Building Leadership Skills:

Strategic ThinkingAn Infopeople Workshop

George Needham and Joan Frye Williams, Instructors

Spring 2009

Today’s agendaLeadership and strategic thinkingThe long viewThe FAST approach to strategic thinkingMoving ahead

1. Know what difference you want to make

2. Choose your actions accordingly

What’s their strategy?

vs.

vs.

Why think strategically?Save time and effortMake the most of limited resourcesAttract fundingGet people on boardEnhance chances of successIncrease job satisfaction

Why think strategically?Save time and effortMake the most of limited resourcesAttract fundingGet people on boardEnhance chances of successIncrease job satisfactionTry to take over the world!

What difference do you want to make?Your communityYour libraryYour team/work groupPersonally/professionally

The long view

Target, not detailed steps

Principles, not techniques

Strengths, not weaknesses

Keep it simple

“Vision” implies that other people can PICTURE what you’re

talking about.

Leveraging your assets

Starts with appreciationVision-led,

not problem-drivenConcentrates on

abundant resources

Strategic positioning:Five approaches that work

From exception to mainstream

Bottom lineLess gate-keeping,

more convenience

From altruism to return on investment

Bottom lineLess perfectionism, more efficiency

From a focus on the past to a focus on the future

What kinds of changes do you think will affect your community in the future?

Bottom lineLess caution, more flexibility

From frill to necessity

Bottom lineLess reticence, more urgency

From information to transformation

Think of a favorite book, movie, play, poem, or piece of music…

What is it?Why is it important

to you?How has that

affected your life?

Bottom lineRelationships trump transactions

Think FASTFocusAccelerateSupportTie it all together

Adapted from Hagel, John et al ,“Shaping Strategy in a World of Constant Disruption,” Harvard Business Review , October 2008.

FocusUse real data/evidenceLook for patternsAsk “what if”Estimate likelihood Imagine consequences

AccelerateIdentify actions that will move you toward

your target most quicklyUse resources you already haveDecide how you’ll measure progress

SupportSupport

Who else wants to see the same kind of difference you do?Community segments

and stakeholdersElected officials,

power brokersOther providers who

share your audienceFriends and

colleagues

Discovering common ground

Maintaining strategic relationships

Tie it all together

Constantly check near term performance against target

Adjust as you go alongRepeat as necessary

Uncovering strategic opportunities

Evaluating strategic opportunities

Will it show?Can it grow?Does it flow?

Evaluate your choices: show

Evaluate your choices:

grow

Evaluate your choices: flow

Tell a compelling story

Ideas have to fit the audience’s values

Person telling the story has to be believableIntegrityCommitment

Understand that objections are…Normal, and…Less threatening than

risking failure on something new, but…

Not insurmountable

Handling objections

Show the passion!

Thank you for participating!Please complete the evaluation.

joan@jfwilliams.com george@georgeneedham.com