momentary, managerial, and rhetorical way of thinking that focuses on presenting what is fitting for the public more than on building what will endure over time.

Societies that do not instill a strategic dimension in the consciousness of their individuals, even in small decisions—from educating their children to their consumption choices to the pattern of their relationships—give birth to generations that are good at dealing with the display, but fail at dealing with the structure. The transformation is not made by the economy alone; it is made by the way of thinking that drives that economy: Do we see opportunity in the idea or in the support? Do we produce from within or do we imitate from outside? Do we think about today or do we build for twenty years from now?

This title may seem harsh, but the truth is that economic independence is not achieved with speeches or scattered initiatives, but by a society that is good at thinking in the long term. A society that understands that prosperity is not a gift from authority, but the result of a collective effort that begins with the individual's consciousness, when he decides to redefine the relationship between his effort and his value. And when we teach children how to plan for their future, not how to answer their exams. And when we reward an employee for his sound decision, not for his total compliance. And when the question, Where do you see yourself in five years? transforms from a career question to a national one. Only then does the cycle of strategic awareness begin to move, not as a topic in a training program, but as an intellectual identity that resides in the individual and shapes the community.

The Absence of Strategy: Societies of Status Over Mission

When strategic thinking is absent from society, the state becomes a project without a lever. At some stage of transformation, some people believe that strategies are made by papers, consultants, and supreme councils, while they neglect the fact that the greatest strategy is forged in the collective unconscious of a nation. How do individuals think? How do they connect effort to value? How do they evaluate success? Who decides what is small work and what is big work?

In the early part of the millennium, a large part of global manufacturing moved to China. The West, particularly the United States, thought that with this decision, they were reducing costs and improving efficiency. But what was not apparent at the time was that America did not just export jobs; it exported the values of real work, and kept for itself a shell of administrative and bureaucratic layers and ceremonial privileges. In China, a generation grew up that saw production as the real battle, and that manual or technical work was not a lack of value, but a means of creating an economy.

Meanwhile, in some segments of Western societies, the idea became entrenched that small jobs are not for us, that thinking is more important than execution, and that leading a team is more important than carrying a project on one's back. And so, some societies turned into entities that practice supervision over reality more than they practice its creation, and today they suffer from a fatal gap: a lot of degrees, a few skills. A lot of plans, a few executors.

The emphasis on strategic thinking as an intellectual identity directly aligns with the core principles of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to transform the nation from a reliance on oil to a vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious nation. By shifting the collective consciousness from "quick fixes" and "momentary performance" to long-term value, individual effort, and building enduring structure, the society supports Vision 2030's goals of economic diversification, empowering the private sector (SMEs), developing human capital for future jobs, and instilling accountability. This cultural change—where every citizen, employee, and student connects their daily work to the 20-year national destiny—is the essential "lever" required to execute the ambitious transformation programs and ensure the sustainable realization of the Vision's three pillars.

In environments where strategic thinking is absent, a person begins to evaluate himself based on what he appears to be, not what he achieves, and he chooses his work based on the image it gives him, not on the value it adds. In such a society, the windows of growth are closed, not because the ideas are lacking, but because the culture cannot bear the sweat of execution and does not believe in the value of accumulation. We must reshape the collective consciousness toward a vision that makes every job—no matter how simple it seems—a part of a grand picture that is built gradually, not with speeches. We must realize that strategy is not just a question of the future, but also the art of directing today for the benefit of that future.