The "8% Club"

Leaders,

An interesting article here from HBR, “Only 8% of Leaders are Good at Strategy and Execution.”  Their survey, and subsequent research, identified 5 Acts that “help companies close the strategy-to-execution gap.”  As the article suggests, think of these 5 Acts as “a chance to create an engine of growth for you personally and for the company (with my editorial comments for your consideration):”

·        Commit to an Identity.  All of our leadership programs begin with some effort to know yourself.  As the adage goes, the first person you must be able to lead…is YOU!  We use a powerful assessment tool (Energize2Lead) to help leaders understand their wiring.  Rather than change it…own it!  We then work with leaders to write their personal leadership philosophy.  You are who you are.  Be that person – consistently.  Ask your team to hold you accountable when your actions do not match your words.  Be yourself (if you’ve read my book, you’ll know that is the first tenet of my own leadership philosophy!).

·        Translate the Strategic into the Every Day.  I like the perspective in the article that leaders need two kinds of perspectives – nearsighted and farsighted.  In “Leader Business,” I wrote about a military leader’s eyes while driving down a highway in Iraq, on the lookout for IEDs.  Their vision goes from looking far out (How does the road look ahead?) to right under the tires (Any telling signs of trouble along the shoulders, movement of dirt, etc.?).  Back & forth; near and far.  Yes, the higher up you go, the more time you spend with the far out (strategic).  But, you must be able to switch back to the tactical regularly, “get your hands into the mud,” and make sure nothing blows up under the tires.  But, make sure it is not at the expense of growing others, empowering them to do their jobs, and such that you only do the tactical and not the strategic!  Try driving and only look immediately in front of your vehicle.  You won’t make it far!

·        Put your Culture to Work.  I recently heard Jim Collins (Good to Great) describe culture as the sum of (1) The People Decisions you Make (hiring, firing, promotions, etc.) and (2) The Behavior of Leaders in Key Positions.  What are you role modelling for your organization to demonstrate your culture?  As the article suggests, you can’t do this from your office (or by email).  You need to be seen and heard.  That is your culture!

·        Cut Costs to Grow Stronger.  No resource is more important to you and your team than your personal time and attention.  Allocating enough to both strategy and execution, every day, will put you in what appears to be elite company.  Just look at the week ahead.  My guess is you’ve got plenty of activities planned for influencing execution (project reviews, metrics, meetings, etc.)  What about the bigger picture?  Where will you influence the strategic thinking of your organization?  Be deliberate about both.

·        Shape the Future.  This one is huge.  Leaders must seek ways to “build an extremely capable team, knowing that ultimately the future will depend on developing the next generation of leaders.”  What are you doing to grow your leaders – this week?  Challenge them, push them, grow them.  Look at what you have budgeted for leadership development at all tiers of your organization. 

It goes without saying that I am here to help with all of these “Acts,” especially the last one.  I want to help you and your leaders be a part of that apparently very elite club – the 8%!!  Let me know how I can help!  That's Leader Business! 

Leading in the Fog of War

Can you imagine anything more disconcerting than driving at 100 mph in a thick fog – with the radio blaring, cell phone ringing, and the kids in the back seat asking, “Are we there yet?” Yet, isn’t that what it is like operating in business today? The fog is thick, the pace is rapid, and the distractions are constant. Where can business leaders find solutions to be able to navigate through this chaos and produce results in this very uncomfortable environment?

Perhaps our military leaders can offer some ideas. If there is anything that today’s military leaders are comfortable with it is in being…uncomfortable. In places like Afghanistan (and Iraq before it), spans of control are so broad, geographic distances are so immense, and challenges so diverse that leaders cannot possibly be everywhere or know everything that is happening. The fog of war is an almost constant companion to our military heroes. VUCA – Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity – is the new normal.

Much of what we thought about organizational management is grounded in the “Command & Control” world, a paradigm that just doesn’t fit in today’s VUCA scenario. Places like Afghanistan are causing us to think differently about some aspects of leadership. Decision cycles are too compressed to fit within the top-down Military Decision Making Process (MDMP). Things that were accepted norms like, “No more than 5-7 direct reports” are not necessarily true. Even leadership teachings about things like planning, risk, or scope of responsibility are being re-thought in light of what we are learning downrange.

