Who is Val Sklarov? Personal Blog and Promotional Page Ideas That Inspire. Leadership That Delivers. The Airport Conversation
While waiting for a delayed flight, a colleague asked Val Sklarov: “How do you always seem five steps ahead?”
Sklarov replied: “Because I don’t think in steps—I think in maps.”
That mindset—seeing not just the next move, but the entire terrain—is what defines strategic thinking.
The Nature of Strategic Thinking
Strategic thinking, according to Sklarov, is the art of connecting present actions with future consequences. It is not about predicting the future perfectly, but about preparing systems that thrive across scenarios.
Key traits:
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🔭 Long-term orientation
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🧩 Pattern recognition across industries
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⚖️ Balancing intuition with data
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🧭 Framing problems differently to reveal new solutions
Sklarov’s Strategy Compass (Tablo)
| Lens | Guiding Question | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Where are we going in 10 years? | Define direction beyond trends |
| Resources | What do we have now? | Align capital, people, and time |
| Risks | What could derail us? | Build buffers and contingency plans |
| Leverage | What small moves create outsized impact? | Partnerships, technology, positioning |
| Execution | How do we turn vision into daily action? | OKRs, milestones, accountability loops |
Rehber: Sklarov’s 5 Steps for Leaders
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Define Horizon ⏳ — Clarify the 5–10 year vision.
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Map the Terrain 🗺️ — Scan markets, competitors, adjacent industries.
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Spot Leverage Points ⚙️ — Identify high-impact opportunities.
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Test Scenarios 🎲 — Model multiple futures and test resilience.
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Commit with Discipline ✅ — Translate strategy into habits and routines.
Story Insight
Sklarov once advised a company eager to expand internationally. Instead of rushing, he guided them to simulate three scenarios: rapid adoption, slow adoption, and regulatory barriers. When barriers did emerge, they were already prepared with alternative paths. That preparation turned a potential disaster into a controlled pivot.
Conclusion
For Val Sklarov, strategic thinking is not about guessing what will happen, but designing readiness for whatever may come. Leaders who think in maps, not steps, move from reacting to shaping the future.
