Strategic Operator Self-Evaluation
Time to complete: 10-15 minutes
How to Use This Evaluation
This assessment focuses on your personal behaviors and patterns as a strategic operator—not your team's performance or your organization's systems.Be honest with yourself. The goal isn't to score perfectly; it's to identify where you are now and what specific shifts will make the biggest difference.
Email (just to send your survey results, which are confidential)
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example@example.com
Section A: Making Intentional Choice (Statements 1-4)
1. I create space between stimulus and response—I don't automatically react to every email, message, or interruption.
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2. I distinguish between what feels urgent and what actually matters before deciding how to respond.
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3. When I feel urgency rising, I recognize it and deliberately choose my next action rather than being driven by it.
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4. Before responding to urgent requests, I pause to consider what outcome I'm really after.
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Section B: Strategic Mindset (Statements 5-9)
5. I define my end-state and work backwards to build my strategy, adapting as conditions change.
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6. I routinely ask myself "Why does this matter?" and "Does this advance my goals?"
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7. I clarify the specific outcome I'm after before committing time and resources.
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8. I regularly assess whether my actions are moving me toward my intended outcomes, not just checking off tasks.
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9. I protect time for work that serves long-term goals, even when short-term demands are screaming.
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Section C: Equity-Centered Strategy (Statements 10-13)
This is page 2 of 6, but they go fast!
10. I examine how my own biases and social position shape my strategic choices and work to address them.
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11. I ensure ideas drive decisions based on their merit, not on who's speaking or their positional power.
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12. I examine how racism, classism, and other forms of oppression shape our strategic choices and organizational culture.
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13. I question whether my "must-haves" are actual strategic requirements or just preferences and tradition.
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Section D: Root Cause Thinking (Statements 14-17)
14. When problems arise, I ask "Why is this happening?" multiple times to get past surface-level explanations.
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15. I test my assumptions about what's causing a problem rather than jumping to the most obvious explanation.
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16. When the same issues keep recurring, I investigate the system or pattern creating them.
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17. Before implementing solutions, I check: if we fix this, will the underlying problem actually go away?
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Section E: Systems Thinking (Statements 18-21)
Welcome to Page 3. It's a great one.
18. I map how different parts of the system connect and influence each other before making decisions.
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19. I think through ripple effects—how a change in one area will cascade through others.
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20. I identify patterns across multiple issues rather than treating each problem as isolated.
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21. I consider who else will be affected by my decisions, not just the immediate stakeholders.
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Section F: Anticipatory Thinking (Statements 22-25)
22. I regularly pause to look ahead and identify what will need my attention before it becomes urgent.
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23. I identify early warning signs and potential obstacles before they block progress.
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24. I think through multiple scenarios (best case, worst case, most likely) and what each would require.
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25. I act on what I anticipate, addressing future needs proactively rather than waiting until they become urgent.
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Section G: External Awareness (Statements 26-29)
You're halfway done! Keep going!
26. I regularly scan the external environment—political, social, economic—to stay informed about shifts that could affect my work.
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27. I understand the stakeholder landscape and power dynamics relevant to my organization's goals.
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28. I pay attention to what's happening in adjacent fields and industries, not just my immediate area.
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29. I translate external intelligence into strategic implications—what it means for our priorities, risks, and opportunities.
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Section H: Collaborative Strategy (Statements 30-33)
30. I seek out people who will challenge my thinking and pressure test my assumptions before making important decisions.
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31. I bring others into strategic thinking early, before my approach is already formed.
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32. When others challenge or offer different perspectives, I genuinely incorporate them rather than defending my original thinking.
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33. I create conditions where people feel safe to challenge my assumptions and shape strategic direction.
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Section I: Cognitive Flexibility (Statements 34-37)
34. I actively question my own assumptions and seek out information that challenges my current views.
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35. I'm aware of my own blind spots and biases and work to account for them.
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36. When I'm very certain about something, I pause to ask "What am I missing?"
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37. When I'm wrong, I acknowledge it openly rather than defending my original position.
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Section J: Strategic Discipline & Decision-Making (Statements 38-42)
38. I can name my current top 3 strategic priorities without having to think about it.
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39. I regularly assess where I'm spending my time and resources and reallocate when my priorities shift.
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40. I communicate decisions to stop work that isn't achieving meaningful impact, even when it's popular or comfortable.
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41. I make decisions based on strategic direction, not just urgency or noise.
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42. I make conscious trade-offs, declining good opportunities to focus my time and energy on the highest-impact work.
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Section K: Strategy Communication (Statements 43-46)
This is the last page! You made it!
43. I translate strategy into clear, actionable language that enables others to make decisions without me.
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44. I explain not just what we're doing, but why it matters and how each person's work connects to our goals.
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45. I share my strategic thinking process so others learn how to think strategically, not just understand the plan.
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46. I communicate and reinforce strategic direction consistently across contexts.
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Section L: Strategic Experimentation (Statements 47-50)
47. I balance proven approaches with experimental tactics in my work so I'm learning and innovating while delivering results.
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48. I design small pilots or experiments to test assumptions before committing significant resources to new initiatives.
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49. I build in checkpoints to assess what's working before scaling or continuing.
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50. I treat early implementation as an opportunity to learn and adjust, not just execute.
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Section M: Adaptive Learning (Statements 51-54)
Last section!
51. I regularly reflect on what's working and what's not, and adjust based on those insights.
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52. I build in feedback loops to understand the impact of my decisions and actions.
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53. I conduct debriefs after major efforts and actually change my approach based on what I learn, not just document lessons.
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54. I treat results—both successes and failures—as data to learn from.
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Profile
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