When you move into the role of a leader, it is evident that you have a lot of great skills and attributes already. It is also likely that your organization has spent time and effort in following a leadership selection process. A strategic leadership program does the same thing in terms of helping an individual to understand which skills as a leader are important.
There are many leadership skills that are needed for a leader to perform well in the core responsibility of their roles, which is, strategic management. These skills can actually determine the career growth they have in their leadership journey.
Top 6 leadership skills that are needed to manage strategically in your workplace
Delegation
Knowing how, what and when to delegate is very essential. You as a leader need to hone this skill and make sure that you are applying it effectively. The challenge with many leaders is that they do not delegate the tasks that are relatively unimportant and as a result of that spend a lot of time on tactical things. That prevents them from actually doing the more strategic part of their role. As leaders, the major part of their role should be focusing on business strategy. If this skill is developed, then leaders can be much more effective in their roles and add value to the organizations they work in.
Relationship Building
We all assume that building relationships is a natural trait for leaders. However, that is not usually the case. Many of them are not able to connect with individuals across various levels and roles, effortlessly. Most are usually focused on forming a connection with their peers. Learning to network and spend time in building relationships across the organization is a crucial leadership skill for effective strategic management. This applies to being able to build relationships in virtual learning or knowledge communities as well.
Realizing Bias
We all have an inherent bias within us. It could be about people from certain backgrounds, gender, culture, age and so on. While we do not like to admit it, it is important to be aware of them and realize them. As leaders, the strategic growth of a company lies in knowing that we have to leverage the diverse talent base that we have. To leverage it we need to realize bias and work consciously, to remove it from our decision-making processes. These are factors to keep in mind. Thus introspection on this front is very important for the leader to be able to make sure that the workforce he or she is leading, is able to drive the organization to its next level of growth.
Mindfulness
Leaders today are surrounded by the overload of information. The extent of “noise” from the data that flows in each time we read something online, is immense. The need of the hour is to de-clutter our minds. Leaders have to work on mindfulness and inculcate that into their regular behaviour so that they can make sure that they are performing to the level of their true potential. Knowing one’s emotions and how to apply them for strategic workplace decisions, or management is the key. This also connects to Emotional Intelligence and ensures that leaders who can merge these aspects effectively become almost indispensable to their organizations.
Transparency
All leaders need to learn and hone this skill. If you want the teams you lead to perform well and as per the strategic goals that the business has, you need to keep pushing your own levels of transparency higher. The teams are constantly looking up to their leaders and aspiring to be like them. In such situations, it is important to demonstrate qualities that set you apart from being a good leader to a truly great and transformational one. Only that kind of leader can actually make a change, motivate and improve performance.
Learning constantly
Often leaders believe that they have learnt the best they could and are experts. It is true that they have expertise in many of those areas that they lead, but learning constantly ensures that they remain competitive and have an edge. It also means that they are in a position to contribute to the organization’s growth in a more effective manner. They can add value based on the organization’s changing needs. It becomes a huge strength area for them to be able to create that kind of presence for themselves.
These are the top skills from a leadership perspective that are needed, for strategic management. Some others are believed to be influencing skills, problem-solving, ability to manage change, being visionary and future-focused, and so on. All of these together form the basis or build a strong foundation for the leader to become more effective. They give him or her the opportunity to look beyond the organization and reach out as an influencer to even those who do not know them or work with them.
Turning it the other way round, read on to know why a sound knowledge of Strategic Management is essential for leadership positions.
Strategic leadership refers to a manager’s ability to convey a strategic vision for the organization and to serve as a worthy role model to persuade and motivate others to acquire that vision. Modern business organizations are in desperate need of good leaders with in-depth insights into strategic management.
What is Strategic Management?
Strategic management is a continuous stream of actions and decisions to develop an effective strategy to help in the realization of corporate objectives. Strategic management demands sustained effort, high levels of patience and sharp political acumen. Strategic management and efficient leadership are co-terminus and interdependent.
Why is Strategic management Crucial in Business?
Strategic management done on a competent level is vital for the long term success of a business. A business which incorporates quality strategic management will be able to formulate clear and well-defined plans which will then be put into action to harmonize its business activities with the end goals. Business professionals and mid-level managers can immensely contribute to the big picture of the organization by building a strong understanding of strategic management principles.
Strategic management certification course equips business professionals with key learning points to develop strategic skill sets, formulate unique strategies, and execute them with the highest productivity. IIM Lucknow online courses in strategic management accelerate the leadership graph of junior and mid-level managers by providing them with structured knowledge of the strategic management process. These courses can skyrocket the careers of business managers by providing all-round learning opportunities in critical business aspects such as strategic thinking, execution, planning, and strategy applications.
Why is Strategic Management essential for a Leadership position?
Strategic management insights enable business leaders to align the fundamental direction and aims of an organization. It helps to analyze the social, political, economic, technological factors of a particular business environment. Strategic management certification course prepares mid-level managers for leadership positions by providing exceptional insights in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the organization.
Modern business leaders are expected to constantly pursue innovation in the goods and services industry and face the ever-increasing competitive challenges to the business organization. In this context, IIM Lucknow online courses in strategic management can help the business managers, identify and understand the inherent problems, and then make rational decisions. These learning outcomes will also help aspiring leaders to systematize and streamline business decisions.
Strategic Management principles can be applied to understand the vital components of business management in a globalized economy such as ethics, corporate responsibility, and organizational efficiency. The strategic management certification course will provide the right tools for business managers to understand decision-making structures for competing for strategic priorities.
Strategic management assists business managers in the application of knowledge in corporate sustainability strategy, strategic resource allocation, and human resource management.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, strategic management is an indispensable tool for modern managers to display flexibility in meeting organizational objectives and adapt to the international business environment. Strategic management helps business professionals to don the role of leadership positions by keeping them in stride with the continually changing business environment.
More Information:
How to Advance to the Strategic Leadership Role?
What Strategic management is and why you need it
Senior Executive Development CXO Programme by XLRI
Top 10 Career Strategies to get you ahead of the herd in 2022
Skills that Transform an Operational Leader to a Strategic Leader
Career Prospects & Job Opportunities after Strategic Management
