When you hear the word strategy, what comes to mind? Most people see images of senior executives huddled around a conference table, or a whiteboard with complex diagrams, or maybe a thick binder with lots of tabs and appendices on a shelf.
Strategy is an increasingly important part of how businesses operate in the highly complex environment we face today. As we’ve written in previous blogs on leadership trends, we are seeing a definite shift in the need for leadership and management development methods to emphasize the importance of strategic skills in employees.
Organizations don’t just need stronger leaders, they need a new brand of leader. Leaders today are dealing with a variety of challenges due to the complexity of the environment where they are leading. They are tasked with strategically maximizing the potential of those up, down, and around them in order to achieve success instead of trying to carry this weight on their shoulders alone.
In essence, this new type of leader—in addition to possessing high relationship skills—exemplifies a strong strategic skill set. It’s about having the relational skills to inspire others with a vision and provide direction, while also understanding how to clearly explain this vision and the strategic process behind it. Leading in today’s workplace requires managing complexity and ambiguity in order to persuade, influence, and partner with others to achieve results.
Strategic skills are needed at all levels of the organization—not just in the C-suite. If you are searching for development ideas for managers or seeking to improve your management skills development plan, strategic skills are an essential inclusion.
It may look different from level to level in your organization, but one way of considering strategic skills, especially for emerging leaders, high potentials, and in-place managers, includes three distinct yet interrelated practice areas:
We see examples of the need for these skills frequently in our work with clients. For example, one of our programs is designed to give managers the foundational skills necessary for effectively managing others. Management Vitals™ has several components that encourage participants to develop in these areas while managing through change, planning and delegating, and even learning clear communication skills to better convey strategic objectives.
Organizations no longer have the luxury of crafting well-thought strategic plans every 3-5 years and then expecting managers in the organization to execute the plan. While the larger organizational strategy is certainly still relevant and critical, the new brand of leader is responsible for on-the-ground strategic thinking, planning and implementation. Anything short of that will fall far short of the vision for the organization’s future potential.