In his latest article, Accelerate!, published in the November Harvard Business Review, John Kotter suggests that the greatest challenge you face as a leader is staying competitive and successful in today’s changing environment. He describes it as “constant turbulence and disruption.” Think of the seismic changes occurring that you are grappling with right now:
- dramatic shifts in who are students are and how they want to learn
- major transformation in the economy and the jobs of the future
- employer and governmental pressure to demonstrate results
- technology advances, constant change and complexity
- fundamental shift in funding and an ever increasing cost burden
- competition from all sides
Kotter highlights the importance of “strategic agility” for today’s leaders to succeed. At MnSCU we describe it as Leader as Innovator, our final set of leadership competencies. They focus on the knowledge, skills, abilities and attributes needed to:
- Articulate Your Vision and Mission
- Build Organizational Capacity to Meet Future Challenges
- Demonstrate Effective Decision-Making
Together they set the stage for anticipating the changes needed, making the key decisions, engaging your people, and building the capacity to deliver!
Todd Thorsgaard
Higher EDge 