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“We certainly live in a short-term world. There is a constant press of just urgent things. You know, all the emails, all the dings on your phone, and notifications and oh, we gotta go into a meeting now. And I think many of us feel like, whether it’s strictly work things or, you know, the sort of after work or outside of work obligations, we are constantly running and I became kind of plagued with that question of how do, how do we know and how can we get out of that hamster wheel so that we can make better choices?” – Dorie Clark
Dorie Clark was recently a guest on The Keynote Curators podcast, where she unpacked her revolutionary approach to strategic thinking and long-term success planning. As a world-renowned strategic advisor who has worked with organizations like Google and the World Bank, Dorie shared insights that challenge our culture’s obsession with immediate results and offer a roadmap for sustainable career growth.
Meeting professionals understand this tension intimately. The events industry demands both tactical execution and strategic vision—managing vendor relationships while building long-term partnerships, executing flawless events while developing sustainable business models, and responding to immediate client needs while positioning for future opportunities. Dorie’s framework provides the tools to balance these competing demands without sacrificing either short-term performance or long-term success.
Dorie identifies a pervasive challenge affecting high-achievers across industries: the constant feeling of execution without reflection. Professionals report being perpetually busy yet sensing they’re not making meaningful progress toward their larger goals.
“I kept hearing from people again and again, and these were people who seemed like very put together. I just wish I had a moment to breathe. I just wish I had a moment to think,” she observes. “They felt like they were constantly executing, but never being able to step back and actually think—actually say, am I doing the right things?”
This hamster wheel effect creates a dangerous cycle. Busy professionals become reactive rather than proactive, responding to whatever demands the most immediate attention rather than focusing on activities that create the most long-term value. Over time, this reactive mode becomes habitual, making it increasingly difficult to step back and assess whether current efforts align with desired outcomes.
Meeting professionals recognize this pattern immediately. The urgent client call interrupts strategic vendor negotiations. The last-minute venue crisis derails planning for next year’s events. The constant stream of immediate demands crowds out the thinking time necessary for innovation, relationship building, and business development.
One of Dorie’s most valuable insights addresses how professional success requirements change over time—and why most people never adapt their approach accordingly. Early in careers, professionals have abundant time and energy but limited resources and networks. The correct strategy involves saying “yes” to everything: meetings, opportunities, projects, and experiences.
“When you’re young or at the start of your career, you kind of have the time and effort currency in abundance, which is handy because we usually have money that is not in abundance,” she explains. “Say yes to all the things. That’s great. You have plenty of time.”
The problem occurs when successful professionals reach mid-career without adjusting their approach. They continue using early-career strategies—saying yes to every opportunity—despite fundamentally changed circumstances. They now have more responsibilities, more people demanding their time, and hopefully more clarity about what actually works.
“You no longer have that expanse of time to play with. You have more people that want things from you, you have more responsibilities. And you actually by now, hopefully, know what’s working so you know what you want to be doing and spending your time on,” Dorie notes.
This transition requires a fundamental mindset shift: from accepting inbound requests to proactively choosing where to invest time and energy. It means shifting from “How can I do everything?” to “What should I be doing?” and defending those boundaries consistently.
Research reveals a striking paradox about strategic thinking in leadership roles. When surveying thousands of executives, researchers found near-unanimous agreement that long-range strategic thinking represents the most important function of leadership. It’s the definitional activity that separates leaders from managers—steering the ship rather than simply keeping it running smoothly.
Yet simultaneously, 96% of leaders report not having enough time for strategic thinking. This creates an extraordinary opportunity for anyone willing to prioritize strategic reflection. “Even an average person, if they just do the reps, if they just take the time and really consciously carve out space for strategic thinking, you are going to be ahead of almost everybody else,” Dorie emphasizes.
The challenge lies in overcoming our internalized resistance to activities that feel “unproductive” in the moment. Strategic thinking can feel self-indulgent when your inbox is full and meetings are pending. But like physical exercise, the benefits compound over time and improve performance in all other areas.
Dorie’s unexpected expertise with cats provides a compelling metaphor for effective communication and strategic patience. Cats demonstrate mastery of the full emotional range—from urgent demands (“meow, meow, meow”) to subtle persuasion through quiet presence.
“If you’re doing a good keynote, you need to be able to bring all of the pieces to bear,” she explains. “Sometimes you need to be loud and excited and get people amped up, but you also need to be able to step back and have a kind of quiet about you so that people can understand. If everything is at the same emotional cadence, then none of it matters.”
This principle applies beyond speaking to all professional communication. The executive who treats every request as urgent reduces their ability to signal when something truly requires immediate attention. The meeting planner who presents every vendor conversation with the same intensity loses the ability to convey genuine priority when it matters most.
Cats also exemplify long-game thinking. They observe situations patiently, waiting for optimal moments to act. They don’t rush into new relationships but take time to assess and build trust gradually. These behaviors reflect strategic thinking rather than reactive behavior.
