Leading Effectively e-Newsletter - October 2008 Issue

Shifting Gears: How to Successfully Move Into a Strategic Role

Making the move from an operational role to a strategic one may come easy to some, but for most of us it takes hard work and a new mindset.

If you're stepping into a strategic role, or are a manager considering which candidate is best for a strategic job, the first thing to remember is that strategic leadership is different from operational leadership. "The skills that make you a successful operational leader can, in fact, hold you back as a strategic leader," says CCL's Kate Beatty. "Meeting short-term targets, mastering your functional area and creating stability for focused execution are some of the skills of strong operational leaders."

"Strategic leaders must make decisions that position the business for the future, while meeting current demands," Beatty continues. "They focus on multiple facets of the business instead of ensuring success in a single area. And, typically, strategic leaders are involved in creating significant organizational change."

Beatty, co-author of Becoming A Strategic Leader, says that strategic leadership occurs when individuals and teams think, act and influence others in ways that promote the enduring success of the organization.

Strategic thinking begins with understanding the complex relationship between the organization and its environment. Using that knowledge, leaders can then make decisions that facilitate the organization's enduring success.

But how does one develop strategic thinking skills? One way is to ask strategic questions to better understand a challenge. On your own or in a group, consider:

• What external or industry data is important in my analysis of the challenge and in assessing my response to the challenge?
• Why is it important to be successful in this challenge? How will success help the organization maintain and enhance its sustainability in the industry?
• How does this challenge (and my solution and approach) relate to issues and challenges elsewhere in the organization?
• Who are the key stakeholders? What data do they have (opinions, needs, experiences, perspectives, etc.) that are relevant to the challenge and to my response? How can I ensure that this data is considered in our thinking about this challenge?
• In what ways are my own experiences and biases limiting my view of the situation?
• What factor, if acted on, would create the greatest leverage on the result? In other words, if I could only impact one factor to be successful with this challenge, what would it be?

Strategic acting involves taking decisive action consistent with the strategic direction of the organization - despite ambiguity, complexity and chaos. To apply strategic acting skills to a challenge, consider the following questions:

• How is my response consistent with the overall direction of the organization? Are there ways in which it is inconsistent with that direction?
• What, if anything, is keeping me from settling on a solution or approach? How much more information do I need to feel comfortable with a commitment?
• What are the risks of this solution? What contingency plans can I put in place?
• Assuming implementation will not be perfect, what can I do to create an environment where unexpected results are treated as "learning opportunities" versus "failures"?
• What might we learn from this solution if we implement it? What data do I need to ensure that learning is occurring?

Strategic influencing is about building commitment to the organization's strategic direction by inviting others into the strategic process, forging relationships inside and outside the organization and utilizing organizational culture and systems of influence. To apply strategic influencing skills to a challenge, ask yourself:

• What will it "look like" if I succeed? What is my vision?
• What data (big picture, details, etc.) supports my position?
• Who else needs to be on board to make this successful? How will this solution/approach help (or hinder) achievement of their goals/objectives?
• If my solution/approach requires a change in people's behavior, are there other organizational systems/processes/structures that need to be in alignment to facilitate that change? What do I need to do to create that alignment?
• How willing am I to let my vision be shaped by others' visions?
• Who might I solicit to help me champion my efforts? How can I get them on board?
• What political realities might impact my success in this challenge? How might I navigate those realities without limiting my credibility?

"Many more people in today's organizations need to be strategic leaders," says Beatty. "The sooner organizations coach and develop strategic leaders throughout their ranks, the better positioned they will be to weather the changes ahead."

This article is adapted from Becoming a Strategic Leader: Your Role in Your Organization's Enduring Success by Richard L. Hughes and Katherine Colarelli Beatty.

NEXT MONTH: MORE TIPS FOR BECOMING A STRATEGIC LEADER