 |
Archive for the ‘strategy’ Category
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
 While standing in the Home Depot (a home improvement store) check-out line, with a pile of supplies in my cart, I heard a repeated announcement over the speaker system informing the store associates that “Power Hour” was beginning. This message was given three or so times in the space of five minutes that I spent checking out, and so my curiosity was piqued by the seemingly importance of this broadcast.
Later that day, I conducted some research into what “Power Hour” was all about. I came to learn that the concept of “Power Hour” was initiated by Marvin Ellison, a division president at Home Depot. Ellison’s key objective for his division is to win back customers during a time when many people don’t want to spend. He believes this is so vital to Home Depot’s long-term success, and ultimately survival, that he asks team members to dedicate a specific time period during the day, and their complete focus, to customer service. For Ellison’s Home Depot stores, “Power Hour” is initiated during the hours of 10 am and 2 pm on weekdays and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. But for you, “Power Hour” could be at any time, any day, and with any focus.
I believe that the concept of “Power Hour” can also make a difference for you and your organization. While customer service may not be your focus during your own “Power Hour,” use this time as an opportunity to step away from short-term demands and making a strategic shift into a forward thinking mode. For most people, “Power Hour” is most effective if you start early in the day when your mind is fresh. Set aside a specific time; make an appointment with yourself. Consider changing your environment by moving away from your regular work situation. Lastly, be spontaneous as you think about the future. Remember, strategic opportunity is where innovation and forward thinking meet.
Tags: strategic opportunity, strategic shift
Posted in Strategic Thinking, strategy | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
 Too many organizations use poor strategic methods during their planning meetings and come away from them having essentially wasted valuable time, effort, and other resources only to leave the process with a weak “strategic plan.” Many strategic plans are actually little more than goals infused with a lot of fluff. This happens because companies are unable to make timely, definitive choices, and because they subscribe to template-style strategic planning.
Making Strategic Choices
Creating a strategic plan requires time, effort and decisions. Also, numerous trade-offs are required in order to make progress. Companies large and small have goals to meet. Different areas within an organization often have competing goals, and executive management is ultimately responsible for deciding which goals have priority.
In order to avoid stepping on toes, top-level executives may push the responsibility of deciding which goals to focus on onto department heads. In situations like this, nothing gets done. No strategic alignments are made. More precious time is wasted, and in the meantime, competitors are probably sharpening their strategic plans.
A French philosopher named Nicolas de Condorcet determined that if too many groups fight for majority consensus, chances are very high that a consensus will never be met. Later, economist Kenneth Arrow proved that the “Condorcet Paradox” cannot be solved using majority voting schemes. Someone else has to step in and make a decision. No matter who that person is, the decision must be made in order for true strategy to emerge.
Template-Style Strategic Plans
Templates are useful in a number of business applications, except strategy. However, so many companies use template-style strategic planning that the practice can be easily pointed out and may look something like the following:
Vision Start with the vision of what the organization looks or feels like at some future point in time. Be sure to use high-minded words like “best,” “leading,” “best known,” “successful,” or “well-known.”
Mission Add another high-minded and politically correct statement or two about the purpose of the organization. Be sure to add words like, “progress,” “sustainable,” and “innovative.”
Core Values Sprinkle in a few statements filled with generic value words, like “integrity,” “customer service,” “compassion,” and “ingenuity.”
Strategies Only use aspirations and goals and call them strategies.
By looking at template strategies from this angle, it is easier to see how far they are from the mark of a true strategy. A true strategy is more than empty words and lofty language. A lot more. A true strategy is more than a politically correct mission statement, and more than a vision of the future. Later on, I will get into what creating a good strategic plan looks like.
Until then, what do you think it takes to create strategy?
Tags: create strategy, creating a strategic plan, creating strategy, strategic alignment, true strategy
Posted in Strategic Thinking, strategic leadership, strategy | No Comments »
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
 Today, many of us face incredible pressures to deliver immediate results, to do more with less, and to manage an ever-increasing workload. The pace and urgency of daily demands can make it difficult to look even one step ahead. Successful leaders are different; they learn to look ahead and not just think about today, but also tomorrow. Thinking and acting like a strategist is nothing more than the capacity to anticipate, and the discipline to evaluate, prepare, and position yourself for the future.
