Learning to Think Strategically
Program Description:
As companies, institutions, and governments invest in developing leaders who can responsibly set an innovative path for the future, the traditional approach to learning strategy development is no longer sufficient. Globalization and technology are both intensifying and magnifying the factors of complexity within the environment in which strategy is made, and conventional methods of strategic planning are inadequate. The basic tenet of this seminar supports the notion that organizations will remain competitive provided leaders move beyond what successful strategists do and focus instead on how they learn to think the way they do.
This interactive seminar offers an opportunity for participants to challenge conventional approaches to strategy by focusing on how successful strategists learn to think strategically — the learning aspect of strategic thinking will be emphasized. As organizational leaders, participants will be encouraged to critically assess their own and their organizations’ strategy development habits. Accordingly, participants will work with their own current strategy cases to expand the breadth and depth of their strategy thinking.
This seminar provides a thorough grounding in the foundation and the underlying concepts of strategic thinking. Based on a critical reflective process-oriented design, the content explores the genesis of strategic thinking, its value to an organization, and includes extensive practice and intensive reflection as learning methods.
Dates & Registration
Dates: January 9-10 & 16-17, 2026
Times: In-person meetings from 9:00am - 5:00pm ET (includes a 1 hour lunch break) on
- Friday, January 9th
- Saturday, January 10th
- Friday, January 16th
- Saturday, January 17th
Format: In-Person
Price: $995
Please Note: This course is offered on a non-credit basis or for 3 credits. Registration for this course through TC Academy is for the non-credit offering and Academic Credits will not be awarded. For instructions on how to register for the credit offering see below.
For more information, questions, or to register: Email tcacademy@tc.columbia.edu
This course can be taken for credit in accordance with TC's enrollment policies. If you are not a current student and would like to take this course for credit, please review the Non-Degree Application Instructions page on our website and proceed accordingly. Also, please note that if you plan to take this on a for-credit basis, college tuition and fees will apply. If you are a continuing student in a degree program and have approval from your advisor, you can register for this course beginning on December 1st. Winter session courses will follow spring registration and payment deadlines.
Faculty
Dr. Julia Sloan, author of the definitive book Learning to Think Strategically, 5th ed. (Best Business Book of the Year, Financial Times), is widely recognized for her pioneering work on applying complex cognitive theory to everyday practice in global business and public policy. She has also written numerous privately commissioned articles and white papers on the topic of strategic thinking for corporations, policy institutes, and think tanks.
Having served on the faculty of the Brookings Institution, Julia was also awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and named to the Distinguished Lecture Series at the Mohammad bin Rashid School of Government (Dubai). She has held a Distinguished Faculty appointment at the Central University of Finance and Economics (China), received a Researcher-in-Residence Fellowship, Faculty Excellence Award, Outstanding Teaching Award, Ahead-of-the-Curve Teaching Award, and Innovative Influence Award from Silicon Valley Incubator Consortium. As a result of her work on strategic thinking, Julia was twice invited to speak on behalf of the late Nobel Prize-winning economist, Milton Friedman.
She teaches strategic thinking at Columbia University and Teachers College (NYC) and has guest lectured at MIT and Harvard University (US), Keio University (Japan), London School of Economics (UK), King Saud University (Saudi Arabia), Beijing University (China), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore (Singapore), and the India Institute of Management (India).
Drawing on more than two decades of her own corporate expatriate experience, Julia regularly travels abroad to work on-site with business executives, government agencies, and public policy leaders. Her work aims to expand the focus beyond a strategic planning model to include a more expansive and complex notion of strategy that includes innovation and perpetual change.
A frequent presenter on the topic of strategic thinkng at innovation, business, and policy conferences in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North America, Juulia has addressed organizations including: Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Southeast Asian Investment Forum, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (NAIST), Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC), Fulbright Scholars, the Economic Summit in Mongolia, World Government Summit in Dubai, Mexico Foreign Trade Commission, and the Economic Development Summit in UAE.
In addition to working with corporations, Julia has consulted for the United Nations Secretariat and UN Peacekeeping Operations in more than 30 field missions, the UN Logistics Base, UN Staff College, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. She served as an advisor to the Afghan women delegates in the first Constitutional Convention and has been instrumental in supporting the efforts of rising business leaders in war-torn countries of South Sudan, Iraq, and Kosovo.
Learning Objectives
The overall objective of this seminar is to give participants foundational information and practical insights into the underlying learning process of strategic thinking.
As a result of fully engaging in this seminar, participants will:
- Describe what strategic thinking is (and is not).
- Identify the value strategic thinking adds to organizational leadership, sustainability, and innovation.
- Understand how people learn to think strategically.
- Facilitate a learning aspect of strategic thinking in order to strengthen strategic capability within their respective organizations.
- Demonstrate strategic thinking throughout the seminar and in assignments.
Who Should Attend
Organizational leaders with 5-10 years professional work experience in corporations, government agencies, institutions, schools, hospitals, or start-ups. Participants must currently have strategy responsibility within their organization and be avid learners with a wide-open mind.
Upon Completion
Participants who successfully complete this program will earn a verified Certificate of Participation and an official Digital Badge—valuable credentials that showcase your commitment to professional growth and can be shared on LinkedIn or digital portfolios.
View our sample program badge and certificate below:
Important Notice: This is a non-credit program. Completion does not provide academic credit toward any degree program at Teachers College or other institutions. No transcript credit will be awarded.