strategic leadership course

strategic leadership course

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  Gallaudet University Office ofDiversity and Equity for Students Keeping the Promise Educating Black Deaf Students Educating Latino Deaf Students Leadership and Team Building Retreat WISP Resort, Deep Creek Lake 290 March Hill Road, McHenry, MD 21541 November 13-15, 2009 STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP Developed by: ‘Bunmi Aina Director, KTP November 11, 2009 1
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  STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP "For the strengthof the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack." ----Rudyard Kipling (author of The Jungle Book) The Owl and the Field Mouse A little mouse was lost in a dense forest, unable to find his way out. He came upon a wise old owl sitting in a tree. "Please help me, wise old owl, how can I get out of this forest?" asked the mouse. "Easy," said the owl, "Grow wings and fly out, as I do." "But how can I grow wings?" asked the mouse. The owl looked at him haughtily, sniffed disdainfully, and said, "Don't bother me with the details, I only advise on strategy." ACTIVITY - The Leadership Matrix WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP? Strategic leadership provides the vision, direction, the purpose for growth, and context for the success of an organization. Strategic leadership is about developing appropriate strategies for future growth In short, strategic leadership answers two questions: • What - by providing the vision and direction, creating the context for growth, and • How - by sketching out a road map for the organization that will allow it to unleash its full potential; by crafting the corporation's portfolio, what the performance requirements of the organization are, and what types of alliances make sense; and by defining what is needed to achieve the goals. STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP HAS 7 FUNCTIONS: 1. to provide direction for the organization as a whole (Purpose / Vision) 2. to get strategy and policy right (Strategic Thinking and Planning) 3. making it happen (overall executive responsibility) (Operational / Administration) 4. organizing or reorganizing (balance of whole and parts) (Organization Fitness to Situational Requirement) 5. releasing the corporate spirit (Energy, Morale, Confidence, Espirit de corps) 2
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  6. relating theorganization to other organizations and society as a whole (Allies and Partners, Stakeholders, Political) 7. choosing today's leaders and developing tomorrow's leaders (Teaching and Leading the Learning by Example) Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare." – Japanese proverb PART 1:VISION Vision is a short, and inspiring statement of what your organization intends to become and to achieve at some point in the future. Vision refers to the category of intentions that are broad, all-inclusive and forward- thinking. It is the image that an organization must have of its goals before it sets out to reach them. It describes aspirations for the future. But it does not specify the means that will be used to achieve those desired ends. For example, a vision may be that your association or organization will influence legislation that will impact the lives of Deaf people. Your vision does not need to say how you will accomplish that. For a vision to have any impact on the members of an association, it has to be effectively communicated. Make sure you communicate your vision constantly, and keep linking the events of today to your vision, underscoring the relationship between the two. 2 examples of vision: General Electric’s (GE) vision is “We bring good things to life”. Sosoliso Airlines’ vision is: To be the leading professionally run air transport company with a key focus on safety, customer service and an employer of choice. PART 2: STRATEGIC THINKING AND PLANNING Organizations which devote time to strategic thinking and planning are setting the right direction by getting their policies and practices right. When you apply strategic planning principles to your organization, you increase the chance for your organization to move in the right direction. As a strategic leader your prime responsibility is to ensure that your organization is going in the right direction. To be able to identify the right strategy and pursue it to the desired result, you need to master two important functions: strategic thinking and strategic planning. If you are interested, we will cover strategic planning in the spring. PART 3: OPERATIONAL AND ADMINISTRATION 3
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  The famous signon Harry Truman's desk said, "The buck stops here." It didn't say, "The buck stops here if I asked you to do it, knew you were doing it, or should have figured it out." He meant something more primitive: everyone in his organization chart could point a finger upwards except him, because he was at the top of the organization. Power in an organization is seated in a President or chief executive and delegated downwards. That power consists of authority and responsibility. Both may be delegated together, but whatever is delegated is still retained. If I argue I am not retaining any responsibility, than I am claiming to have abdicated power, not delegated it. A boss wrote a memo to a subordinate about an error the firm had made: "I take 100% of the responsibility. How much do you take?" POP QUIZ: What is the answer to the question? Why? In order for an organization to function, people must be made accountable for the performance of certain duties. They must also be given the decision-making power to carry these duties out. Authority and responsibility must, of course, travel together in order for the people to whom they are delegated to perform their duties effectively. The worst nightmare in any human enterprise is to be responsible for something but to lack the authority to make it come out right. An executive's statement blaming his subordinates may be translated as: "I am not a leader." PART 4: ORGANIZATIONAL FITNESS What does organizational fitness mean? It means 2 things: • To chose and do the right things; • To do those things well. POP QUIZ: How do you find out about your organization’s fitness to the requirements of its situation? PART 5: ENERGY, MORALE AND CONFIDENCE Esprit de corps means “the spirit of the body”. In other words, it is a sense of pride and honor that is shared by those in the same group or undertaking. One way to develop esprit de corps is team-building. Why Teambuilding? 4
