What strategic thinking actually looks like for health care finance leaders

Strategic thinking sounds like a concept reserved for the C-suite, but it doesn't have to be. In practice, it can be as simple as asking better questions before jumping into the work.

Melinda Mastel, financial advisor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, says building strategic thinking into everyday habits is something finance professionals at every level can do, and it starts with a handful of questions that reframe how problems land on your desk.

Physicians Practice: What does strategic thinking actually look like for a finance leader on a normal Tuesday?

Melinda Mastel: Part of my presentation is really wanting to take this bigger concept of strategic thinking, which we all know is important, and make it something that's not just for executives or leaders, but for people at every level. And then also breaking it down, because it can come across as a little conceptual, into habits and questions we can ask. What does it actually look like to implement strategic thinking as a discipline?

It can be alarmingly simple at its roots, but it's about getting in the habit of applying these questions to anything that comes across your desk. Do we agree on the actual problem we're solving? Who else is affected downstream? What decisions were made upstream that are coming to me? Do I know what precedents are out there? What is our scope? What decision are we in charge of making here?

It's about making sure we're defining success, bringing the right people to the table, and asking good questions. That is really strategic thinking at its core.