The 4 Essentials Of Strategic Thinking

Is your organization spending too much time seemingly rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic? Are the senior decision makers consistently voicing the need to make substantial change in the face of a complex and dynamic environment yet no real change takes place? Is the organization spending a great deal of time planning strategically but the answers to the questions keep coming out the same? Perhaps the problem is not with the answers, but with the questions. Perhaps strategic planning, a management process, is inappropriate for finding the path to change. Instead what is required is a leadership process, such as strategic thinking, that calls into question all the questions being asked.

Looking for the Right Questions

Simply stated, if an organization does not do strategic thinking before it does strategic planning, it is the same as rearranging those deck chairs. Why? Because in the end no one really cares where the deck chairs are positioned on the lounge deck if there is a great big hole in the boat, i.e., the big hole in the boat presents a much more pressing problem.

Strategic planning is about finding the right “answers” to questions. In strategic planning the questions already exist, they have been decided. On the other hand, strategic thinking is an imaginative process designed to assure that key decision makers are asking themselves the right questions. Strategic thinking does not start with a set of questions. It starts with the proverbial clean sheet of paper. Decision makers form no preconceived questions, disregard any ideas of what works and what does not, making no assumptions about the organization. Optimally, the process includes a healthy vertical and horizontal cross section of the organization. Why? Because you never know where the most valuable information might come from.

But more than that, strategic thinking is an effort to develop industry foresight. As Gary Hamel and CK Prahalad write in their book Competing for the Future, industry foresight often starts with what could be, and then works back to what must happen for that future to come about. Questions are the root of all knowledge, and crafting the right questions provides senior decision makers the ability to imagine the future in the context of present and future risks and threats.

An Overview of a Strategic Thinking Process

Threats or Risks-start with that clean sheet of paper. The process begins with assessing the threats or risks, both internal and external, to the organization. Said another way, it is vital for the senior decision makers to know the internal and external forces impacting their future. Emerging trends in technology, new competitors, customer service, and succession planning could all pose different types of risks or threats. The idea is to get everything on the table so that it is in full view of the decision makers.

Strengths-R&D investment, financial structure, timely distribution, active web and Blog presence and developing people may very well be strengths of the organization. Strengths provide leverage that can be used to gain specific industry advantages or buffer weaknesses. For example, the organization may have a robust web and Blog presence on the Internet having cultivated a large loyal fan base. These relationships are a substantial strength that can be used to assess and develop new products and services.

Weaknesses-What is it that the organization is not doing so well, that needs improvement or is having a negative systemic effect on the rest of the organizations operations or administration? Seeking weaknesses is not an exercise in seeking blame. Inappropriate organization structure, human capital retention, lack of leadership development programs may well be some of the issues that emerge as weaknesses.

Gaps-Identifying the gaps between the strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the real and perceived risks require some type of response and become the grist for the strategic planning mill. Now strategic and tactical strategies can be created, resources and assets assigned and prioritized and the day-to-day job of creating the future and closing the gaps is turned from imagination into reality.

Conclusion

In our rapidly changing, complex world filled with more information than one might have imagined just a few years ago, sorting through the facts, the hype and emerging issues and challenges drives the need to continually rework the organization’s collective foresight. To do otherwise, may result in a small leak turning into a big hole leaving the crew and passengers scampering for the lifeboats saying to themselves, “But I thought we were unsinkable!”

Author: www.leadsimm.com

Leadership Development

Leadership-Expert™ is dedicated to helping you develop your skills as a leader. Over the past 3 years I have helped nearly half a million people worldwide to access powerful, transformational leadership resources and learning opportunities. Much of the information on this site is free. There is also a comprehensive range of leadership training and leadership coaching solutions for new line managers, right the way through to Executive leadership courses. I have trawled the 30 million leadership pages of the internet and have brought the very best leadership solutions to you to save you the time and energy we all waste looking elsewhere. How many times did you start by seeking some information from a website and leaving after only 2 minutes, because you didn’t have the time to read everything; but before you know it a couple of hours have passed you by, because you are still searching. I have done all that for you, so there is no need to look elsewhere.