As humans, we have the capacity to think broadly, if we choose. Being a strategist means having the courage to think deliberately and deeply about what you want to create and achieve. Strategic thinking is about creativity, intuition and planning to help you reach your business and personal goals. In essence, strategic people think and act before they are forced to take up a reactive position. We must realize that everyone is the leader of his or her own job, projects, assignments, and customers. Effective leadership means being prepared for what happens in the future, as well as being responsible for what happens today.
The problem we face in becoming more strategic in our thinking and planning is our tendency to be addicted to “short term” thinking and the routine activity trap. As a consequence, we continue to do what we’ve always done, though changing conditions may make old solutions irrelevant to today’s problems. We simply overlook options or opportunities to see our situation from a strategic perspective.
There are plenty of legitimate reasons to pay attention to the daily operational issues. We are frequently rewarded for it and job security often depends upon it. But, we must learn to look to the horizon and identify the signals that indicate coming changes in our own area of responsibility that will lead to effective solutions and impact tomorrow’s success. You have to shift gears and focus your mind with discipline and skill so you satisfy both the tactical and strategic demands of your job. When you develop the discipline to set aside the urgencies of the day and concentrate on the horizon, you create enormous advantages for yourself and the business.
Your contribution will increase if you master the principles and skills of personal strategic thinking. You will have to develop patience and balance operational issues as you give your mind a chance to think, reflect, and contemplate. You will have to resist constant pressure for instant results, quick fixes, and fast solutions to every challenge or dilemma. In short, you will have to be courageous and bold as you try to bring more balance and a strategic perspective into your life.
You can be more successful strategist if you think ahead, determine what it will take to make a difference, and make a greater contribution. When you adopt an innovative and proactive mindset, you will be more prepared for the tough decisions, realities, and opportunities that come your way.
Tags: strategic perspective, strategist
Posted in Strategic Thinking, strategic leadership, strategy | No Comments »
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
Do you recall the classic nursery rhyme The Itsy, Bitsy Spider?
The itsy, bitsy spider went up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain and the spider went up the spout again.
The spider adapted to its changing environment and whether we realize it or not, we too are constantly adapting in an ever changing environment. At times the change may be simple and we won’t give it a second thought. Other times, it can seem like an unattainable feat, even painful causing us to resist with all we have. However, if we learn to see the big picture, strategically adjust and adapt to our environment, the change may benefit us more than we know.
In September 2011, extreme flooding in Pakistan destroyed or damaged 1.2 million houses and covered 4.5 million acres (1.8 million hectares) leaving 300,000 people homeless. This flood coupled with one of Pakistan’s worst flooding disasters in 2010 left 800,000 Pakistani families without permanent shelter. These floods not only displaced people but forced other creatures to look for safety elsewhere.
When the ground dwelling spiders could no longer survive in the ground, they moved above the flood waters into the neighboring trees. By adapting to and subsisting in trees, the anthropoid not only saved its own species but improved the environment for other inhabitants as well. Because of the excessive stagnant water, there were concerns about Malaria-carrying mosquitoes. However, many of these Malaria-carrying mosquitoes were caught in the spider webs that covered the trees, reducing the number of expected cases of illness.
What can we learn from these spiders and the trees they cocooned? As I see it, at least three things.
1. It is a given that our world will change, sometimes drastically. Prepare for change by being strategically aware of the changing environments and conditions around you. You never know where or when you will need to find another course of action.
2. Don’t resist and become a victim of change. Everyone has the ability to change and adapt. The spiders simply moved up into the trees and began building.
3. Finally, look for the benefits to change. If we move past the stage of denial and resistance, we can begin see the silver lining and positive sign of change.
As Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
Pictures courtesy of Department of International Development:
 
Tags: adapting to change, change management, dealing with change
Posted in change management, organizational change, strategy | No Comments »
Monday, December 26th, 2011
 On the way to work this morning, I watched a young man maneuver his truck in and out of three lanes of traffic, trying to position himself to be first in line at the next stop light. Actually, he was trying to make it through the intersection before the light turned red, but he didn’t quite make it. I happened to be stopped next to him or just a couple of cars behind him at the next several intersections. I could visibly see his frustration by the way his jaw tighten and his hands clenched his steering wheel. At the next red light, he was holding his head with one hand and pounded his steering wheel a couple of times with the other. Obviously he was late for something or trying to get somewhere fast.
The point of this story is quite simple; when people don’t practice “everyday strategy”, stress levels rise and they often take erroneous risks. Chances are that when frustration takes over, an argumentative attitude is the result. In the work environment, the recipients of this destructive attitude are most often family members or coworkers, worse yet clients and employers.
