1. Clarify aspirations and business strategy
- Does your organization have a compelling vision and clear mission?
- Does it espouse values that people accept and embrace?
- Is there a clear understanding of your organization’s strategic drivers and business strategy?
2. Identify capabilities to implement business strategy
- What are the new organizational capabilities needed as a result of changes in your competitive environment?
- Will you need to practice leadership differently as a result of those new competitive challenges?
- How will you support ongoing organizational change and the individual, team, and organizational learning it requires?
3. Assess those capabilities
- Are there changes needed in your organization’s culture because of new competitive challenges?
- Are you able to identify and minimize aspects of your structure that undercut the ability of individuals and teams to implement your strategy effectively?
- Do you have mechanisms in place for maintaining a strategic perspective amid tactical, day-to-day demands?
- Does your organization have adequate systems for attracting, developing, and retaining the talent needed for success?
4. Make leadership development a key component
- Which competencies are most critical to the success of your organization and its business strategy?
- Does your leadership development strategy incorporate multiple types of experiences: training, coaching, mentoring, action learning, and developmental job assignments?
- Have you created a feedback-rich environment that includes regular opportunities for 360-degree leader effectiveness feedback from bosses, peers, direct reports, and other key stakeholders, as well as periodic self-assessments?
- Do you provide opportunities for developing not only individual leaders, but also strategic teams?
5. Get top leadership support
- Does the top see leadership as a strategic competitive advantages?
- Are members of your senior team willing to be public champions of leadership and leadership development?
- Do you have a communication plan for making the link between your leadership strategy and business strategy understood throughout the organization?
From Richard Hughes and Katherine Beatty (2005, December) 5 steps to leading strategically. T+D, p. 46-48.
