Invite Dissent To Build Others’ Commitment

Strategic thinkers advance their careers by being better leaders. Not all great thinkers are great leaders, but the ones who are leadership material are likely better leaders than those who fail to think strategically.

Strategic leaders go beyond the role of having and communicating a vision to fully understanding, planning and executing the necessary strategies to realize it. They make better decisions as they have a more holistic view that includes the organization and the people inside and outside it.

Strategic thinkers demonstrate organizational value by creating more strategic thinkers. Developing a culture that considers strategy and doesn’t lose sight of the value that needs to be delivered greatly increases the capabilities of a company. Strategic thinkers are the ones in the organization who ponder and prompt questions that are designed to create even more strategic thinkers.

A survey of 122 senior executives from a variety of industries agreed that outside engagements were critical to leadership success now and in the future.

Meaningful engagement should be in activities that expose you to different people, information, and cultures, but is synergistic with your personal interests and your current or future primary work. Think of yourself as having a portfolio where your job is in the middle, the outside activities surround and complement it, and you use what you've learned to advance each sphere.

Although executives face a high demand on their time, private and public sector leaders believe that you can find the time if you make it a priority. (Although you may have to give up some nights or weekends.) Make sure you deliver in your job and for your family, then take on additional responsibilities.

Try to spend 10% to 20% on these "extracurricular" activities. The amount needn't be consistent every week or month.

Organizations don’t change. People change. Many companies move to change systems and structures and create new policies and processes but fail to address the underlying mind-sets and capabilities of the people who will execute it.

A new strategy will fall short of its potential if they fail to address the mental attitude because people on the ground tend to continue to behave as they did before.

Companies that only look outward in the process of organizational change, and dismiss individual learning and adaptation make two common mistakes:

• They focus solely on business outcomes and fail to appreciate that people will have to adapt to implement it.
• They focus too much on developing skills. 

Regression as a phenomenon comes from developmental psychology and relates to how people go back to a less mature stage when faced with pressure.

It is the most dangerous phase for teams, but it cannot be skipped.

• Identify how deep you and your team are into the regression phase.
• Disrupt the team and create a new “day one.”
• Learn how to adjust your team’s emotions. Maintain an environment where it is safe to be honest about their state of mind.
• Aim beyond business as usual, prepare to face and anticipate the future in order to provide the most value.

"Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude."

1. Vision: they use a mix of logic and creativity to define ambitious but rigorous visions of what needs to be achieved. 
2. Framework: taking into account their own biases, timeline and resources, they can define their objectives and develop multiple action plans.
3. Perceptiveness: they observe and understand the world from all the different perspectives. 
4. Assertiveness: They’re good at evaluating, deciding and promptly executing their decisions without letting doubts fog their vision. 
5. Flexibility: they seek advice to compensate for their weaknesses and then twist their ideas and framework to achieve their goals. But they are flexible without breaking the rules. 
6. Emotional Balance: they are aware and balance their emotions so as to favor the achievement of their goals. 
7. Patience: they understand that most achievements are a long-term endeavor involving various milestones and a lot of effort. 

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” - Zen Master Shunryu Suzuk

• Appoint an executive sponsor to work with a project lead to frame important decisions for senior leaders to weigh in on;
• Break things down (with decision meetings at each stage), and connect them up.
• Focuses on debating the solution (instead of endlessly elaborating the problem) and gather the right people.
• Move faster without losing commitment: get comfortable living with imperfect data and being clear about what “good enough” looks like.

• Identify decisions that involve a cross-cutting group of leaders, and work with the stakeholders of each to agree on what the main steps in the process entail.
• Work through a set of real-life scenarios to pressure-test the system in collaboration with the people who will be running the process.
• Limit the number of decision-making bodies, and clarify for each its mandate, standing membership, roles etc.
• Create shared objectives, metrics, and collaboration targets.