The Possibility of Game-Changing Strategic Leadership

The most impactful strategic leaders strike a delicate balance - they maintain strong conviction for a strategic vision while also shaping and co-creating it through connection, receptivity, and inclusion of others' ideas, perspectives, and contributions. These leaders recognize that they can't see or know everything, especially in our increasingly complex and volatile world.

• They challenge the status quo, envision a future that few can foresee, and actively seek different viewpoints, welcoming challenges in support of creating new realities.
• They can be influenced as much as they seek to influence.
• They know how to pivot from the creative phase to the decisive phase of strategy - making tough decisions and maintaining relentless clarity of focus and priority.
• They navigate the fine line between being decisive and inclusive to execute bold, disruptive strategies with a high level of alignment, commitment, and engagement.

These are game-changing leaders creating game-changing strategies.

Key Behaviors of Game-Changing Strategic Leaders

These leaders comfortably balance the many dualities of leadership:

• Decisive and inclusive
• Creative and productive
• Vision and results
• Purpose and profit
• Change and stewardship

In their presence, people feel heard, even if not agreed with. They are human, so they make mistakes and get caught in their fears, egos, and defensive reactions - but this is the exception, not the norm. More importantly, they are committed to learning from their mistakes instead of hiding from them or blaming others. They are self-aware and strive to become even more so each day. They care about their impact on others and readily embrace the discomfort of growth, both personally and for the broader organization. They lead not by fear but by inspiration.

Strategic Leadership Role Models

Leaders like Herb Kelleher (Southwest), Indra Nooyi (PepsiCo), and Alan Jope (Unilever) show us that it is possible to have bold, decisive leaders without rampant egoism or heroism. They demonstrate that we no longer need to accept the collateral damage of our current model of disruptors, like the early Steve Jobs.

I am working to create a world where this type of game-changing leader is more common - a world where distinct strategies and distinctive leadership go hand in hand. Whether still with us or, in the case of Herb Kelleher, in memory, these leaders show us that corporations can be a force of change for good when we each commit to our ongoing development - as leaders and as humans.

The Pathway to Game-Changing Strategic Leadership

My vision is grand AND possible through dedicated practice. We are what we practice each day. I set a daily intention to lead just 2% more like my vision of these game-changing leaders. Some days I am more successful, some less. The result on any one day is less important than the consistency of the practice.

This is similar to my yoga practice. It is neither grand nor long (rarely more than 20 minutes). Some days I make it to the mat. Some days I don't. And despite what my judgmental-self labels as 'feeble practice,' the shift in my strength, balance, and flexibility over these last few years continues to surprise me.

The DNA strands of strategic leadership will be present and intertwined throughout the journey. They are inextricably linked, as how you lead (leadership behaviors and mindsets) will invariably influence where you lead. At any moment, we can choose to amplify our strategic impact through deeper insight and the courage of our convictions and connections.

The journey will be different and distinct for each of us. We all start with different strengths, talents, and experiences. And it is not linear, as much as our desire for control and certainty might want it to be. Ironically, the greater the strategic impact, the more we must embrace what we cannot control. You may find the strategy strand of your Strategic Leadership DNA leads or lags relative to your leadership strand. You may also notice that your stage of development in one impedes the other.

While I am blessed with a natural gift around strategic thinking, I still aspire to have the courage of conviction to take a bold stand in the face of tremendous criticism and still lead in a way consistent with my values. Howard Schultz's example remains an aspirational possibility for me.

At any moment, we might bump into an edge of discomfort that we just can't quite tolerate yet - that we avoid, or that causes us to fall into those habitual ways of leading that we don't like, others don't like, and that just aren't quite as effective as they could be.

My hope is to orient you to that edge, wherever it may be, and inspire you to lean into and expand beyond it. Because when you can see it, you can make intentional choices to practice something different - something that helps you, each day, be just 2% more of that trailblazer that you are called to be.

Stages of the Strategic Leadership Journey

These are the four stages of the journey:

Stage 1: Thinker

The biggest shift in this initial stage is from a sole focus on near-term results to longer-term horizons and positioning - from the urgent to the important. And then, your attention will expand from how to accomplish a near-term goal to considering whether it should be a goal at all, relative to where the organization is headed.

A key shift is spending more time thinking about the broader environment (internal and external) and strengthening the strategic logic and context considered in your recommendations. Your sense of value as a leader will move from delivering near-term results to setting longer-term direction. It's shifting from harvesting a garden to planting the seeds for future gardens.

Strategy Strand

In this early phase, you will likely demonstrate your skills in the context of recommended strategic initiatives versus a comprehensive strategic plan. Ideas are often more in the realm of the known and familiar at this stage, like implementing best practices.