Places like Afghanistan and Iraq have been humbling to those leaders who were fixated on the “good old days” and could not function in this uncomfortable environment. Those who have succeeded have been those who recognize the things that are changing and, more importantly, those that remain constant. It is the latter that creates the beacon for those who may be lost in the fog, the solid foundation for those for whom chaos is a constant companion.

So, with battlefields as confusing as they are, with leadership as we thought we knew it in evolution, how do leaders provide clarity of purpose and thought and drive appropriate actions? What follows are some of the enduring responsibilities for leaders, in any setting, to help make sense of the chaos and to enable the success of those they lead. These are the bedrock elements that give today’s leaders comfort, despite how uncomfortable the situation may be. They give a leader presence, even though not physically present, and drive the behaviors, decisions, and actions of the team – aligned in task and purpose.

-- Values. What is important to us and why? Leaders must ensure that the organization’s values are clear and reinforced at every opportunity. More than just a poster in the hallway, the values must truly motivate behavior and help define black versus white in a world full of gray.

-- Vision. Where are we going? What is our shared view of the end state, purpose, and key tasks that will keep us on track? Vision inspires people to want to do more, especially when times are tough, because they believe in the purpose and have bought into the organizational direction.

-- Strategy. How do all of our actions align to get us out of this chaos and into calmer waters? Strategy adds specificity to the vision and connects short-, intermediate-, and long-term goals and objectives. Strategy looks not just at how to execute the mission but also how to improve the organization (people, systems, processes, etc.) for sustainable success.

-- Intent. Intent conveys to teammates guidance and direction, without actually being there. It communicates the desires of the leader, such that people can answer – for themselves – what would my boss want me to do if he/she was here? The leader’s intent is the pathway through which people exercise initiative and take action, without being told, because they know what is required and why. The how is up to them.

-- Information. What are the big picture and the context in which we execute? Nothing enables execution and the exercise of judgment, consistent with the leader’s intent, like being informed. Leaders over-communicate to ensure that the vision sounds like a “drumbeat” in people’s heads, keeping them in step and marching toward victory. No more stovepipe communication that filters out all but what subordinate leaders think people need to know. Experienced leaders ensure that everyone has the full story and can take advantage of opportunities, learn from the challenges of others, and make decisions that align with the big picture.

-- Alignment. How do we ensure consistency with regard to our actions, priorities, and resources? Leaders spend much of their time – in meetings or just walking around (we call it battlefield circulation) -- checking and adjusting the alignment of the organization, ensuring the connection of individual actions with the overall team goals. The role of the leader as “Chief Alignment Officer” is among the most significant of the leader’s many responsibilities.

Be sure, the chaos that defines our overseas operations can be just as prevalent and equally challenging to business leaders. Change is constant, decisions are made much closer to the problem, organizations are flatter, and people are empowered to measure and manage risks and take bold action like never before. Twenty-first century business leaders, like their counterparts in the military, either learn to similarly operate in this VUCA environment by putting their time and energy into the elements above, or risk becoming bureaucratic, over budget, locked in the past, and teetering on irrelevancy! They do this by learning to be comfortable being uncomfortable, turning on the “beacon” for their “troops” as they navigate through the “fog.”

I originally wrote and published this article on the Thayer Leader Development website. 
“Leading in Chaos” is one of many hot seminar topics I do through the Thayer Leader Development Group. Contact TLDG to see how we can use these principles to help steer your company through the “fog of war.”  That's Leader Business!

Strategery Part I -- Setting the Conditions

While I love tactics, the drive to achieve, battling it out in the arena, I know there is much more to being a leader. Someone on the team has to look over the horizon, anticipate issues, see possible new opportunities, and take the lead in charting the course to the future. That, as our former President once coined, is "Strategery."