What is Everyday Strategy?
“Everyday Strategy” is the habit of thinking and acting more strategically about daily and operational tasks. It means paying attention to the environment and adjusting to obstacles or trends so you might better accomplish your tasks or work towards goals. For example, if the young man I saw driving this morning would have checked traffic reports, or remembered that the road he planned to take this morning was under construction, he might have left earlier, got to his destination on time, and not experienced the frustration that he did.
This concept sounds simple and many people use this approach to their work and life without even realizing they are doing it. The problem is that for many people it has yet to become a conscious effort in the workplace. Senior leaders and managers are thought to be the ones that do all the strategic thinking. Yet, a huge difference could be made for businesses if everyone from the top down approached their work with a strategic mindset. For example, two American Airlines mechanics thought it was strange that they were told to throw away the drill bits they used once they became dull. So, they rigged up some old parts and they built “Thumping Ralph,” which was a machine that sharpened the dull drill bits and saved the company an estimated $300,000.00 annually.
Quick Tip
Don’t make “everyday strategy” into something complex or difficult, because it shouldn’t be that way. Simply look around your work area and ask yourself, “What can be improved, discarded, or added to make processes more efficient, less costly, or improve value?” The person who best knows the answers to these types of questions is you, the one who actually does the task every day.
Tags: Everyday Strategist, Everyday Strategy, Strategic Mindset
Posted in Strategic Thinking, strategy | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
 Everybody says we need to be strategic, but the reality is very few people have a strategic mindset, especially at work. This conundrum seems to be driven by a world of instant response and having access to what we want, when we want it. Be it overnight shipping, finger tip access to information via the internet, or using a credit account to instantly purchase items that we may or may not be able to afford, it conditions us to be tactical and think short-term, moving us away from a strategic mode.
The concept of “instant” can be good. It is appealing, and does offer value, but it does not position individuals or organizations for the needs or challenges that may arise in the near or long-term future. By keeping our head up and looking towards the horizon, we can set a clear strategic direction and adjust our strategic course on-demand.
This strategic conundrum can be driven by many reasons and common misconceptions. Here are a few of the most common:
A Time Issue
Our time is limited to only 168 hours in a week. In addition to our regular work, we have to answer and return phone calls, respond to emails, pickup kids from school, make dinner, among many other things. Because of our time crunch, we condition ourselves to respond to life in a reactive way. Our excuse is that there is just not enough time in the day.
The reality is we need to make time for strategy so we can gain time later. Acting strategically is not just looking at the big picture, but it is also thinking about and processing the big picture. Crafting strategy does not have to be a time suck. In fact, strategic thinkers are often able to minimize time spent on problems as a result of a little foresight and planning. Start out by spending five minutes looking at your day from a strategic mindset. Consider the key steps you need to take to make your week productive and successful.
The Notion That Strategy is Reserved for Leaders
Strategy is not reserved for leaders. Strategy is for anyone who can and wants to prosper and beat out the competition. Strategy is about positioning yourself, your team, department, or organization for success. While leaders may set the overall strategic direction of the organization, you as an individual need to be thinking about how you can contribute to the organization at your individual level to beat out the competition and support an overarching strategy. Individuals put traction into an organizations strategy.
Pure Ignorance
Ignorance is defined as a lack of knowledge, education, or awareness. Some individuals may feel that they don’t understand what being strategic is or even where to begin. While certain aspects of strategy can be complex, it is fundamentally about creating direction and priorities that will advance both your short-term and long-term direction and efforts. Simply picking up a well respected book that offers insight to strategic thinking and concepts will provide a great introduction. However, don’t stop with a quick read. You need to continue to learn about it and refine what strategy is and how it best applies to you. You don’t need to become an expert, but seek to gain some perspective.
Shoot From The Hip Mentality
Some people believe that planning or anticipating for more than 6-12 months ahead is absurd. The common excuse is that there are too many external variables, factors, and unknowns that are out of your realm of control, — making it pointless to plan. Any organization or individual who wants to be world class needs, needs to dump this notion if they want to stay relevant and competitive. Throw this idea out the window. This is a fast track to extinction. While there may be a sliver of truth to it, you can change or influence that which falls within your sphere of control. If you are thinking and planning ahead, if you are scanning your external environment, then you can forecast or anticipate, with some degree of accuracy, how you will be directly affected by external sources over which you have no control. A strategic plan does not need to be a big formal document written in stone and signed by blood. Think more realistic and catch a glimpse of your desired future state.
