A leader can visualise the future and work on improving the current processes, procedures, workflows, and other corporational systems that need to be rectified. The leaders are visionary thinkers who bring the best team on-board for achieving objectives set by the organisation. Leaders are great with people and work closely with team members, employees and other organisational staff to inspire, motivate and mentor them towards performing their tasks. At the heart of a great organisational culture lies a leader who can successfully lead his/her followers.
There are certain keys to effective leadership that foster productivity within the core group. However, given the complexity of projects that corporates undertake these days and the variance of skill-sets required, there has emerged a need for leaders who can think strategically and develop policies that help the firms scale new heights. Hence, the term strategic leadership has developed that focuses more on the strategic aspect of leading its followers.
What Defines Strategic Leadership?
“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.”
The above quote by Sam Walton captures strategic leaders’ essence and how they carry out their leadership duties. Strategic leadership is all about efficient people management and successfully transforms a leader’s vision into reality. Strategic leaders utilise on drafting, deploying and executing strategies to achieve the corporational objectives and bring their ideas into practice. The influence of decision-making in organisational leadership and management activities determines the outcome of strategies and their credibility.
Professionals who aspire to become thriving strategic leaders need to gather the correct intel about this domain. Enrolling for an online strategic leadership course offered by a reputable institute can help executives grip the core concepts, practices and other components of this role. Learning about strategic leadership particulars through a credible source will help in developing robust understandings about this role. Therefore, the IIM Kozhikode strategic management course has been curated with industry leaders to provide learners with a teaching model to furnish successful careers. These courses cover all aspects of strategic leadership- principles, processes and others.
Principles of Strategic Leadership
Certain principles are at the heart of effective strategic leadership. These principles help organisations enrich their top-level strategic planning and decision-making processes. An online strategic leadership course explains in detail the various principles that govern the strategic leadership domain.
Here’s a list of some of those principles:-
-
Proper Allocation of Tasks
This might seem obvious, but while working in a leader’s capacity, it must prioritise people involved at the top-level to allocate tasks properly within the subsequent lower-levels. Distribution of responsibilities allows strategic leaders to monitor each employee’s progress and ability to work under stress.
-
Making it Safe to Fail
Another trademark principle of strategic leadership is making it safe to fail. This implies that strategic leaders focus on the milestones achieved throughout the strategy development and implementation phases and not just on the result. Leaders have back up plans in place if a major failure takes place.
-
Foster Transparency
Strategic leaders cultivate an environment for transparency between themselves and their team members. A transparent work-culture brings leaders and followers together and helps in resolving issues in a better manner. Furthermore, transparency facilitates honesty and loyalty among the team members.
-
Strategic Leadership is Self-Reflective
Strategic leadership is based on double-loop learning. Leaders need to be self-reflective and assess their actions, decisions and other aspects for improved decision-making and deployment of leadership responsibilities in future.
The principles as mentioned above influence the strategies that are implemented and determine their success. Young executives who want to get a detailed understanding of these principles and its association in streamlining work-flows can opt for the IIM Kozhikode strategic management course.
The application of these principles comes with practice and experience—specific components help navigate strategic leadership roles efficiently and resourcefully. Therefore, having a well-rounded knowledge of essential elements helps in displaying quality leadership work-ethic.
Essential Components of Strategic Leadership
Strategic leadership is a tenacious job role that requires attention to detail. Having a strong foothold over its fundamentals is vital for leaders to surmount challenges. An online strategic leadership course will provide aspiring leaders with the critical components that this job profile demands.
Here’s a list of components that strategic leadership consists of:-
-
Building a Good Team-Environment
Strategic leadership is a team-centred profession wherein leaders set out a team of employees for achieving corporational goals. Therefore, having a positive and healthy team environment is essential for beneficial and profitable strategic leadership.
-
Utilisation of Technology
Strategic leaders must leverage technology during the decision-making, strategy implementation and other stages. Bracing technological advancements helps in taking reformed data-backed decisions and allows for real-time analysis of tasks progression.
-
Must Look at Bigger Picture
Leadership looks at the bigger picture and analyses situations from a wide-angle. Strategic leaders set the protocols in place that helps in devising strategies, policies and other long-term plans.
-
Effective Communication
Communication forms a big part of strategic leadership. Clear, concise and comprehensible communication between strategic leaders and their followers allows for smooth work-flows. Moreover, leaders can go a step forward and work out which communication style suits best for a given team-member to pave the way for effective communication.
These components help in building a solid team culture and provide future-planning mechanisms for firms.
Rounding Up A-Z of Strategic Leadership
Strategic leadership is based on principles and specific components that define the strategies’ success and their relevance in achieving the company’s goals. Strategic leadership incorporates strategic planning, thinking and execution and is branched with the principles and components.
Young professionals, leaders and other enthusiasts must obtain the required practical understanding and theoretical knowledge that this role demands. Enrolling for an online strategic leadership course will render learners with subtle intricacies of this domain that will will them in their professional journeys. Furthermore, executives who aim to develop a strong foothold of managerial aspects can sign up for the IIM Kozhikode strategic management course.
More Information:
How Do You Become a Better Leader?
Advantages & Scope of the Strategic Management Course
How Strategic Management Helps Achieve Company Goals?
Career Prospects & Job Opportunities after Strategic Management
IIM KASHIPUR Executive Development Programme In Strategic Marketing Management
Develop your Leadership & Management Skills with a range of Online Management Courses
