HOW TO BE A STRATEGIC LEADER IN EVERYDAY MOMENTS
What is strategic leadership?
There is developing a strategy, knowing what it is that we aim to do in pursuit of the mission and vision and purpose of an organisation.
Then there is strategic leadership. The ability to not only develop the strategy but to execute it as well.
In a world that is incredibly dynamic where leaders have extensive and growing portfolios, it is an important distinction to understand.
This is where I am seeing so many leaders challenged.
How do they execute the strategy?
How do they pursue the implementation of the strategy?
Knowing the strategy is not enough. Leading strategically is important. This is what brings the strategy to life.
It is not only the big, bold, major activity that I am talking about here. It is the everyday moments of leadership.
What you do each day determines what happens over the course of six months, or two years, or five years. Like anything, it is the day-to-day activity and habit that creates the long-term outcomes.
If we look at the corporate cascade, you can see at the very top the purpose. This informs the development of the vision or aspiration the organisation pursues. From here the strategy is developed. What we are going to do, so that we realise the aspiration. Further down the cascade develops our business plan and our projects, and all the way down through our teams, to daily activity. What each individual does on a daily basis.
What leaders do each day should connect to the strategy, vision and purpose If you are not contributing daily in alignment to the strategic direction, then you are not leading strategically.
So let me give you a few examples of these everyday moments for leading strategically.
If you are not creating a plan, or you are not deliberately adding activity each week to your calendar related to your strategy, then how will you achieve the strategically important goals? You have not committed time to progress them.
I hear from so many leaders that they have a lot of strategically important things on their to-do list, yet they are not making progress. The commitment is to move the strategically important things from your to-do list and commit time in your calendar. You are committing yourself, with your energy and focus and attention, to do these things.
Here is another example. When you are working on something important and impactful that contributes at the strategic level and you get interrupted.
If you decide to choose the interruption, even though you know it is not that important, is this strategic leadership?
If one of your team members comes to you and asks, “Have you got a minute,” and then they share with you a challenge or a problem or something that they are trying to achieve and you do it for them, is that strategic leadership? Rather than doing it for them, you could choose to mentor them, helping to build their capability for the future.
How does doing their work for them move the needle in the next six months or the next year? If you are not mentoring and coaching your people to increase their capability and accountability, how is this strategic?
If you allow yourself to be distracted with things that are not important, or simply consume your time without making any real contribution to what is important, or is aligned to the strategy, how is this strategic leadership?
“Strategy is a fancy word for coming up with a long-term plan and putting it into action.”
— Ellie Pidot, VP Medtronic
Here are a few more examples of every day leadership moments.
When you make a poorly thought through decisions because you have not been getting enough sleep.
When you try to do too much and become stressed or burnt out… this is not strategic.
When you stop listening to the people around you who are more expert than you are. How is this leading strategically?
There are so many opportunities every day for you to be leading through a strategic lens, making good choices, role-modelling, showing up, being present.
This is all strategic leadership. The things that we do every day determine whether we deliver on the strategy. There is enormous opportunity for you to lead strategically if you recognise these opportunities in the moment, and you deliberately pursue them.
I’d love to know your thoughts.
Are you based in Adelaide or Hobart and would like to join me for breakfast?
Adelaide
Tuesday 27 May
7:15am — 8:45am
Location: Garçon Bleu Bar
Sofitel Adelaide
108 Currie Street, Adelaide
Hobart
Tuesday 3 June
7:15am — 8:45am
Tesoro Restaurant
Mövenpick Hotel Hobart
28 Elizabeth Street, Hobart
This is a ticketed event, reserve your place now.
In this presentation, we will talk about the precipice of possibility.
I believe leaders have a fundamental responsibility to lead. No more placeholding a spot on the organisation chart. It is about navigating with intention through the unknowns that are part of the complex we operate in. It is about leading possibility.
Here are a few more examples of every day leadership moments.
When you make a poorly thought through decisions because you have not been getting enough sleep.
When you try to do too much and become stressed or burnt out… this is not strategic.
When you stop listening to the people around you who are more expert than you are. How is this leading strategically?
There are so many opportunities every day for you to be leading through a strategic lens, making good choices, role-modelling, showing up, being present.
This is all strategic leadership. The things that we do every day determine whether we deliver on the strategy. There is enormous opportunity for you to lead strategically if you recognise these opportunities in the moment, and you deliberately pursue them.
I’d love to know your thoughts.
Warm regards,
