Applying Strategic Leadership In The Workplace

Writen by Stephanie Tuia

What is strategic leadership and why do I need it?

Strategic leadership is a self-explanatory term, and even when separated, still provides a meaningful definition. A definition of strategic leadership can be summed up as the "ability to anticipate, prepare, and get positioned for the future."

In my experience, I have been able to pinpoint specific examples of colleagues who have exemplified strategic leadership in their professions. I'd like to share some examples of how strategic leadership is essential to a work environment.

A small company had been acquired by a larger firm. With this, the current leader had been let go and a new leader was appointed to take charge.

Anticipate and Prepare-Being acquired by a larger firm may bring more awareness to a company or provide better benefits, but several cons may get in the way at first. During a transition period, many employees are sometimes left without a job, or have decided to move on to other things in the wake of unsatisfied changes. It was no different when a well-liked president of the company was phased out due to financial setbacks. The firm took a lengthy process to make a move until finally appointing an internal employee to serve as the interim president. Left with a lot of the dirty work, the new leader immediately went to work and restored and initiated productivity with his employees. His biggest attribute was that he was prepared for this new role before he was even appointed as the new president. His natural work ethic had already groomed him for charismatic leadership and when the opportunity for advancement came, he wasted no time in taking charge and continuing the work. Likewise, a strategic leader will be able to pick up the pieces and restore work productivity regardless of a drastic change.

Being the cheerleader and still an enforcer, Teams leaders are versatile figures held accountable for their employee's work performance.

Get positioned for the future- A team leader's major objective is to keep worker performance at a high and encourage improving results that would ultimately lead to a brighter outlook and future. Preparing employees now enables them to do such. Team Leaders have a weekly, monthly or even yearly report to give so their main motivation would be to constantly focus on the progress and performance of their individuals. In order to maintain and continue a future of positive results, an effective team leader will use strategic planning in his/her strategic management. Mentally, he/she will find ways to encourage employees to perform high to obtain team incentives, but will also encourage strategic planning at the individual level. Training employees to strategically plan in their prospective territories will alleviate the leader with multiple responsibilities and generate a more productive outcome in the work area. With a focus on the individual employee, a team leader will have the power to influence his/her employees to control their progress and look towards a better outcome.

One department is flourishing with work productivity, while one department is far behind.

Focus on the right energies- In a business world where deadlines are demanding and profits are important, companies and their leaders will hold work productivity as a high priority. A strategic leader will observe less than optimum circumstance and move quickly to create beneficial change. Saving time by focusing only on the right energies will help a company profit. For example, an employee serves in two departments, splitting duties between each. It is evident that his/her skills are stronger in research and development rather than in the sales department. A strategic leader may see more value in changing this employee's role to work in this stronger area of expertise. At the same time, a strategic leader will realize that this employee may be able to provide unique insight across both functions that others can not. Strategic leaders will observe these situations quickly and waste no time in shifting employees to areas where both the individual and organizations can benefit the most.

These glimpses give you some helpful scenarios of how strategic leadership can be applied in your work environment. Should you have any future problems with work productivity, profits or even issues with your employees, address those concerns with some professional guidance and you'll discover how an investment in your team will result is bottom line results.

To learn more about effective strategic leadership or strategic planning and the process, tools, and skill to get out of the "daily routine," please contact one of our Regional Managers at (888)262-2499 or visit The Center of Management and Organization Effectiveness.