Nicky Carew writes about the importance of strategic leadership in an organisation’s success.

It’s not all over.  Not by a long chalk.  Even if we all have been jabbed and boosted.  It will never be the same as it was.  And the disruption of the Covid-19 revolution will continue through the energy crisis and consequences of global warming.  What have we learned about Strategic Leadership?  2 two things will make a difference:

  1. Action what we know is the right thing to do – wear masks, reduce our carbon footprint etc – even if we see others routing it
  2. Adapt, if the ground is moving then learn to dance on a shifting carpet.

I was interested to read a new research briefing published by The Oxford Review.  This is an excellent source of respected up to date and peer reviewed research that every professional needs to know.  The article is “Strategic Leadership Factors Which Predict An Organisation’s Strategic Adaptive Capability” (not a catchy title but all the more rewarding for it).

It highlights multiple research showing that Strategic leadership needs to be able to pull together:

  1. Creative abilities – to come up with ideas
  2. Analytical abilities – to decide whether ideas are good ideas
  3. Practical abilities – to make the ideas functional and to convince others of the value of the ideas
  4. Wisdom – to balance the effects of ideas on oneself, others and institutions in both the short term and the long run
  5. Understanding of the impact of moral and value based consequences of strategies and actions

Note the term above is Strategic Leadership, not the Strategic Leader.  This is not one person’s legacy.  This is will identify a team of supportive and diverse individuals who have the foresight to look to the future.  Essential to ensure the survival of their organisation in turbulent times.

How to identify attributes for Strategic Leadership

We at The Change Maker Group, and our colleagues at GC Index, have the resource that can identify these attributes in your organisation.  The Change Maker Profile can identify the natural inclination (proclivity) that relate to each of these abilities that will have a critical impact on how well your organisation will thrive in change.

When you can identify your own strongest contribution you can seek out people who have complementary inclinations.

Qualities that will make your organisation thrive.

The Change Maker Profile does exactly that.  So for example, my 2 strongest proclivities are as Implementer / Strategist.  That means I have a natural tendency to (point B) decide whether ideas are good ideas for the purpose (as a Strategist) and how practical they are to be functional (point C) (Implementer).  I have to accept that my creative ability (point A) as a poor scoring Game Changer is not strong.

But luckily I have colleagues who score very highly and have great game changing ideas.  Playmaker colleagues are great at communicating the value to others and helping me to do same.  When we need perfection we have plenty of energy in the group to make sure it is polished.  And in respect of point D, Wisdom, the collaborative force that comes with appreciating the value of others in creating adaptive or systemic change is powerful.  Point E is a conscious focus as we can all have perspective and value each person’s contribution.

Case Study

I have recently been working with a public health organisation.  Their function was mainly logistics and highly operational.  Not surprisingly many of the people good at their job were high on Implementer.  It soon became evident that many of the issues they face are because there was little energy in the Strategic zone.  Covid knocked them out of their business as usual space.  The Change Maker Profile has helped them see who has the Strategic proclivity in the teams.  Now working with us they can create collaborative change making teams.

Change Making powers

What we can hope is that the unpredictable high impact event, the Black Swan that was Covid, is something we now have learned to live with.  The immense flexibility and tolerance of uncertainty we have learnt should hold us in good stead.  We can meet new challenges so long as we work to our strengths and learn to collaborate with others who are better at other things.  For us at The Change Maker Group, when we get together we know who is has Game Changing powers and who will be the Playmakers – it’s just not me.  But I will help make it meet our long term aims and values and make it work.  That makes us resilient, individually and for our organisation.

The Change Maker Profile is a vital tool for an organisation’s success.   Book a conversation, we can show you how.

Contact Nicky Carew by email