Strategic Leadership

Linda J. Nolte, MA, CMC,

RODC

January 2014

An overview for Human Resource Professionals

What do you think?

If you were the owner, president, CEO, founder, manager/director of an organization and you realized that your staff members were not supporting your direction, what would you do?

If you were the key HR liaison for this person, what kind of support would you offer?

Leadership

What words do you think of? Best/worst leader?Defining leadership is similar to

nailing a custard pie to the wall

Poor Leadership is an Oxymoron

Assumptions about Leadership

That leadership is A special rarified state of beingIndependent of personal successConferred on a chosen few

Interdependence

What does it take to get followers? It depends

On what?

What followers are seeking compared to/matched with what you offer and provide

Leaders: Born or Made?

Proliferation of books, seminars, classes, workshops, degrees, etc. on leadership

Lots of money to be made in the leadership industry

Myths and Realities

What do you think?

Strategic LeadershipArticulates

and Promotes the vision and long term direction

May not be the sole creator, but might be!

Cheerleader and Drill team

What is Strategy?

1. A method or plan chosen to bring about a desired future, such as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem.

2. The art and science of planning and marshalling resources for their most efficient and effective use.

The term is derived from the Greek word for generalship or leading an army.

What is strategy?

Project-based to support goals also can be similar to tactics.

What do we mean by “strategic?” Strategy – upper case?strategy – lower case?ContextIntentIntra vs. Inter organizationalCommunityVolunteerPublic SectorPrivate SectorUSA or International?

Strategy

Strategy

Strategy

The Literature:

• Hart: studied ancient Greeks through WWII “the art if distributing and applying military means to fulfill the ends of policy”

• Moltke: Distributing and applying military means to fulfill the ends of policy.

The LiteratureMintzbergStrategy is a plan, a "how," a means

of getting from here to there.Strategy is a pattern in actions over

time; for example, a company that regularly markets very expensive products is using a "high end" strategy.

Strategy is position; that is, it reflects decisions to offer particular products or services in particular markets.

Strategy is perspective, that is, vision and direction.

The Literature

Kenneth Andrews"Corporate strategy is the

pattern of decisions in a company …

Treacy and WiersemaNarrowing, not broadeningthree "value-disciplines" that can

serve as the basis for strategy: operational excellence, customer intimacy, and product leadership

The LiteraturePorter

About being differentUnique value mixCompetitive view

Kepner TregoeFramework guiding choices9 factors but single driving forceMatter of perspective

RobertThink and manage strategically4 decisions10 possibilities for a driving force

Tregoe and Zimmerman urge executives to base these decisions on a single "driving force" of the business. Although there are nine possible driving forces, only one can serve as the basis for strategy for a given business.

The nine possibilities

are listed below:

•Products offered

•Production capability

•Natural resources

•Market needs

•Method of sale

•Size/growth

•Technology

•Method of distribution

•Return/profit

Michel Robert takes a similar view of strategy in, Strategy Pure & Simple [8], where he argues that the real issues are "strategic management" and "thinking strategically." For Robert, this boils down to decisions pertaining to four factors:•Products and services•Market segments•Customers•Geographic areas•Like Tregoe and Zimmerman, Robert claims that decisions about which products and services to offer, the customers to be served, the market segments in which to operate, and the geographic areas of operations should be made on the basis of a single "driving force." Again, like Tregoe and Zimmerman, Robert claims that several possible driving forces exist but only one can be the basis for strategy.

The 10 driving forces cited by Robert areProduct-serviceSales-marketing methodUser-customerDistribution methodMarket typeNatural resourcesProduction capacity-capabilitySize/growthTechnologyReturn/profit

The Literature:

George Steiner:• that which top management does that is

of great importance to the organization• refers to basic directional decisions, that

is, to purposes and missions• consists of the important actions

necessary to realize these directions• answers the question: What should the

organization be doing?• answers the question: What are the ends

we seek and how should we achieve them?

The Decisions are the same:

The choices between and among products and services, customers and markets, distribution channels, technologies, pricing, and geographic operations, etc.

What is required is a structured, disciplined, systematic way of making these decisions.

