You've heard industry executives say it: blocking off time for just sitting and thinking gives them more and better strategic ideas.

Well, in an interesting Wall Street Journal blog, Herminia Ibarra says she isn't buying it. The author of "Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader," says folks who think they can simply think their way to better strategy and decision making are taking part in wishful, and backward thinking.

Ibarra argues that executives are much more likely to act their way to better strategic thinking, even if they're not sure exactly where to begin. There are specific things executives can do in order to get started, and Ibarra lists a few in the blog.

Ibarra stresses that strategic thinking is a long-term activity fraught with ambiguity and distractions. That's why the action items she lists "aren’t exercises to periodically carve out time for, and they certainly aren’t activities to try once a year at a strategic retreat," she says.

Click here to see the full blog post.