The dreaded pop quiz. I can still remember how I felt when hearing those words when I was in school. If I had done my homework, I didn’t flinch. But if I wasn’t prepared, my heart would start pounding!
Yes, I have a strategic leader pop quiz for you today, but first let’s study what will be on the test.
Research conducted by the Wharton School of Business and the consulting firm Decision Strategies International, Inc. (DSI) on over 20,000 leaders identified six “essential skills” that can be assessed and developed to become an adaptive strategic leader.
Anticipate – the ability to recognize subtle or ambiguous threats and opportunities before they affect your team or organization. Strategic leaders take action to “scan the horizon” by:
- continually talking and listening to all stakeholders
- gathering market research and utilizing scenario planning
- interacting with people and organizations in other fields
Challenge – closely examining the current situation, assumptions being made and the popular point of view. Strategic leaders focus on reflection and examination from multiple points of view by:
- searching for root causes and underlying issues not just the surface indicators
- identifying and examining assumptions
- actively seeking out alternative perspectives and encouraging debate
Interpret – the ability to accept and synthesize diverse and conflicting input and information. Strategic leaders seek new insights by:
- identifying multiple explanations for observations, issues and results
- actively seeking out and listening to diverse perspectives when analyzing information
- using both observational and analytical analysis
- taking a break and providing space for uncluttered analysis
Decide – use a disciplined process to make decisions, even when lacking information or time. Strategic leaders take responsibility for making decisions and using a robust process by:
- rejecting either-or scenarios and asking “what other options do we have?”
- identifying unexpected consequences
- keeping stakeholders informed on the status of the decision
- utilizing pilots and staged decisions
Align – discover common ground and buy-in among diverse perspectives and multiple stakeholders. Strategic leaders proactively build the trust needed to facilitate alignment between divergent points of view by:
- over communicating (early, often, 8 ways, 8 times, etc.)
- identifying and acknowledging concerns and issues in advance
- reaching out to resisters and listening before explaining
- recognizing when and where team members and stakeholders are willing to support the overall purpose or values of the organization
Learn – facilitate continuous organizational learning. Strategic leaders promote a culture of inquiry and learning lessons, both from success and failures, by:
- conducting after-action reviews and lessons learned sessions
- transparently sharing and communicating the information from the reviews and learning sessions
- recognizing and rewarding people who take action and utilize lessons learned
Strategic leadership requires a mix of all six essential elements but the good news is that leaders can develop them.
Are you ready for a short pop quiz to help you identify where you shine and where you may want to take action to become a more strategic leader? Here is a link to a short assessment developed by the Wharton School and DSI on the six essential elements of strategic leadership.
Todd Thorsgaard
Higher EDge 