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  Teamwork is essentialfor competing in today's global arena, where individual perfection is not as desirable as a high level of collective performance. A successful and effective team tends to have a significant degree of empowerment, or decision-making authority. There are many different kinds of teams: top management teams, focused task forces, self-directed teams, development and/or launch teams, quality improvement teams, and so on. The purpose of assembling a team is to accomplish bigger goals than any that would be possible for the individual working alone. The aim and purpose of a team is to perform, get results and achieve victory for the organization. The very best managers are those who can gather together a group of individuals and mould them into a team. Team vs. Group Not all groups in organizations are teams, but all teams are groups. The difference between a team and a group is that a team is interdependent for overall performance. A group qualifies as a team only if its members focus on helping one another to accomplish organizational objectives. Therefore, teams are an important requirement for success. Therefore you should constantly try to help groups become teams and facilitate the evolution of groups into teams. Here are ten key factors to help you mould your people into a pro-active and productive team: • Understandings. In a group, members think they are grouped together for administrative purposes only. Individuals sometimes cross purpose with others. In a team, members recognise their independence and understand both personal and team goals are best accomplished with mutual support. Time is not wasted struggling over "turf" or attempting personal gain at the expense of others. • Ownership. In a group, members tend to focus on themselves because they are not sufficiently involved in planning the unit's objectives. They approach their job simply as a hired hand. In a team, members feel a sense of ownership for their jobs and unit, because they are committed to values based common goals that they helped establish. • Creativity and Contribution. In a group, members are told what to do rather than being asked what the best approach would be. Suggestions and creativity are not encouraged. In a team, members contribute to the organisation's success by applying their unique talents, knowledge and creativity to team objectives. • Trust. In a group, members distrust the motives of colleagues because they do not understand the role of other members. Expressions of opinion or disagreement are considered divisive or non-supportive. In a team, members work in a climate of trust and are encouraged to openly express ideas, opinions, disagreements and feelings. Questions are welcomed. • Common Understandings. In a group, members are so cautious about what they say, that real understanding is not possible. Game playing may occur and communication traps can be set to catch the unwary. In a team, members practice open and honest communication. They make an effort to understand each other's point of view. 5
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  • Personal Development.In a group, members receive good training but are limited in applying it to the job by the manager or other group members. In a team, members are encouraged to continually develop skills and apply what they learn on the job. They perceive they have the support of the team. • Conflict Resolution. In a group, members find themselves in conflict situations they do not know how to resolve. Their supervisor/leader may put off intervention until serious damage is done, i.e. a crisis situation develops. In a team, members realise conflict is a normal aspect of human interaction but they view such situations as an opportunity for new ideas and creativity. They work to resolve conflict quickly and constructively. • Participative Decision Making. In a group, members may or may not participate in decisions affecting the team. Conformity often appears more important than positive results. Win/lose situations are common. In a team, members participate in decisions affecting the team but understand their leader must make a final decision whenever the team cannot decide, or an emergency exists. Positive win/win results are the goal at all times. • Clear Leadership. In a group, members tend to work in an unstructured environment with undetermined standards of performance. Leaders tend to lead from behind a desk. In a team, members work in a structured environment, they know what boundaries exist and who has final authority. The leader sets agreed high standards of performance and he/she is respected via active, willing participation. • Commitment. In a group, members are uncommitted towards excellence and personal pride. Performance levels tend to be mediocre. Staff turnover is high because talented individuals quickly recognise that  personal