Six Critical Leadership Activities: Strategizing

The following list identifies six activities that I consider “critical” to successful leadership. These activities have helped me become and remain a more effective and efficient leader here at Remote DBA Experts.

1. Strategize
2. Align
3. Energize
4. Enable
5. Actualize
6. Recognize

In my last post, I tried to help you build a stronger foundation by describing the source, development process and the rationale for these six activities.  In this post, I will delve into the Strategizing Activity.  Starting with this activity assumes you have aims to get accomplished: vision, mission, goals, objectives, etc.

What is Strategy?

Strategy is the approach you take to accomplish an aim.  It is a series of actions and decisions designed to achieve a particular objective, expectation or goal. The purpose of a strategy is to guide you to accomplishment.  Strategizing is the process of planning or choosing a strategy.  Strategies are dynamic, rarely static.  According to the results of his five-year study of over 7,000 companies, Keith McFarland, author of The Breakthrough Company, discovered that leaders of such companies spend a significant amount of time engaged in strategizing.   He uncovered that it was the top activity these leaders engaged in day in and day out.

What Does Strategizing Entail?

As a process, strategizing involves multiple aspects:

• Crafting, or creating strategy
• Adopting, or implementing strategy
• Adjusting, or modifying strategy

On a daily basis, leaders are involved with multiple strategies devised to accomplish multiple aims.  Because strategizing is such a dynamic process, leaders find themselves involved in a multitude of strategic efforts on a regular basis.  They are constantly crafting, adopting, or adjusting strategies for their multiple aims.   Furthermore, depending on the strategy’s level (organizational, departmental, or personal/individual) being worked on, others must be involved.  This makes strategizing a very interesting, and sometimes complex, process that needs to be carefully orchestrated.  The “classic” strategic framework, regardless of level, is fairly straight forward and involves seeking the answer to a few basic questions:

• What needs to be done?
• Why does it need to get done?
• Who needs to do what?
• When does it need to be done by?
• How does it (best) get done?

Many variables need to be considered based on the level of strategy, and on the impact and consequences it will have.  The most important aspect to keep in mind is that the process is usually more important than the outcome itself.  Strategies are rarely carved in concrete.  It is rare to accomplish an aim with the exact strategy that was devised at the onset.  Much can, and does change.  Strategies need to be flexible.  That is where the “adapting” aspect comes in and leaders need to spend time adjusting strategies to adapt to changing conditions and circumstances.

Strategy forces us to think critically.  It requires that we stop, look, and listen.  It requires asking and responding to questions.   It requires the involvement of as many as possible and as practical.  At the business strategic plan level, there are markets, competitors, employees, products, services, prices, economics, etc.   Strategizing time is powerful time.  That is why “Breakthrough” (successful) leaders spend so much time on strategies; both big and small, simple and complex.  They are always crafting, adopting, or adapting some strategy at some level.

I hope this post gave you a better sense for this critical leadership activity.  In my next post, I will describe the second activity related to this important leadership endeavor: Aligning.  Until then, evaluate your strategic efforts.  Determine if strategizing is on top of your list.  If not, consider shifting your efforts and placing a bit more emphasis on it.  It may make a big difference on your ability to accomplish your aims.

The BEST is Yet to Come!

Epi Torres, CEO