I attended an excellent webcast yesterday, "The Case Against Splitting HR: How to Become a True Strategic Advisor " through the Human Capital Institute.  The speaker was Dave Weisbeck, Chief Strategy Officer for Visier, Inc.  He provided some excellent, useful information.  He asked, "What does it actually mean to be 'strategic'?" and he answered the question.  I especially liked his points about knowing the goal, looking at the big picture, acting with intent, being purposeful, thinking divergently, thinking critically, and aligning.  I highly recommend the webcast.  www.hci.org.