Experiment with key strategy behaviors to deepen your strategic thinking and strengthen the strategic logic of your recommendations. Carve out time to pull back from the day-to-day, expand your perspective, and think broadly about the issue or opportunity before you. Consider alternative options to achieve the same objective and what might make your recommended set of trade-offs the right ones for your business and context.

Leadership Strand

Start by cultivating a strategic mindset that you can apply to your ideas, recommendations, and even how you contribute to meetings. Notice if you focus more on how to accomplish a stated goal and the tangible next steps of implementation. Shift your perspective to consider the broader purpose or objective and why it is important now. The mindset at this stage has more certainty, a belief that the past predicts the future - that the world is knowable with the right level of expertise. Appetite for risk is either low or ungrounded.

Stage 2: Planner

The Planner's strategic scope and complexity expands to creating a long-range strategic plan for their business or function. A sense of direction is created in the form of focus and priorities. Habitual ways of reacting to increasing degrees of complexity, uncertainty, and challenge are the norm - leading with great Conviction OR Connection.

Strategy Strand

The Planner carves out significant time, often in the context of a strategic planning process, offsite, or workshop to outline focus and priorities for the coming year. In larger organizations, templates may be provided to outline key considerations - including key initiatives, investments, and expected results. This phase can feel like painting by numbers - templates and frameworks bring a sense of confidence and certainty that you will produce the desired result, with the key elements already present.

The plan will provide clarity of focus, although strategy statements and visions may feel more familiar. And while market analysis and consideration are present, the depth of strategic insight may be lighter.

Leadership Strand

The strategic decisions of a Planner tend to optimize for predictability, still acting as if the world is knowable and controllable. Instead of embracing VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity), you are most likely avoiding it, simplifying it, and/or trying to control it. You may try to analyze your way into the future and treat strategy as a solvable problem with tried and tested tools and techniques.

Replicating the choices that appear to be succeeding for others as a "fast follower" is more common than setting out in a bold and uncertain direction. Or your bold direction isn't sufficiently grounded in your context, and you lack the credibility to influence and align people to that vision. You personalize any resistance to your vision.

Stage 3: Creator

Your strategic leadership is now occurring in the day-to-day, constantly aligning short-term actions across the organization with long-term direction. Strategy and plan are no longer synonymous, and you are building the capacity to navigate greater uncertainty and complexity. You accept that the future isn't knowable or controllable. Your strategy is unique and distinct as you begin to challenge paradigms, rethink opportunities, and change the rules of the game. You are building capacity to lead with Conviction AND Connection.

Strategy Strand

You understand that simply following competitors' choices will never produce a unique advantage. Your energy and attention are focused on the key choices that influence revenue decision-makers - i.e., your customers, who only decide to spend their money with your company if your value proposition meets their needs and is superior to competitors'.

The robustness of your strategic thinking and the depth of insight that drives your choices is increasing. The assumptions and logic that drive your strategic bets are well documented, tested, and continually revisited to make necessary adjustments.

Leadership Strand

You are now making angst-ridden decisions about unknowable and uncontrollable things and saying no to compelling opportunities that others choose to pursue. You accept that the future isn't predictable and make hard choices anyway - decisive, despite VUCA. You accept that strategy involves a bet and that your job is to increase the odds of success, not eliminate all risk.

Here, your position is further out 'on the limb,' and you are building the capacity to manage the discomfort that comes with the rising risks of incompetence, rejection, and failure. It is hard work. But you are building the capacity to have these emotions and still be at choice with how you lead. You can see your habitual way of leading - with Conviction OR Connection - and you begin practicing both 'AND.' You stretch yourself to either be bolder and more assertive or less certain and more receptive. Your influence increases, and you're able to navigate through greater degrees of change resistance.

Stage 4: Transformer

This stage is an extension of the Creator. The primary difference lies in the scope, scale, and consequence of your leadership. The degree of risk, the level of complexity, the depth of strategic insight, the courage of conviction - all continue to rise.

It is at this stage we begin to approach the conviction and consequence of our beliefs on the level of Howard Schultz and Herb Kelleher. It's when we remain resilient and resourceful in the face of obstacles like these:

• "It cost us millions of dollars."
• "I came under tremendous criticism."
• "Competition smelled blood and went after us."

We are able to have the conviction of our beliefs AND remain as inclusive as we are decisive.

Strategy Strand

At this stage, defying conventional wisdom is the norm. You continue to make tougher and tougher calls - the type that when someone says, "so that means we won't do x," and as you say, "that is right," your heart drops, you get a pit in your stomach, and you take a deep breath and hope it is the right call. You accept that if you are entirely comfortable with your strategy, there is a strong chance it isn't that good.