expectations are not being fulfilled  they are not learning and growing from others and  they are not working with the best people. In a team, only those committed to excellence are invited. Prospective team members are queuing at the door to be recruited on the basis of their high levels of skill sets. Everyone works together in a harmonious environment. PART 6: ALLIES AND PARTNERS Meaningful partnerships are the foundation for success. External forces operating outside your organization in one way or another have a major impact on your organization. Partnerships are what enable many organizations to make continuous improvements. Focus your organization's resources on what you do best and what creates sustainable advantage and tap the resources of others for the rest. To decide why, when and how to partner with others for complementary resources, weigh the small amount of cost savings that doing tasks you don’t have the skills or resources to do might bring against the distraction and investment that will be required to stay up to date over time. 6
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  For example, yourorganization may partner with the Television Authorities to provide a public enlightenment campaign. The television authority has the resources, which you do not. I suggest that you set your strategic goals before you begin to develop partnerships. This is because you cannot have successful partnerships without a roadmap to guide the relationship. The strategic plan is your roadmap. PART 7: LEADING BY EXAMPLE Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience. This guide will help you through that process. To inspire your team into higher levels of teamwork, there are certain things you must be, know, and, do. These are acquired through continual work and study. Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills; they are NOT resting on their laurels. First: what is leadership? Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive. Second: how do leaders accomplish this? Leaders accomplish this by applying their leadership attributes. Third: what are these attributes? These attributes include: • Beliefs • Values • Ethics • Character • Knowledge • Skills Is there a difference between a boss and a leader? 7
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  A position asa manager or supervisor can give you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the organization. But this is just power. It does not make you a leader. It simply makes you the boss. A leader is different from a boss because a leader makes the followers want to achieve high goals. Bosses simply boss people around. Bass' theory of leadership states that there are three basic ways to explain how people become leaders. The first two explain the leadership development for a small number of people. These theories are: • Some personality traits may lead people naturally into leadership roles. This is the Trait Theory. • A crisis or important event may cause a person to rise to the occasion, which brings out extraordinary leadership qualities in an ordinary person. This is the Great Events Theory. • People can choose to become leaders. People can learn leadership skills. This is the Transformational Leadership Theory. It is the most widely accepted theory today and the premise on which this guide is based. When a person is deciding if he or she respects you as a leader, he or she does not think about your attributes, rather, he or she observes what you do so that he or she can know who you really are. He or She uses this observation to tell if you are a honorable and trusted leader or a self serving person who misuses authority to look good and get good publicity. Self-serving leaders are not effective. Why are self-serving leaders not effective? Answer: Because people only obey them. People do not follow them. The basis of good leadership is honorable character and selfless service to your organization. Your leadership is everything you do that affects the organization's objectives and their well being. Respected leaders concentrate on what they are [be] (such as beliefs and character), what they know (such as job, tasks, and human nature), and what they do (such as implementing, motivating and providing direction) What makes a person want to follow a leader? Answer: People want to be guided by those they respect and who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, they must be ethical. They also need to communicate a strong vision of the future. The Two Most Important Keys to Effective Leadership A study examined over 75 key components of employee satisfaction. The study found that: 8
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  • Trust andconfidence is important for members of an organization to be satisfied with the leadership. • Effective communication by leadership in three critical areas can win the members’ trust and confidence.  Helping members to understand the organization’s overall strategy;  Helping members understand how they contribute to achieving key objectives; and  Sharing information with members on both:  how the organization is doing; and  how a member’s area of the organization is doing So in a nutshell -- you must be trustworthy and you must communicate a vision of where the organization needs to go. Principles of Leadership These eleven principles of leadership are important for good leaders to develop. 1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement - Continually strengthen your attributes. This can be accomplished through self-study, formal classes, reflection, and interacting with others. 2. Be technically proficient - As a leader, you must know your job and have a solid familiarity with your members tasks. 3. