The Art of Effective Strategic Leadership - Essay Example

? Strategy Insight: what one has learned about the art of effective strategic leadership Part Harvard Business Review Article It is nevertheless, a challenging task to take strategic decisions which help a firm achieve favorable results in time. In order to obtain this purpose, it is important to have the right vision in the mind. The vision should be clear in the mind of the leaders so that they can adopt an effective strategic approach. The challenges in selecting the strategy which works best to get a task done are not new in the realm of business organizations. Each day, the managers are occupied in finding best ways to accomplish their goals. Over the course of studies, we analyzed few case studies about strategic management. These cases along with real life experiences helped the students learn key lessons about strategic leadership. In some cases, it was seen that the management failed to take right decisions on time. The failure to take effective steps within time resulted in catastrophes of various sorts. However, some leaders were able to take hold of the situation accurately and thus became effective strategic leaders. It was found that the leaders who were complying with the rules of strategic leadership used some key strategies. These strategies have been summed up in three key lessons of strategic leadership. The three key lessons are: (1) making realistic decisions, (2) becoming flexible, and, (3) keeping long-term goals in mind. Effective Strategic Leadership- Key Lessons The leaders everywhere face a situation in which they lose their cool and tend to take wrong decisions. The following key lessons would help them learn the basic strategies for taking accurate decisions. Key Lesson 1: Making Realistic Decisions Always look for realistic approaches in dealing with the situation you face. Do not follow idealistic assumptions which appear futile in the face of reality. At times, the leaders tend to look for making idealistic changes in the situation. It is good as far as you are in control of the situation. However, you will need to adopt a practical approach which fits the certain situation to tackle it completely. In the case of the launching of Challenger, the spaceship, the managers were aware of the critical situation they were in. Some of them knew that it could blow up in view of the incompatible temperature surrounded by it at that time. However, the decisions were made in haste not realizing the risk the action involved. They were trying to fulfill the people’s expectations and did not take a realistic approach which resulted in the catastrophe. An example of the realistic approach can be seen in Madonna’s case who managed her business career successfully. She did not hold idealistic assumptions and switched roles keeping in view the need of the hour. She had put her own interests aside and met the demands of the time in order to reach to the top of her music career. Key Lesson 2: Becoming Flexible Never try to seem rigid in taking important strategic decisions which involve your opponents. Be flexible in your approach to attain your goals. In some cases, the managers are inclined to get angry on their clients’ demands. They have the responsibility to ensure the organization obtains its goals efficiently. They might adopt a rigid approach to respond to the aggressive demands of the other party. However, it might result in the ending of deal which could have successfully accomplished by being flexible. The disaster of the Challenger could be avoided if the management was appreciative of the engineers’ concern about the risk in the launching of this spaceship. However, it was overlooked and rigidity was shown in not stopping the launch till the technical problems got sorted out. After the disaster, NASA took immediate action and researched for two long years to stop the probability of such event in future. The case study of Madonna highlights the approach of flexibility in the life of this queen of pop. She had become a saint, an erotic, a rebel and adopted many other roles in her business career to gain attention of masses. She tried all the possibilities to mold her image according to the preferences of the people. It ultimately, led to her marvelous success in the music industry. Key Lesson 3: Keeping long-term goals in mind Have a clear long-term vision in your mind while undertaking any important business step. Try not to get distracted from short-term incentives and goals which do not promise the long-term success. The business leaders often encounter the situations in which they are tempted to take immediate steps. They steps are often made in a hurry which do not consider the attainment of the long-term objectives. It is better to consider the long-term goals while making any decision, however immediate it may be. The management of Carrefour experienced continuous losses for few years and could not stand up to the market competition. They did not have a clear long-term vision which resulted in constant failures. However, in the case of Classic Cabinets, the management took a strategic decision in time to help the company grow. They had a good understanding of their environment and took right decision keeping in view their long-term goals. Part 2: Academic Critical Reflection Strategic leadership is the process of organizing the activities within an organization in a way to bring effective results. The managers require strategic skills and the knowledge of the strategic leadership to help the firm get desired outcomes. It is a process which needs a careful analysis of the internal and external environment. The direction of the goals within a firm can be managed effectively if the leaders are equipped with the strategic leadership skills. Quong & Walker (2010) consider strategic leadership a combination of the two components; strategy and leadership. They define strategic leadership as putting a vision into action. Davies & Davies (2010) argue that in the past the scope of strategic leadership was limited. Only the top management was considered responsible for taking strategic decisions. The decision-making process was complex because all the major decisions came from the upper management toward the employees. The key lessons of strategic leadership have been listed in the first part of the paper. These lessons when contrasted and compared with Lynch (2009) presented following results. The key lessons described in the paper were three in number which required adopting a realistic, flexible and long-term oriented approach. However, Lynch (2009) described five main elements which form an effective strategic leadership. He stressed the need to develop a good communication level in the organization. He also identified the need to be fully conscious of the purpose and goals of the organization. Not only, he emphasized the accurate understanding of the firm’s objectives by the managers, but the entire workforce also required such information. Lynch (2009) discussed the importance of managing the human resources in the best possible manner. He understood the value of developing ethical standards for the organization which could fulfill social objectives. He considered in highly necessary to adopt an attitude which could deal with the worst pressures and did not submit to the stresses. Finally, he suggested that the companies could become valuable only if they attempted to gain competitive edge over others. The elements described above are somewhat similar to some of the key lessons suggested in the first part of the paper. The need to become flexible and adopting a realistic approach is essential in making critical decisions. It can help the firm gain competitive edge as well as winning the negotiations with the third party. By having a long term strategy in one’s mind, the leader can respond to the situation at hand in an effective manner. It is difficult to imagine the success of an organization simply by taking hasty step which go nowhere. These key lessons are somewhat similar with the elements explained by Lynch in his book ‘Strategic Management’. However, the consideration of ethics and developing a good communication level were missing in these key lessons. References Challenger, go for launch 2009 (video recording), BBC News. Available from: . [10 March 2012]. Davies, B, & Davies, B 2010, 'The Nature and Dimensions of Strategic Leadership', International Studies In Educational Administration (Commonwealth Council For Educational Administration & Management (CCEAM)), 38, 1, pp. 5-21, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 10 March 2012. Johnson, P n.d, ‘Madonna: the reigning queen of pop?’, Business Strategy, pp. 226-228. Lynch, R 2009, Strategic Management, 5thed, Pearson, Canada. Pp. 618-620. Quong, T, & Walker, A 2010, 'Seven Principles of Strategic Leadership', International Studies In Educational Administration (Commonwealth Council For Educational Administration & Management (CCEAM)), 38, 1, pp. 22-34, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 10 March 2012. Weiss, J, Donigian, A & Hughes, J 2010, ‘Extreme Negotiations’ Harvard Business Review, November, pp. 66-75. Read More