change management class :milestone 3 assignment

Strategic Leadership Overview

Strategic leadership is the ability to anticipate, envision, maintain flexibility, think strategically, and work with others to initiate changes that will create a viable future for an organization (Lussier & Achua, 2015). It is the responsibility of top leaders, to develop the organization's vision, mission, core values, objectives, and strategies.

Effective strategic leaders are able to anticipate and forecast events in the external environment, find and maintain a competitive advantage, evaluate strategy implementation and results, build and motivate a strong team of employees, and communicate effectively. Along with these abilities, strategic leaders should also be able to select and develop top leaders, and decide on appropriate goals and priorities. 

There are many competencies strategic leaders must possess to be successful. Here are six of the most important according to the Harvard Business Review (2013): 

1. Anticipate: Being able to anticipate involves constantly scanning the environment for signals of change and gathering information from diverse sources. This can be done through talking regularly with stakeholders, conducting market research, use scenario planning to imagine different futures, and consuming content in the industry. 
   

2. Challenge: To challenge effectively, it is important to question the status quo, encourage divergent points of view, and carefully reflect on a problem before taking action. This can be done by constantly asking "Why?" in any scenario. Additionally, encouraging two-way feedback and regular discussions will increase trust and honesty. 
   

3. Interpret: The skill of interpretation involves the ability to analyze and synthesize information and understand its implications. It can be done by looking at both the short-term and long-term consequences of any decision, always questioning one's own interpretation, and allowing outside voices to give you a different perspective.
   

4. Decide: Making effective decisions involves careful consideration and examination of a problem from multiple perspectives, as well as the ability to make timely decisions. This is a skill that can be developed through practice and experience. Better decision-making can always be done by breaking up big, complex problems into smaller, less complex ones. 
   

5. Align: Aligning involves getting diverse groups to work towards a common vision, through strong communication and collaboration. This can be done through early and often communication, identifying a coalition of stakeholders, and dialoging with any resistors in the organization.
   

6. Learn: The ability to learn from mistakes and continuously improve is essential for adapting to changing circumstances. This can be done by creating a cultural of continuous learning, encouraging inquisitiveness and curiosity, and resisting the urge to punish those who try something new yet fail. 

Strategic leadership is an important aspect of change management. Strategic leaders are responsible for create ongoing, large-scale change initiatives throughout the organization in order to help the organization maintain its competitive advantage. 

References:

Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2015). Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill Development (6th ed.). Cengage Learning US. 

Schoemaker, P., Krupp, S., & Howland, S. (2013). Strategic leadership: The essential skills. Harvard Business Review, January-February 2013.