Better strategic decisions come from four consistent habits: continuously training staff, deliberately seeking outside perspectives, thinking beyond the local market, and making small course corrections rather than waiting for one big decision.
Training is a strategic decision, not just an HR cost
Businesses that invest in ongoing staff training, not a single onboarding session, build a workforce that adapts faster when conditions change. That investment pays off precisely because change keeps happening; a team trained only once falls behind quickly.
Get outside your own office
Regular conversations with people outside the immediate business, competitors, clients, mentors, surface insights that internal meetings rarely produce. Deliberately scheduling time with people who see the business differently is a strategic habit, not a networking nicety, and the same principle underpins the mentorship programmes the Department of Employment and Labour funds through its skills-development levy system.
Think beyond the local market
Reliable internet access has made it realistic for South African businesses to study, and compete with, counterparts internationally. Looking at how similar businesses operate elsewhere often surfaces strategic options a purely local view misses.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most impactful strategic decisions a small business can make?
Ongoing staff training, deliberately seeking outside perspectives, thinking beyond the local market, and making incremental changes consistently.
Why does staff training count as a strategic decision?
Because a continuously trained team adapts faster to changing conditions than one trained only once at onboarding.
How do outside perspectives improve business decisions?
Conversations with people outside daily operations often surface blind spots that internal discussions miss.
Should a small local business think about global competitors?
Yes. Studying how similar businesses operate internationally can reveal strategic options a purely local view overlooks.
Is a single big strategic decision better than small incremental ones?
Consistent incremental changes, informed by ongoing learning, tend to compound into a meaningfully different business over months.
Further reading
Originally published in November 2016. Updated September 2026 to connect the four original habits to current thinking on decision speed and risk in unpredictable markets.