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions - Search for ways to guide your organization to new heights. And when things go wrong, do not blame others. Analyze the situation, take corrective action, and move on to the next challenge. 4. Make sound and timely decisions - Use good problem solving, decision making, and planning tools. 5. Set the example - Be a good role model for your members and officers. They must not only hear what they are expected to do, but also see. We must become the change we want to see in the world – Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi 6. Know your people and look out for their well-being - Know human nature and the importance of sincerely caring for your members and officers. 7. Keep your people informed - Know how to communicate with not only them, but also seniors and other key people. 8. Develop a sense of responsibility in your workers - Help to develop good character traits that will help them carry out their professional responsibilities. 9. Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished - Communication is the key to this responsibility. 10. Train as a team - Although many so called leaders call their organization a team; they are not really teams: they are just a group of people doing their jobs. 9
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  11. Use thefull capabilities of your organization - By developing a team spirit, you will be able to employ your organization to its fullest capabilities. Factors of leadership There are four major factors in leadership: Follower Different people require different styles of leadership. For example, someone will need more supervision than another person. A person who lacks motivation requires a different approach than one with a high degree of motivation. You must know your people! The fundamental starting point is having a good understanding of human nature, such as needs, emotions, and motivation. Leader You must have a honest understanding of who you are, what you know, and what you can do. Also, note that it is the followers, not the leader who determines if a leader is successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in their leader, then they will not be inspired. To be successful you have to convince your followers, not yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being followed. Communication You lead through two-way communication. Much of it is nonverbal. For instance, when you "set the example," that communicates to your people that you would not ask them to perform anything that you would not be willing to do. What and how you communicate either builds or harms the relationship between you and your people. Situation All are different. What you do in one situation will not always work in another. You must use your judgment to decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for each situation. For example, you may need to confront someone for inappropriate behavior, but if the confrontation is too late or too early, too harsh or too weak, then the results may be ineffective. Various forces will affect these factors. Examples of forces are: • your relationship with your seniors • the skill of your people • the informal leaders within your organization • how your organization is organized. Attributes 10
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  If you area leader who can be trusted, then those around you will grow to respect you. To be such a leader, there is a Leadership Framework to guide you: BE KNOW DO BE a professional. Examples: Be loyal to the organization, perform selfless service, take personal responsibility. BE a professional who possess good character traits. Examples: Honesty, competence, commitment, integrity, courage, straightforwardness, imagination. KNOW the four factors of leadership - follower, leader, communication, situation. KNOW yourself. Examples: strengths and weakness of your character, knowledge, and skills. KNOW human nature. Examples: Human needs, emotions, and how people respond to stress. KNOW your job. Examples: be proficient and be able to train others in their tasks. KNOW your organization. Examples: where to go for help, its climate and culture, who the unofficial leaders are. DO provide direction. Examples: goal setting, problem solving, decision making, planning. DO implement. Examples: communicating, coordinating, supervising, evaluating. DO motivate. Examples: develop moral and espirit de corps in the organization, train, coach, counsel. Leadership Models Leadership models help us to understand what makes leaders act the way they do. The ideal is not to lock yourself into a type of behavior, but to realize that every situation calls for a different approach or behavior to be taken. Two models are shown below: • Four Framework Approach • The Managerial Grid. Four Framework Approach In the Four Framework Approach, leaders display leadership behaviors in one of four types of frameworks: Structural, Human Resource, Political, or Symbolic. The style can either be effective or ineffective, depending upon the chosen behavior in certain situations. Structural Framework In an effective leadership situation, the leader is a social architect whose leadership style is 11