Leadership development is something we all seek at some point in our career. It inevitably begins when we are first thrust into a management role.

We are left asking the questions like ‘What is good leadership?’ and ‘How can I become a good leader?’

I love these questions. I get asked by so many people at different levels in different organisations. What they scream out to me is just how many people positively yearn to be great leaders. They want to reach into peoples hearts and minds to help them grow and thrive. They want to build trust, earn respect and unleash their teams energy to win. One of my readers recently emailed me saying his goal is to be remembered by his team as the very best boss they ever had.

While some leaders are born, they can also be made. You can learn to become a leader. And that’s where leadership development fits in.

Leadership development can take varying forms, depending on what your preferred learning style is and how long you have to develop yourself.

The table below outlines some of the certificated leadership development opportunities that are open to you. Some of these learning methods include a qualification, where-as other don’t. Some people need the theoretical and academic achievement for career progression and others are more interested in practical, workable, ‘on-the-ground’ solutions that give immediate results. These programmes cater for every need. So to find the best way for you to learn to become an authentic and accomplished leader, see what’s available in the table below based on your current role, or the one you aspire to and then click on the relevant links below:

Learning resources	New manager/ newly promoted	Middle management	Senior management	Executive/ CEO/Talent	Entrepreneur
Leadership books	X	X	X	X	X
Leadership toolkit	X	X	X	X	X
Leadership videos	X	X	X		X
Leadership news and articles	X	X	X	X	X
Leadership courses	X	X	X		X
Executive courses				X
Leadership coach	X	X	X	X	X
Leadership qualifications	X	X	X	X	X
Bespoke leadership training			X	X	X

 

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In terms of your own leadership development, the real question is what do I need to learn and how will I know when I am a great leader? The fact is, being a leader changes everything. Before you became a leader, success was all about growing yourself. It was about your achievement, your performance. It was all about you. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. It’s about making the people who now work for you, smarter and bolder, unlocking and releasing their full potential. So the dichotomy is this – I’m not sure that you will ever find out if you are a great leader or not – it’s almost a posthumous title. Andrew Carnegie, one of the most successful and wealthy leaders of his day has on his tombstone. ‘Here lies a man who knew how to get around him, people who were cleverer than he.’

*Leadership-Expert™ Courses are designed by Simon Teague LLP, a UK Government registered training provider (UKRPN: 10035854). Simon Teague is a UK National Training Award winning coach and fully qualified teacher/trainer. He is a fellow if the International School of Finance, Associate of Institute for Learning and a fully qualified Best Year Yet Coach.

If you would like a quote for bespoke leadership training and coaching please email us directly at simon@simonteague.com

I’m not an organisation. I’m an individual. How can I improve my leadership skills?

Like many things in life – if you look in the right places, you’ll always be able to find a great resource for a bargain. Leadership development is completely intertwined with the idea of self-investment. All excellent leaders regularly invest in themselves – sometimes to great expense. But if you follow my guidance, you’ll be able to build your skills for the minimum cost.

See other links:

Leadership Development Training : What is leadership training? How much does it Cost?

Leadership Development Programme : What is a leadership programme? How to build a successful one.

Leadership development assessment: Companies like Leadership Connections can undertake comprehensive assessment to help you select, identify, develop and retain your leaders and improve leadership in your organisation.

Leadership Classes : Are leadership classes an effective way to boost your leadership ability?

Leadership Training : Is formalised training always the answer?

Leadership Courses : The trend towards personal study is increasing.

Leadership Coaching : Is one-on-one coaching the solution to the leadership problems of large companies?

If you would like to discuss how Leadership-Expert might be able to help you develop your leadership skills with the range of leadership development training and coaching programmes we have available or can access through our research of the best leadership training programmes on the market, please email simon@simonteague.com and we will respond to you within 24 hours.