The authors created this book for 'ordinary mortals' rather than creative entrepreneurs or born leaders - and recognises that nobody is blessed with the gift of prophecy, especially in times of fast change and commercial pressure.
Strategic thinking, they say, helps to develop a market-led conversational style of leadership that is particularly well suited to getting things done in uncertain times.
The three phases of strategic thinking
- Escape the Past - this will enable you to create usable knowledge through:
- gathering strategic intelligence
- assessing strategic capability
- creating strategic knowledge
- Form Present Ideas - this will enable you to direct present action through asking:
- what do we think will happen?
- what do we want to happen?
- what creative changes might we make?
- Rethink the Future - this will enable you to improve future performance through:
- taking strategic decisions
- formulating market-led strategy
- implementing strategic change
The leadership style of strategic thinkers
A distinguishing characteristic of those who think and lead strategically is that they are better able than others at creating and communicating intent and direction. To a strategic leader the direction is always clear, even when the destination is not. The destination or vision may be so grand as to be currently out of reach or out of sight. So the leader has to inspire trust in their judgement that the journey towards it will be worthwhile.
Brain-based communication of strategic leaders
When communicating to a group of people, neuroscience informs us that leaders can only assume a maximum of just twenty minutes' attention - and the retention of only 3 key units of information. So strategic leaders repeat these three important messages in as many different ways as possible in a short time, always associating thoughts with a positive feeling that has meaning for their audience.
The direction of an effective strategic leader's communication tends to be from the past (via a story or experience); via the present (in the form of an idea or opinion); towards the future (through a plan or action).
"The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become.Ben Herbster