Leadership Strand

Like the Creator, you are willing to explicitly cut off possibilities and options, and you accept the discomfort of leading outside your comfort zone. You are maniacally focused on your strategic choice and act with great strategic consistency in the day-to-day.

In this stage, our capacity builds to reach beyond our protective habits in the face of fear and uncertainty - to control, simplify, be certain or safe within the known and familiar - and make different choices. We are learning to surrender to what we cannot control and create from what emerges.

Colleagues praise me for my ability to influence at the most senior levels of an organization. And yet, I still couldn't navigate the level of resistance faced by Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela. I am still building my capacity to navigate the risks of incompetence, rejection, and failure without being hijacked by my ego and biology. But I am committed to the practice.

In this stage of strategic leadership, we adapt and develop ourselves to navigate a world that continues to become more complex, more uncertain, and more interconnected with each day. We reject simplistic reactions and tap into a truer, fuller, more capable version of ourselves that can solve some of the most complex challenges in the world.

The Call to Strategic Leadership

And so here we are, strategic leaders, sitting in complexity that can be overwhelming, getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, embracing the uncertainty, and developing in ways that enable us to transform the world through business for good - on whatever scale is possible today and a different scale that becomes possible tomorrow.

Remember, the scale isn't the defining element of being the game-changer that you are - only the possibility.

So, what is sitting right at the edge of possibility for you today? What different choice do you want to make?

Embracing the Future

The journey of strategic leadership is not an easy one, but it is a rewarding and necessary path for those who wish to create lasting, positive change in the world. By embracing the dualities of leadership, fostering conviction and connection, and navigating through the stages of growth, we can develop the courage, resilience, and insight required to guide organizations toward a better future.

The call to strategic leadership is not just a call to lead, but a call to transform - ourselves, our organizations, and ultimately, the world around us. It is a call to step into the unknown, to challenge conventional wisdom, and to create new possibilities where none existed before.

So, let us embrace the journey, learn from our mistakes, and continually strive to become the game-changing leaders the world needs - leaders who can turn bold visions into reality and inspire others to join us in shaping a brighter tomorrow.

FAQs

Q1: How can I develop the courage and conviction required for game-changing strategic leadership?

Developing the courage and conviction for game-changing strategic leadership is a continuous journey of self-awareness, growth, and practice. Start by cultivating a strategic mindset, embracing discomfort and uncertainty, and making intentional choices that stretch you beyond your current limitations. Surround yourself with mentors and role models who embody the qualities you aspire to, and learn from their experiences. Most importantly, remain committed to your personal development and be willing to learn from your mistakes.

Q2: How do I balance being decisive and inclusive as a strategic leader?

Balancing decisiveness and inclusiveness is one of the key challenges of strategic leadership. It requires a deep understanding of your organizational context, the ability to make tough choices when necessary, and the emotional intelligence to engage others and foster collaboration. Seek diverse perspectives, listen actively, and be transparent about your thought process. When it's time to make a decision, communicate it clearly and provide opportunities for feedback and course correction. Ultimately, the goal is to create a culture of trust and alignment, where people feel heard and supported, even when they may not agree with every decision.

Q3: How can I ensure my strategic vision is aligned with the organization's purpose and principles?

Aligning your strategic vision with the organization's purpose and principles is critical for long-term success and employee engagement. Start by clearly defining and communicating the organization's purpose and core values. Then, ensure that your strategic planning process incorporates these guiding principles and seeks input from diverse stakeholders. Regularly assess whether your strategic initiatives and decisions are consistent with your stated purpose and principles, and make adjustments as needed. Encourage open dialogue and feedback to maintain alignment and foster a culture of accountability.

Q4: How can I foster a culture of innovation within my organization?

Fostering a culture of innovation requires a multi-faceted approach that involves both leadership and organizational practices. As a leader, model a growth mindset, encourage experimentation and calculated risk-taking, and create a safe environment for employees to share ideas without fear of repercussions. Implement processes and structures that support innovation, such as dedicated innovation teams, cross-functional collaboration, and dedicated time and resources for ideation and prototyping. Additionally, recognize and reward innovative thinking and celebrate successes, no matter how small.

Q5: How can I measure the success of my strategic leadership efforts?

Measuring the success of strategic leadership efforts can be challenging, as the impact may not be immediately visible or quantifiable. However, there are several key indicators you can track, such as employee engagement and retention rates, customer satisfaction and loyalty, financial performance and growth, and the successful execution of strategic initiatives. Additionally, seek feedback from stakeholders, including employees, customers, and partners, to gauge the perception and effectiveness of your leadership. Regularly assess your progress against your stated goals and objectives, and be willing to adjust your approach as needed.