Читать книгу The Art of Strategic Leadership - Mead Stephanie S. - Страница 6

At this point, you may be wondering what, exactly, strategic leadership is. In our view, strategic leadership is a solution to the common leadership problems we just described. It's encompassed by two main things:

1. Fulfilling your regular leadership responsibilities in a proactive, forward-thinking way.

2. Incorporating a specific collection of qualities and characteristics into your leadership style as you lead your team and execute strategic objectives and plans.

There are only a few differences between normal, day-to-day leadership and strategic leadership, but they are big, and they are distinctive. The differences we've discovered all center around the way leadership principles are applied. Not only are strategic leaders concerned about fulfilling today's expectations, they also care deeply about defining and focusing on a future agenda that hones in on the few things that really matter. Defining a long-term vision for your team helps you allocate scarce resources wisely and channel the collective effort of the team. This prepares you to seize opportunities, head off threats, and achieve better results down the road. Remember, thinking, planning, and acting strategically shouldn't ever be considered solely a responsibility of senior leadership. All leaders, at all levels, are responsible for envisioning what they want in the future. They help their team members see the long-term vision clearly and create a plan for what we call their Business-within-the-Business. They do this by finding ways to create and leverage new sources of competitive advantage and unique, value-added offerings for their customers.