What are some ways to develop strategic leadership skills as a new manager?

Every leader must start with a big picture vision. Revise it. Keep it flexible. Then, share it with your colleagues. Let them critique it. A strategic vision should not be one and done. It is constantly evolving, just like you.

Developing strategic leadership skills as a new manager involves a combination of learning, self-awareness, and practical experience. Align your departmental objectives with the broader strategic direction, ensuring your efforts contribute to the overall success of the organization. Seek mentorship from experienced leaders within or outside your organization to gain insights into strategic decision-making. Actively engage with industry trends, emerging technologies, and market dynamics to anticipate challenges and opportunities. Foster a culture of innovation within your team, encouraging them to contribute ideas and solutions. Develop strong analytical skills to assess data and make informed decisions that align with organizational goals.

Further Strategic leadership involves guiding an organization toward its long-term goals by aligning vision, mission, and resources. It requires foresight, adaptability, and the ability to make decisions that shape the organization's future success. Can be achieve with simplify process and creating trust and happiness around people with learning atmosphere , the key to success is 3 things - communication , capability building and creating commitment among employees .

Strategic Vision should have a strong fact check before it's shot to act upon... Fact check will have all the answer and touch point to overcome possible hurdles. Realistic or Disruptive strategy succes then depends on how convinced the team who is going to contribute and live it every moment...

Strategic leader should be like grand master of chess should be able to think at least 10-12 steps ahead of the opponent, entire landscape of competition has changed, he should know point of maximum leverage and think beyond capital and labour.

Any successful leader in my opinion, has to know where they're taking their team/company i.e. the destination. Sometimes a vision statement guides this but on a day to day tactical level, analyzing deeply, leaving no stone unturned, immersing into the what-why-how, and getting to the root cause of what's working well/not working well, refines the leader's skills and develops a stronger sense of ownership and accountability. And once someone builds these two traits, they can be unbeatable resources to the company.

O pensamento crítico é vital para a liderança estratégica. Em minha jornada, aprendi com o livro "Líderes se Servem por Último" de Simon Sinek que questionar, buscar feedback e desafiar perspectivas são fundamentais. Evitar vieses e aprender com erros são práticas essenciais para tomar decisões informadas e alcançar objetivos estratégicos. O pensamento crítico não só aprimora a tomada de decisões, mas também fortalece a resiliência diante de desafios estratégicos.

To qualify the critical thinking further, I would add two more characteristics. 1. It should be in Time and Space. That is the basis for thinking big. 2. It should be ideally blue sky thinking without starting with constraints. That allows to visualize the desired state and may provide various paths to realize

Strategic leadership needs the ability to see the situations through neutral lens and deliberately practicing critical thinking to generate and evaluate options to achieve goals and ultimately vision.

To develop critical thinking, bring together curiosity and experience. A job rotation, a cross-functional project, and exposure to thought leaders are all ways of gathering a broader set of experiences that hone your strategic thinking. Curiosity helps not only to develop critical thinking but also to demonstrate it. A curiosity mindset can help with the courage needed to challenge others’ thinking—from a lens of curiosity you can do so more productively. It also indicates proactivity—and “being more strategic” is often synonymous with “being more proactive” when it comes to talent. Use a variety of lenses to get to the complete picture. Details are important for nuance & context. Big-picture perspective is key for meaning & impact.

Chen (2011) constatou, por meio de seu estudo sobre forças motivadoras e desmotivadoras em equipes, como resultado da pesquisa, que membros com senso coletivo tendem a ser mais motivados e que as descobertas desta pesquisa indicam que os líderes precisam ter uma compreensão sólida da dinâmica de relacionamento interpessoal de suas equipes para garantir que seus esforços para motivar seus membros não serão anulados por eventual dinâmica disfuncional da equipe.

Most new leaders fail as they couldn't adapt to the situation... Adaptability is one of the core component to improve your strategical skill...Change is inevitable...In the growing organization, where there is lot of change right for org change to technology ,new leaders should see what is tat he/she can adapt similarly making his team to adapt using workshops, collaboration and brainstorming technique to strategically reach the goal where they want to reach..

The most crucial skill of 2024 is flexibility - how are you adopting your new ways of working, to new teams to new geographic to no team at all and working with just programs. This is where the need to adapt kicks in, that too fast. The leader has to take his team along with him in this journey continuously learning, coaching and smiling. Ready to restart if you couldn’t adapt at first phase.

Muestra entusiasmo, confianza y apoyo para motivar y empoderar a tus compañeros de trabajo. Debes inspirar a tu equipo. Fomenta la cultura de la innovación y creatividad, procura la diversidad y que tu equipo pueda pensar fuera de la caja. Recuerda también que los fracasos, son una fuente de aprendizaje y una oportunidad de mejora. Es importante desarrollar la inteligencia emocional de tu equipo y su resiliencia.

Adaptability is a vital trait for strategic leadership. Being flexible, open-minded, and resilient enables leaders to navigate through uncertainties and capitalize on emerging opportunities. Embracing change, valuing diversity, and cultivating a learning mindset contribute to effective adaptability. Managing emotions and stress during dynamic situations further enhances a leader's ability to respond thoughtfully and decisively to challenges and innovations.