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  analysis and design.While in an ineffective leadership situation, the leader is a petty tyrant whose leadership style is details. Structural Leaders focus on structure, strategy, environment, implementation, experimentation, and adaptation. Human Resource Framework In an effective leadership situation, the leader is a catalyst and servant whose leadership style is support, advocate, and empowerment. In an ineffective leadership situation, the leader is a pushover whose leadership style is abdication and fraud. Human Resource Leaders believe in people and communicate that belief; they are visible and accessible; they empower, increase participation, support, share information, and move decision making down into the organization. Political Framework In an effective leadership situation, the leader is an advocate, whose leadership style is coalition-building. In an ineffective leadership situation, the leader is a hustler whose leadership style is manipulation. Political Leaders clarify what they want and what they can get; they assess the distribution of power and interests; they build linkages to other stakeholders, use persuasion first, and then use negotiation and coercion only if necessary. Symbolic Framework In an effective leadership situation, the leader is a prophet, whose leadership style is inspiration. In an ineffective leadership situation, the leader is a fanatic or fool, whose leadership style is smoke and mirrors (tricks). Symbolic Leaders view organizations as a stage or theater to play certain roles and give impressions; these leaders use symbols to capture attention; they try to frame experience by providing plausible interpretations of experiences; they discover and communicate a vision. POP QUIZ: SHOULD YOU LIMIT YOURSELF TO ONE STYLE OF LEADERSHIP? Managerial Grid The Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid uses two axes: 1. "Concern for people" is plotted using the vertical axis 2. "Concern for task" is along the horizontal axis. 12
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  They both havea range of 0 to 9. These two dimensions can be drawn as a graph or grid: High 9 Country Club Team Leader 8 7 P 6 E O 5 P L 4 E 3 2 1 Impoverished Authoritarian 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Low High TASK Most people fall somewhere near the middle of the two axes. But, by going to the far end of the scales, we come up with four types of leaders: • Authoritarian (9 on task, 1 on people) • Team Leader (9 on task, 9 on people) • Country Club (1 on task, 9 on people) • Impoverished (1 on task, 1 on people). Authoritarian Leader (high task, low relationship) Leaders who get this rating are very task oriented and are hard on their people (autocratic). They don’t care about cooperation or collaboration. Heavily task oriented people display these characteristics: they are very strong on schedules; they expect people to do what they are told without question or debate; when something goes wrong they tend to focus on who is to blame rather than concentrate on exactly what is wrong and how to prevent it; they are intolerant of what they see as dissent (it may just be someone's creativity), so it is difficult for their subordinates to contribute or develop. Team Leader (high task, high relationship) This type of person leads by positive example and endeavors to foster a team environment in which all team members can reach their highest potential, both as team members and as 13
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  people. They encouragethe team to reach team goals as effectively as possible, while also working tirelessly to strengthen the bonds among the various members. They normally form and lead some of the most productive teams. Country Club Leader (low task, high relationship) This person uses predominantly reward power to maintain discipline and to encourage the team to accomplish its goals. Conversely, they are almost incapable of employing the more punitive coercive and legitimate powers. This inability results from fear that using such powers could jeopardize relationships with the other team members. Impoverished Leader (low task, low relationship) A leader who uses a "delegate and disappear" management style. Since they are not committed to either task accomplishment or maintenance; they essentially allow their team to do whatever it wishes and prefer to detach themselves from the team process by allowing the team to suffer from a series of power struggles. The most desirable place for a leader to be along the two axes at most times would be a 9 on task and a 9 on people -- the Team Leader. However, do not entirely dismiss the other three. Certain situations might call for one of the other three to be used at times. For example, by playing the Impoverished Leader, you allow your team to gain self-reliance. Be an Authoritarian Leader to instill a sense of discipline in an unmotivated worker. By carefully studying the situation and the forces affecting it, you will know at what points along the axis you need to be in order to achieve the desired result. The Process of Great Leadership The road to great leadership that is common to successful leaders: • Challenge the process - First, find a process that you believe needs to be improved the most. • Inspire a shared vision - Next, share your vision in words that can be understood by your followers. • Enable others to act - Give them the tools and methods to solve the problem. • Model the way - When the process gets tough, get your hands dirty. A boss tells others what to do...a leader shows that it can be done. • Encourage the heart - Share the glory with your followers' heart, while keeping the pains within your own. Acknowledgments: Bass, Bernard (1990). From transactional to transformational leadership: learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 18, Issue 3, Winter, 1990, 19-31. 14
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  Blake, Robert R.and Mouton, Janse S. (1985). The Managerial Grid III: The Key to Leadership Excellence. Houston: Gulf Publishing Co. Bolman, L. and Deal, T. (1991). Reframing Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Kouzes, James M. & Posner, Barry Z. (1987). The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. U.S. Army Handbook (1973). Military Leadership. 15