The Role of a Strategic Leader

As a young leader... and if I'm honest... even as someone who has been around the block a few times, I have often wondered why everyone else doesn't always see the world and leadership the same way that I do. Thankfully, around 12 years ago I had a mentor and boss pour into me and help the views I have on how people operate become more refined. I am a strategic thinker and if you look at my StrengthsFinder profile, you'll see that most of my top 10 strengths fall into categories that help connect dots that others can't always put together. With some of those personal revelations, I have also been able to recognize how my strengths and God-given gifts work well with others as well as how they may grind against some traits. Recognizing this, it is helpful to understand how working with a leader who has considerable strategic ability can be rewarding if you can give them the tools and leadership they need to succeed.?

The best way to avoid being frustrated with a leader who is involved in strategy and development of long-term plans is to give them a concrete ending so that they can develop the strategy, which is usually not very concrete, to get there. However one of the pitfalls that many strategic leaders fall into is not having access to the right information or the correct amount of information that they need in order to develop good quality strategic plans. A strategic leader must be able to recognize this quickly and ask for exactly what they need to succeed. Other leaders must be willing to work with a strategic leader to make those plans or they will be ill-conceived because they won’t have all of the information necessary to see a great vision ahead for the organization.

Leaders that excel in strategic planning can move plans from concept to concrete. In one organization, we still liked to call it "wet cement." Plans always change and when those plans change, don't be afraid to engage your strategic minds to help adjust on the fly or provide new plans that you may be surprised fit into your end goals very well.?

If you consider yourself as someone who excels in strategic planning and leadership, I'd love to hear how your role in an organization is used in a way that helps others succeed.