Develop the qualities of strategic leadership and become an active contributor to the short- and long-term success of your organization Today's organizations face two daunting challenges: 1. How to create new sources of competitive advantage to sustain long-term growth, and 2. How to engage leaders at every level of the organization so that they are more proactive and forward-looking in their area of responsibility. The Art of Strategic Leadership uses a unique approach to examine what it means to be a strategic leader. Instead of focusing on the skills, behaviors, and tools found in typical books on strategic leadership, the authors shed light on the attributes and qualities necessary to lead strategic change and help transform a business. Strategic leadership is what modern leadership is all about. Organizations expect leaders to anticipate and be proactive more than ever before. In this book, the authors draw on their vast experience working directly with leaders at all levels and use an intriguing narrative to explain this inside-out approach to understanding strategic leadership. The narrative follows the journey of how one manager discovered these critically important qualities. You will experience first-hand how these values and attributes manifest in the lives of realistic leaders; how they orchestrate long-term strategic change needed for the organization to compete and survive and actively shape the future while delivering short-term results.
The Art of Strategic Leadership provides the content that will help you informally assess and reflect on your own strategic leadership qualities-those that are strengths and those that indicate areas you need to develop. It will guide you as you incorporate these values and qualities into your own leadership style and become a more effective catalyst for change. This book will help you in the following ways:
Develop a more proactive, forward-thinking approach to leadership
Approach strategy from both short- and long-term perspectives
Adopt the core values and principles of a strategic leader
Model the qualities exhibited by powerful leaders
Strategic leaders serve as powerful examples to others in the organization. Their qualities and traits spread rapidly to those around them, empowering people at every level to take a more active role in meeting the demands of the future. The Art of Strategic Leadership will help you deepen and broaden your understanding of the core qualities of strategic leadership, leaving you better equipped to lead yourself and your team to a better place and create greater value for customers, owners, and employees.
Acknowledgments vii
Preface ix
What You'll Find in This Book x
How to Use This Book xi
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
So, What Is It? 4
Why Does It Matter? 5
How You Can Use It 9
Chapter 2 The Business 11
Chapter 3 The Leader 19
Chapter 4 The Team 29
Chapter 5 Alex's Journey Begins 37
Chapter 6 The Art of Ownership 45
The Story: Robert 47
Ownership Close-Up 53
Chapter 7 The Art of Tenacity 63
The Story: Mya 65
Tenacity Close-Up 70
The Tenacity Formula 75
Mastering Tenacity 78
Chapter 8 The Art of Risk 79
The Story: Jordan 81
Risk Close-Up 87
Stepping Up 94
A Note About Failure 96
Chapter 9 The Art of Agility 99
The Story: Kim 101
Agility Close-Up 105
Your Flex-Agility 114
Chapter 10 The Art of Awareness 117
The Story: Lu 119
Awareness Close-Up 124
What It All Means 130
Chapter 11 The Art of Driving Change 133
The Story: Sara 135
Driving Change Close-Up 140
Chapter 12 The Art of Vision 149
The Story: Alex 151
Vision Close-Up 156
What Visionary Leaders Do 160
Chapter 13 The Art of Strategic Leadership 165
The Rest of the Story 167
The Future Starts Here and Now 176
Connect and Continue the Journey 181
About the Authors 183
Products and Services Available 185
Index 187