2345 - Blending Critical and Creative Thinking to Build a Powerful Artistic Strategy with Mandarin Associates' Charlie Curson

How Strategic Thinking Transforms Leadership: Insights from Charlie Curson

In this episode, host Josh Elledge speaks with Charlie Curson, strategist, leadership coach, author, and Founder & Director of Mandarin Associates. Their conversation explores the deeper meaning of strategic thinking—beyond planning—and reveals how leaders can elevate their impact through self-awareness, open-mindedness, creativity, and influence. This blog distills Charlie’s most valuable insights, showing professionals how to approach leadership with greater clarity, adaptability, and long-term strategic focus.

Building a Stronger Strategic Mindset for Modern Leadership

Charlie Curson explains that strategy is fundamentally different from planning—planning is about predictability and control, while strategy is about making courageous, future-focused choices. He emphasizes that real strategy begins with self-awareness, helping leaders understand their own biases, beliefs, and behaviors so they can make decisions from a place of clarity rather than fear or habit. Without this foundation, even the smartest plans fail to address the real levers that drive performance and growth within organizations.

Charlie also shares how open-mindedness and critical thinking shape effective strategy. Leaders must actively challenge assumptions, invite diverse perspectives, and create environments where constructive disagreement can surface the best ideas. Creativity plays an equally vital role—too often, “strategy” becomes a recycled version of last year’s plan, but true strategic thinking requires imagining new possibilities, exploring different futures, and generating innovative pathways to achieve meaningful outcomes.

Finally, Charlie highlights the importance of communication and influence in scaling the impact of strategy. Even the strongest strategic insights collapse without team alignment and buy-in. By co-creating strategy with their teams, communicating with clarity, and fostering open dialogue, leaders can translate ideas into action. He encourages leaders to embrace uncertainty, experiment early, and treat every new initiative as a learning opportunity—allowing strategy to evolve dynamically as the business landscape shifts.

About Charlie Curson

Charlie Curson is a strategist, leadership coach, speaker, and author of Be More Strategic: 12 Essential Practices to Build the Life and Career You Want. He is the Founder and Director of Mandarin Associates, where he helps organizations develop strategic thinking capabilities, improve leadership effectiveness, and foster high-performing cultures. Connect with Charlie on LinkedIn.

About Mandarin Associates

Mandarin Associates provides strategic consulting, coaching, leadership development, and facilitation services for global organizations. Their work centers on helping teams think more strategically, improve communication, and create purposeful, aligned results across all levels of leadership.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

• Charlie Curson on LinkedIn Profile
• Mandarin Associates Website

Key Episode Highlights

• Strategy is about choices, not control or comfort
• Self-awareness is the foundation of strategic leadership
• Open-mindedness and diverse perspectives improve decision-making
• Creativity enables leaders to imagine new futures and opportunities
• Communication and influence determine...