# Strategic Leadership

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR6fzGvaLSs

[00:08] Strategic leaders are responsible for knowing the organization's environment.
[00:12] Knowing the organization's environment, considering what it might be like in five or ten years and setting a direction for the future that everyone can believe in.
[00:17] Strategic leadership means the ability to anticipate and envision the future, maintain flexibility, think strategically and work with others to initiate changes that will create a competitive advantage for the organization in the future.
[00:37] Leaders not only tap into dreams for the future to make a real difference, they link those dreams with strategic actions.
[00:45] Four types of leaders are described based on their attention to vision and attention to action.
[00:52] The uninvolved, the doer, the dreamer and the effective leader.
[00:54] Let's take a look.
[00:59] The leader who's low in both providing vision and stimulating action.
[01:01] providing vision and stimulating action is uninvolved not really a leader at all.
[01:05] is uninvolved not really a leader at all the leader whose all action and little vision is a doer.
[01:08] he or she may be a hard worker and dedicated to the job and organization but the doer is working blind.
[01:11] the dreamer on the other hand is good at providing the big idea with meaning for self and others.
[01:19] this leader may effectively inspire others with a vision yet he or she is weak on executing strategic action.
[01:21] the vision in this case is only a dream of fantasy because it has little chance of ever becoming reality.
[01:30] to be an effective leader one both dreams big and transforms those dreams into a significant strategic action.
[01:32] either through one's own activities or by hiring other leaders who can effectively execute the vision in the strategy.
[01:34] there are four levels that make up the domain of strategic leadership vision mission strategy in action at the top level is a
[02:03] strategy in action at the top level is a clear compelling vision of where the organization wants to be in five or ten years.
[02:07] a vision is an aspiration for the future.
[02:10] the vision works in concert with the organization's mission, its core values, purpose and reason for existence.
[02:16] mission answers the question who are we is this organization?
[02:22] the next level strategy response to the question how do we achieve the vision?
[02:31] strategy provides direction for translating the vision into action and is the basis for the development of specific mechanisms to help the organization achieve goals.
[02:41] action specifies what do we do right now?
[02:44] strategies are intentions whereas actions make things happen.
[02:50] strategic leadership doesn't come naturally but leaders can develop the necessary skills for thinking strategically and navigating uncertainty.
[03:00] leaders should anticipate threats and opportunities.
[03:02] effective leaders are
[03:04] Opportunities effective leaders are continuously scanning the environment.
[03:06] Continuously scanning the environment, leaders talk to people, research, and so forth so they don't miss important signs of change that could help or hurt the organization.
[03:17] Strategic leaders challenge the status quo.
[03:19] Strategic thinkers question their own and others' assumptions about mental models and how the world works.
[03:25] They examine problems or opportunities from many perspectives.
[03:30] Strategic leaders interpret trends.
[03:32] Strategic leaders interpret trends.
[03:34] Leaders look for patterns in what they see and hear and seek new insights rather than accepting an easy answer.
[03:40] Finally, strategic leaders achieve alignment.
[03:42] Strategic leaders achieve alignment.
[03:45] Leaders have great buy-in among employees and other stakeholders who may have different, even conflicting views and interests to achieve the vision.
[03:50] Everyone must be aligned in the same direction to improve strategic leadership.
[03:56] Leaders can identify weak points in these skills and work towards correcting them.