Don’t use one of many lazy excuses as to why you can’t be strategic. Take control of your future direction, otherwise you’ll find many missed opportunities that have come and gone. Capitalizing on just a few of these may surprise you as to have valuable it is. Once you see the value, you will be sold on thinking strategically.
If you fail to plan, plan to fail. – Unknown
Tags: Acting Strategically, Crafting strategy, Strategic Conundrum, Strategic Mindset
Posted in Strategic Thinking, strategic leadership, strategy | 2 Comments »
Thursday, July 14th, 2011
The term “employee engagement” is thrown around a lot in business circles, but what does it actually mean on a functional level? At its roots, “engagement” has to do with passion. Employee engagement, then, deals with helping employees to find or retain passion for the work that they do. Easy, right? Wrong. Every day, hordes of employees arrive to their respective places of business, but all that walks through the door is the body; both the mind and the spirit are far, far away.
For many of these employees, work is something that they do out of habit. They do it because they have to. They have bills to pay, groceries to buy, extra-curricular activities to support. Some of them had planned to retire, but were unable to do so when they saw their retirement funds dwindle in an unstable marketplace. With the latter priorities taking precedence, the question of whether employees actually like the work they do often falls to the bottom of their lists. It’s a question that they often feel is safer left unanswered, but truth is a slippery creature, and it’s stubborn. Whether they like it or not, the truth about an employee’s dissatisfaction will inevitably come out, and most often it will appear in subtle ways. Over a period of months, even years, a once-enthusiastic employee’s level of productivity will slowly drop off. Sometimes the shift in engagement is so slow that leaders are left wondering whether it had always been that way. Had they just not noticed until now? Did they simply make a bad hiring decision?
Although sometimes the answer is that there is a poor fit between the person and the job, more often, dwindling productivity is due, for one reason or another, to decreasing levels of engagement. These individuals go through the motions, but their minds are elsewhere. Why in the world is that person taking so long to slog through that one, measly task, you ask? Because that employee doesn’t care about the task he or she has been given.
This is not to say that leaders are entirely responsible for making sure that their employees are “happy.” To the contrary, happy employees who spend their time socializing and surfing the web can be just as unproductive as those who are disengaged from their work. What’s important for leaders to remember is that employees who are dissatisfied and those who are happy (but fail to do their work) have one big thing in common: both groups are bored. They lack motivation. They don’t see the value or purpose of the work they’ve been asked to do. Their assigned work is failing to hold their attention, so they’re finding other things to do to pass the time. For employers, this disinterest can mean huge losses—in terms of their time, their companies’ productivity and profit margin, and the hefty expense of training new staff to replace team members who are lost to attrition (either self-selected or imposed).
Almost no one gets to work exclusively on assignments they love all the time. With every job comes some drudgery, whether minor or pronounced. Maybe this grind comes in the form of having too much of a certain type of task to complete. Maybe project deadlines are too short and come with long hours and little recognition. Maybe the job is deadly repetitive or, conversely, maybe it comes with too many surprises. It is not up to leaders to try to provide the ideal work environment for every one of their employees all the time. That is an impossibility. But what leaders should strive to do is communicate openly with their employees, working with them to create the best possible environments for their individual interests. Employees need to have some control over the scope and responsibilities of their respective jobs, and they need to be supported and encouraged to pursue opportunities within the organization that speak to their passions and allow them to develop new or expand existing professional skills. Not only will this flexible style of leadership help the collective abilities of your workforce grow, you will also be more likely to retain previously high-performing employees whose interest in their current job responsibilities has diminished. “Employee engagement” may sound like touchy-feely management fluff, but by taking an active interest in whether your employees are genuinely satisfied and invigorated by their jobs, you can elevate the performance of both your workforce and your organization.
 The term “employee engagement” is thrown around a lot in business circles, but what does it actually mean on a functional level? At its roots, “engagement” has to do with passion. Employee engagement, then, deals with helping employees to find or retain passion for the work that they do. Easy, right? Wrong. Every day, hordes of employees arrive to their respective places of business, but all that walks through the door is the body; both the mind and the spirit are far, far away.