Personally, I have found one of the most effective tools in collaboration is active listening. We have a value in our organization that we leave "intentionally blank", knowing that we don't always have all the answers and we need to keep an open mind and hear the voices of the team at all levels. "The best ideas come from wherever they come from" as we often repeat. This is part of true collaboration. In order to actually leverage skills, work with others, and build trust; you have to begin by being an active listener to those around you.

Collaboration is a cornerstone of strategic leadership. Working effectively with others, leveraging diverse strengths, and fostering a culture of trust are essential for achieving shared goals. Active listening, clear communication, delegation, and recognition are key components that enhance collaboration skills. By embracing these aspects, leaders can create synergies, add value, and cultivate a positive and productive working environment.

Comment améliorer concrètement sa capacité à collaborer ? En comprenant mieux la "carte mentale" de ses interlocuteurs ? Comment mieux la comprendre ? En la visualisant notamment par des techniques de visualisation comme le Mind Mapping. Mais le plus important est de co-construire visuellement une carte mentale commune sur chaque sujet autour duquel vous devez collaborer. Je vous conseille de vous intéresser entre autre au Mind mapping collaboratif, à la prise de note collabroative en live, aux tableaux blancs collaboratifs ... à tout outil collaboratif avant tout visuel !

A new manager should be able to collaborate effectively with others, both within and outside their organization. They should be able to build trust, rapport, and mutual respect, and leverage the diverse skills, talents, and experiences of their team members. They should also be able to communicate clearly, listen actively, and give and receive feedback. They should also be able to negotiate, resolve conflicts, and manage expectations. For example, Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo, collaborated effectively with various stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers, investors, governments, NGOs, and communities, to create shared value and positive impact.

Emphasizing collaboration as a key skill for strategic leadership resonates deeply with me. In my experience, the ability to harness collective strengths, foster open communication, and empower team members leads to not just achieving goals but creating a positive and enriching work environment. It's a reminder that true success is a shared journey, and by actively listening, respecting diverse perspectives, and recognizing contributions, we build a foundation for lasting achievements and a thriving team culture.

Developing others is the most important part of leadership skills. Many leaders are afraid of grooming subordinates with a fear that they may take their position. Instead, I feel that developing your next level is extremely important to free yourself to skill-up and take an additional responsibility to move up the chain. Continuous feedback and continuous learning is now a norm rather than option!!!

Developing strategic skills are critical to lead the business and teams. Leading the business strategically can be a very well defined process 1. Define the strategic vision for 3 to 5 years and revisit each other or frequency necessary for your industry 2. Define and reframe your challenges like profitable growth , customer acquisition 3. Develop strategic options and define the boundary conditions 4. Create execution plan for the chosen strategic option 5. Execute as per the plan Developing these skills in self and your team is critical . These can be through annual operating plan and then through quarterly business reviews to measure the progress and / or adjust the strategy

Learn the business first, have a deep understanding of the organizational goals, values and strategy. Understanding and knowing how to adapt to the culture is also crucial. Have your business sense at play. This shall aid you in honing your decision-making skills by being able to weigh the risks, consider alternatives and anticipate potential concerns and issues. Always seek mentorship. Learn from the experiences and insights of the seasoned leaders in your organization.

Continuous development is integral to strategic leadership. Cultivating one's skills and fostering the growth of the team are key elements in enhancing performance and preparing for future challenges. Setting clear and SMART goals, engaging in feedback and coaching, addressing gaps, and recognizing achievements contribute to a culture of ongoing learning and improvement. This not only benefits the individual leader but also aligns with the long-term success of the organization.

In my experience, developing others is a crucial leadership skill for new managers. It involves providing guidance, offering constructive feedback, and creating opportunities for growth within the team. New managers can foster development by setting clear expectations, providing support, and recognizing individual strengths to help team members reach their full potential.

To cultivate strategic leadership skills as a new manager, prioritize authenticity by embracing yourself. Foster transparency in your communication, ensuring clarity about your objectives and goals. Take ownership of your decisions and actions, demonstrating accountability. These qualities not only build trust and credibility but also form the foundation for effective strategic leadership, setting the stage for your growth as a manager.

Leadership is more than just a "title" and telling others what to do, but about learning to channel the energy and potential of your team for shared goals that move the organization forward. The reward from achieving a shared objective is often so much more fulfilling then any title can ever convey.

As a manager, it’s your job to provide your staff with what they need to excel – even when they’re underperforming. By aligning your employees personal interests with the needs of your organization, you boost their motivation. Work is about creativity,collaboration and engagement – the exact opposite of classical management strategies. So, instead of strict schedules and hierarchies, employees need autonomy and flexibility. Care for your employees and you’ll be amazed by the payoff. You can also excel by focusing on getting great outcomes from your team meetings, your hiring decisions and your team itself. Accountability gets results !

I’ve found that clearly understanding the “why” can be the key to forward focused planning and strategy, followed by the “what”, the “how”, and the “who”…but I’m a Whole Brain person. (see Herrmann Whole Brain)

I’ve found that clearly understanding the “why” can be the key to forward focused planning and strategy, followed by the “what”, the “how”, and the “who”…but I’m a Whole Brain person. (see Herrmann Whole Brain)