Options• "driving forces" • “value disciplines" • "value-chain analysis“

All three as a system of cross-checks

The Practical Question: How?How does one determine, articulate and communicate company-wide ends? How does one ensure understanding and obtain commitment to these ends?

Strategy and strategy

Confused yet?How would YOU differentiate?

Elements of Leadership StrategyValuesVisionMissionGoals

Elements of Leadership StrategyValuesNon-negotiable tenets which influence how you are willing to work/live/volunteer.

Elements of Leadership StrategyVision :What we want vs. what we want to avoid

Elements of Leadership StrategyMission

Elements of Leadership StrategyMission

“Guided by relentless focus on our five imperatives, we will constantly strive to implement the critical initiatives required to achieve our vision. In doing this, we will deliver operational excellence in every corner of the Company and meet or exceed our commitments to the many constituencies we serve. All of our long-term strategies and short-term actions will be molded by a set of core values that are shared by each and every associate.”

In what order?

Values/Vision first

MissionGoals

Elements of Leadership Strategy

GoalsState the desired goalLong-term goalsShort-term goalsWhat does success look like?

Goals and Objectives: 2014 Annualized

$5M in gross sales 15% net profit Less than 2% involuntary turnover in staffGrow new customer base by at least 15% Increase sales to existing customers by

at least 23%Survey results = 95% positive staff

satisfactionFewer than 1% safety incidents

Goal Alignment

Terms to Confuse and Abuse Tactics

TasksStrategies vs.

strategiesStepsProcesses Job

Descriptions Job Aids InstructionsTargetsOutcomes

Process Model for Strategy Development

Why this works!

Let’s try a few examples:

Smalltown Community Gardens

Values: eliminating hunger, erasing loneliness, building self-sufficient skills

Vision: Nobody in Smalltown, OR is hungry or lonely, unless by choice

Mission: Develop many gardens where citizens gather to produce and share healthy fruits and vegetables and build supportive relationships

Smalltown Community Gardens

Values: we all include and help each other

Vision: Everyone in Smalltown, OR has access to, healthy food, supportive friendships, and empowerment

Mission: Develop many gardens where citizens gather to produce and share healthy fruits and vegetables and be involved in mutually-supportive relationships

Smalltown Community Gardens

Strategic Intent:

Smalltown is a safe, sustainable place to live and thrive – everyone wants to live here and no one wants to leave!

Smalltown Community Gardens

Goals: 1. Acquire one location

per square mile2. Designate one

coordinator per garden

3. Identify participants for each garden

Tactics1. Layout and prepare

each garden2. Select and plant 3. Maintain 4. Harvest

Smalltown Community Gardens

Questions?How would we sell such a vision? Who will directly engage? Master GardenersLand OwnersExisting producing gardens

and farms?Swap volunteer labor for food?Other groups that have a

related vision/mission around hunger, loneliness, self-sufficiency

Outreach?

What Pulls Me?

All organizations can be excellent! Knowledge and skills exist to make it so!

Together we can make excellence the norm!

XXX ConsultingValuesVisionMissionStrateg

y GoalsTactics

XXX Consulting

Strategy VisionTactics MissionGoals Values

Doing things the right way; calling out the elephant in the

room.

All organizations are healthy and profitable; they

contribute generously to their communities. A better

world!

Ask for referrals and leads to like-minded professionals

To consult so that all organizations are led by those who

understand organizational behavior and how to balance

human, financial, and physical resources within and

without their communities.

Share knowledge and experience with HR professionals

and support HR professionals in fostering organizational

effectiveness and leadership.

Networking, teaching, consulting and presenting on areas

of interest and necessity

Complete at least one meaningful contact per month and

share my VVMSGT

Failure of Leadership

Strategic Leadership is redundantPoor Leadership is an oxymoron

Fitting it Together

The Point!

This is not about what to think, or the one “right” answer… but about how to think about the best answer for your organization at this time….

HR professionals are well-trained and clearly a group of life-long learners…

The best answer today may not be the best answer tomorrow…

BUT… the principles remain constant.

Questions?