Dorie’s analysis of artificial intelligence’s impact on careers provides crucial insight for meeting professionals considering their long-term positioning. Recent data shows 20-25% fewer job offers going to new graduates in traditionally high-paying fields like finance and consulting, primarily because AI can now handle many entry-level analytical tasks.
“Read this hundred-page report and tell me ten salient questions I should be asking, or five areas of concern. Okay, we’ve got that in a minute and a half, or less,” she notes. This efficiency eliminates many traditional first-rung career opportunities that previously provided pathways into professional roles.
However, this technological shift creates opportunities for those who can answer the critical question: “How can I add value that an AI can’t?” For meeting professionals, this question has encouraging answers. The events industry focuses on creating human experiences that require relationship building, cultural sensitivity, creative problem-solving, and emotional intelligence—capabilities that remain distinctly human.
“You are bringing people together to have an experience, and maybe that’s about team cohesion and bonding. Maybe it’s about inspiration or motivation or getting on the same page and having alignment around a shared purpose or vision. But that is something that is a truly human communal thing,” Dorie explains.
In her Harvard Business Review article with colleague Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Dorie advocates for strategic unpredictability as a competitive advantage in an AI-dominated world. Since artificial intelligence operates as a prediction engine, drawing on past patterns to suggest likely outcomes, humans can differentiate themselves by providing genuinely novel approaches.
“Show me something that hasn’t happened before. Give me something the algorithm wouldn’t give me,” she suggests. This doesn’t mean random or thoughtless behavior, but rather thoughtful innovation that breaks expected patterns while remaining consistent with your core identity and values.
For meeting professionals, this might involve unconventional venue choices, unexpected speaker pairings, creative agenda structures, or innovative attendee engagement methods. The key lies in being strategically different rather than different for its own sake.
Dorie’s approach translates into concrete strategies for busy meeting professionals:
Time Audit and Boundary Setting: Regularly assess whether current activities align with long-term objectives. Create explicit criteria for accepting new commitments and stick to them consistently.
Strategic Thinking Blocks: Schedule dedicated time for reflection and planning, treating these appointments as seriously as client meetings. Start with even 15-20 minute weekly sessions focused on one strategic question.
Communication Range Development: Practice varying your communication intensity and style to match the importance of different messages. Not everything deserves urgent-level treatment.
Value Differentiation: Regularly ask yourself how you add unique value that technology cannot replicate. Focus on developing these distinctly human capabilities.
Proactive vs. Reactive Balance: Gradually shift the ratio of your time from responding to inbound requests toward proactively pursuing chosen priorities.
The transition from individual contributor to strategic leader requires mastering delegation—not just of tasks, but of entire categories of work. This evolution often proves challenging for successful professionals who have built their careers on personal execution excellence.
Effective delegation involves identifying which activities require your specific expertise and judgment versus those that others can handle with proper support. It means training yourself to resist the impulse to handle familiar tasks simply because you can do them quickly.
The goal isn’t to eliminate all tactical work, but to ensure that the strategic work gets proper attention and energy. When urgent matters arise—as they inevitably will in event management—you can address them without derailing long-term progress.
Long-term success requires building systems that support strategic thinking even during busy periods. This might include regular check-ins with mentors or advisors, scheduled strategy sessions with your team, or structured processes for evaluating new opportunities against established criteria.
The key lies in creating structures that persist even when individual motivation wanes. Strategic thinking cannot depend on feeling inspired or having extra time—it must become a systematic practice embedded in your professional routine.
Seth Dechtman brings decades of experience in matching meeting professionals with speakers who deliver genuine strategic value rather than just motivational content. As founder of The Keynote Curators, Seth understands that the most effective speakers help audiences develop sustainable competitive advantages through strategic thinking and long-term planning.
Client Testimonials:
“Seth’s recommendation of Dorie Clark transformed our leadership development program. Her strategic thinking framework gave our managers practical tools for long-term planning while still handling daily demands. The impact extended far beyond the event itself.” – Patricia H., VP Human Resources, Global Manufacturing Company
“Working with The Keynote Curators means getting speakers who understand business strategy, not just inspiration. Seth’s deep knowledge of speaker expertise helped us find exactly the right person to address our planning challenges.” – Robert K., Conference Director, Professional Services Organization
“Dorie’s session on strategic thinking was the most practical and immediately useful content our executives experienced all year. Seth’s curation process ensures speakers deliver substance that creates lasting change.” – Amanda L., Chief Learning Officer, Financial Services Firm
Connect with Seth and The Keynote Curators team to discover speakers who help your audience develop the strategic thinking capabilities needed for sustained success in a rapidly changing business environment.
Ready to hear the complete conversation? Listen to Dorie Clark on The Keynote Curators Podcast for the full discussion on strategic thinking, long-term planning, and building sustainable competitive advantages in your career and organization.
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