For many of these employees, work is something that they do out of habit. They do it because they have to. They have bills to pay, groceries to buy, extra-curricular activities to support. Some of them had planned to retire, but were unable to do so when they saw their retirement funds dwindle in an unstable marketplace. With the latter priorities taking precedence, the question of whether employees actually like the work they do often falls to the bottom of their lists. It’s a question that they often feel is safer left unanswered, but truth is a slippery creature, and it’s stubborn. Whether they like it or not, the truth about an employee’s dissatisfaction will inevitably come out, and most often it will appear in subtle ways. Over a period of months, even years, a once-enthusiastic employee’s level of productivity will slowly drop off. Sometimes the shift in engagement is so slow that leaders are left wondering whether it had always been that way. Had they just not noticed until now? Did they simply make a bad hiring decision?
Although sometimes the answer is that there is a poor fit between the person and the job, more often, dwindling productivity is due, for one reason or another, to decreasing levels of engagement. These individuals go through the motions, but their minds are elsewhere. Why in the world is that person taking so long to slog through that one, measly task, you ask? Because that employee doesn’t care about the task he or she has been given.
This is not to say that leaders are entirely responsible for making sure that their employees are “happy.” To the contrary, happy employees who spend their time socializing and surfing the web can be just as unproductive as those who are disengaged from their work. What’s important for leaders to remember is that employees who are dissatisfied and those who are happy (but fail to do their work) have one big thing in common: both groups are bored. They lack motivation. They don’t see the value or purpose of the work they’ve been asked to do. Their assigned work is failing to hold their attention, so they’re finding other things to do to pass the time. For employers, this disinterest can mean huge losses—in terms of their time, their companies’ productivity and profit margin, and the hefty expense of training new staff to replace team members who are lost to attrition (either self-selected or imposed).
Almost no one gets to work exclusively on assignments they love all the time. With every job comes some drudgery, whether minor or pronounced. Maybe this grind comes in the form of having too much of a certain type of task to complete. Maybe project deadlines are too short and come with long hours and little recognition. Maybe the job is deadly repetitive or, conversely, maybe it comes with too many surprises. It is not up to leaders to try to provide the ideal work environment for every one of their employees all the time. That is an impossibility. But what leaders should strive to do is communicate openly with their employees, working with them to create the best possible environments for their individual interests. Employees need to have some control over the scope and responsibilities of their respective jobs, and they need to be supported and encouraged to pursue opportunities within the organization that speak to their passions and allow them to develop new or expand existing professional skills. Not only will this flexible style of leadership help the collective abilities of your workforce grow, you will also be more likely to retain previously high-performing employees whose interest in their current job responsibilities has diminished. “Employee engagement” may sound like touchy-feely management fluff, but by taking an active interest in whether your employees are genuinely satisfied and invigorated by their jobs, you can elevate the performance of both your workforce and your organization.
Tags: employee engagement, employee engagement strategies, leadership style
Posted in Leadership Development, motivation, strategy | 1 Comment »
Saturday, June 25th, 2011
 Being a step ahead of your competitors is a great place to be and gaining that extra step requires that you focus on the future. General Motors understands that better than most and it shows. GM operates in a highly competitive market where the ability to think ahead and strategize accordingly are vital to the company’s continued prosperity.
Every year, General Motors invites top college students to intern in their design center where behind tight security the auto maker develops its future models. This year the discovery channel has gotten involved, creating a reality-TV series called “Future Cars” that will showcase the interns’ bright ideas. Their task was to envision the year 2030 and design personal transportation for the needs of GM’s customers 20 years from now.
The interns were told to dream big and think of the possibilities that the future might hold. They talked about designing the car for “Generation I”, those born after the integration of the internet. As they designed the cars, they had to imagine how new technology, materials, and social situations would affect how cars would need to be designed in the future.
Leaders at GM viewed this experience as a reverse mentoring process. Larry Burns, VP of Strategic Planning for GM, said, “I think we ended up with a lot of great ideas, and it’s going to help the business leaders of General Motors stretch their thinking about how far we need to be pushing innovation into the future.”
Most businesses today may not be thinking 20 years into the future, but if you are not thinking strategically about what the future may hold, your competitors will. Similar to the concepts the interns were exploring; future technology, new materials, and social situations, to name a few – companies across all industries need to be considering these ideas as well. Gathering and understanding information on what the future could hold can help company stakeholders make smart strategic decisions – and propel these companies to the top of their industry.
Greg Page, CEO for Cargill, once quoted in one of our strategic learning events, “You have to be more effective and strategically minded than the person in the same role who is working for our competitors.” To gain the step ahead, employees at all levels of the organization need to spend time thinking strategically about their position, their job responsibilities, and how to improve efficiency, and where they might find strategic opportunities.
All it takes is one strategic idea to get a step ahead.
Tags: Applied Strategic Thinking, strategic decisions, Strategic Ideas, Strategic Thinking
Posted in Strategic Management, Strategic Thinking, organizational change, strategic leadership, strategy | 1 Comment »
Monday, June 6th, 2011
Achieving business success in any economic scenario can be a daunting task. The task becomes a little easier when each activity, function, and team is aligned with the long-term business strategy. When conducting our research projects and seminars, we operate under a simple premise: each manager has to think and act like a CEO for his or her piece of the organization’s value chain. We refer to this concept as “managing the business within the business.” In short, we believe that every manager at every level must be thinking about their strategic contribution to the business. They must also be accountable for creating a strategic direction that links to and supports the organization as it evolves. Preparing each function and activity for the future is how managers can contribute to and align with the firm’s overarching plan to win in the marketplace. Firms create a powerful competitive advantage when all of the business’ activities and functions fit, link, and align with the larger business. The alternative is both ineffective and harmful to the firm: a bundle of silos, individual business activities that are not galvanized into one unified body marching toward the goals and changes that lie ahead.
 Think of it this way: if the parent corporation has a strategy, and each business unit has a strategy, and if the marketing department has a strategy for products being offered, then why shouldn’t each function, team, or project be responsible for producing a proactive strategy as well? Having individual strategies working in concert throughout the business adds significant value to the business, helping it grow, innovate, become more internally efficient, deal with competitive threats, or serve the customer better than the competition. For 25 years, the academic experts have been saying that highly successful businesses must either have differentiated product/service offerings or they must perform the same operational activities, processes, and tasks differently than their competitors. This means that each functional area must constantly be searching for both best practices and next practices in order to create a compelling value proposition and build sustainable competitive advantage. This strategic edge will come not only from senior management but from middle management and individual contributors on the front lines where the competitive war is being waged.
We think strategy should move fluidly in both directions, filtering down from the top as well as up from the bottom. In essence, strategy is everyone’s job. Everyone has to understand the business strategy, contribute new ideas, and actually formulate and execute strategy in a practical way at the functional level. When all of the strategy pieces come together, a firm can create a different experience or a more cost-effective solution for the customer, thus enabling the firm to invest in research and development, reward shareholders and employees, or charge less for the same product or service being offered by its competitors.
Watching people create and execute strategy at the very heart of the business is actually pretty exciting. As people use their strategic thinking skills, they become more engaged in the roles they perform and understand in a deeper way how what they do matters to the business.
Tags: business competitive advantage, small business advantage
Posted in Strategic Management, Strategic Thinking, leadership, strategic leadership, strategy | 1 Comment »
Monday, November 22nd, 2010
Organizations experience two different types of forces when it comes to organizational change:
1. External Forces – Examples might include customer demands, political factors, and technology, among others
2. Internal Forces – Examples might include corporate policies, financial constraints, and strategy, among others
Fortunately, changes of these types are also accompanies by two categories of solutions:
Type 1 – A Reactive Approach
Reactive individuals are the operational executors or tacticians, the people who worry, focusing on today’s results, and do nothing to offset the risks they see in the future, if they can see the future at all. Change makes them uncomfortable, and when things change, these people tend to resist the change and treat it cautiously. They prefer to stay in their comfort zones doing the things that they’ve always done.
 Type 2 – A Proactive Approach
Proactive individuals engage in informal strategic leadership and strategic thinking by being aware of their surroundings and really adapting to the changes they see. These are the individuals who are observant, noticing emerging trends and patterns and attend to coming changes. Whether or not they have capability, resources, or authority to adjust to the changing strategic landscape, they redirect their individual powers that they do have under their direct control and use them to adapt to the changing environment. These people are informal strategic leaders.
Organizations dealing with change need to help people understand the driving forces of change and how to engage in strategic preparation for the challenges and opportunities that accompany a changing environment. Being more aware, alert, and informed are great first steps to becoming a strategic leader, regardless of the level at which you work in your organization.
Tags: importance of strategic leadership, proactive approach in business, reactive approach in business, strategic leadership models, strategic leadership theory
Posted in Strategic Management, Strategic Thinking, change management, strategic leadership, strategy | 1 Comment »
|
 |