Strategery (okay...before you think that I believe that is really a word...I know some of you may know it as strategy) is the sort of longer term, disciplined planning that we cannot discount simply because we are wrapped up in the heat of battle. While strategery is not the exclusive domain of the leader, in fact we need strategic thinkers within our ranks to help push the team to greatness, no leader or team can achieve sustained excellence without it.

We can easily be consumed with short term thinking here in Afghanistan. We certainly have enough to do just executing the work in front of us. To many, life here is a day to day existence. Some just want to come and go. But to be this short-sighted is a recipe for failure. We've got to evolve, incorporate new ideas and lessons learned, and keep improving. We have to build capacity, build for the future. We cannot rest on our past accomplishments nor operate as if we can't get better. We can do all of this...and we must...if we want to achieve our overall purpose here.

So for my team, it's time to roll up our sleeves and envision the future. This strategic, long-range thinking is strategery. I plan to dedicate about 3 days in the weeks ahead to gather with my senior leaders to put together our road-map for the way ahead. As such, I wanted to share some thoughts on this page (and get some of yours) about how to set the conditions for such a planning session.

Before preparing a plan in the military, we conduct what we call -- Mission Analysis. This is a detailed examination of one's current position that enables productive thinking about the future. In simple terms we need to see ourselves, see the enemy, and see the terrain. Some of you may know it as SWOT. Same thing. Strengths and Weaknesses enable us to see ourselves, Opportunities are the terrain around and in front of us, and threats are the enemy. Many of you have been doing mission analysis without knowing it!

Here are the tools we are gathering as part of our Mission Analysis in addition to conducting a detailed SWOT assessment of our organization:

-- Customer surveys. We need to know what we are doing well...and not so well.
-- Workforce surveys. What do our employees say and what is important to them?
-- Internal After Action Reviews. We have been doing our AARs at all levels of the organization since we ended our Fiscal Year -- looking for things we can sustain and, more importantly, improve.
-- Analysis of the strategic plan of our higher headquarters 1 and 2 levels above us. We are looking for specified tasks (what are we TOLD to do) and implied tasks (what SHOULD we do to accomplish our mission...even if not explicitly stated) that must be addressed in our plan.
-- Assessment of our old strategic plan. What should we keep? What have we accomplished?
-- Analysis of our current mission. What is our workload, budget, personnel situation, etc? What do we need to do to be competitive? What opportunities do we see coming down the road? What needs fixing?

So...we are gathering the tools now. This is the "condition setting" phase of strategery. We're not ready yet to start putting our plans together. But we certainly are getting an idea of what we need to do. These ideas will start to coalesce into groups the more we analyze different areas of our team and our mission. These groups will become the ACTIONS and INITIATIVES that will form the nucleus of our plans. But more on them the next time. We're still doing our analysis. If you are not...why not now? Know that if you are not into strategery, your competition most certainly is. That's always enough to motivate me to climb up the ship's mast and look over the horizon. That's what leaders do. And that's Leader Business.

StratComms

OK...I have been delinquent! I know I have not posted in a while. Have no doubt that there is plenty of learning about leadership going on here in Afghanistan. I guess I have been too lazy to write it down and share it with others. No excuse! It is hard to believe that I have almost been here for a full month. Time flies when you are having fun!

We have an incredibly difficult, complex mission. This year we will do about $900M in construction payments and award over $1.3B in new contracts. Next year, somehow, we are looking at over $2.5B in new contract awards. Every job here is difficult with harsh terrain, a hostile enemy and, in many cases, construction contractors who just don't have the maturity that we would expect to work with in the Army Corps of Engineers. Nonetheless, we are getting it done. We don't have a choice!

One of the many leadership issues I have been working with my new team is on the issue of strategic communications. We get so busy doing our work that we forget that a major component of success is gained through telling others what we are doing. I use the analogy of -- If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make any noise? All too often, we miss out on opportunities to shape our message, to get the word out on the great work we do. And if we don't, very often someone else seizes on the chance to tell their own story. Often times, their motivations are counter to our own. We might finish the project, the tree may fall, but no one may know of the positive difference we are making and the contributions we are making toward our strategic goals.

Every action we take in business is an opportunity to tell our story. In construction it includes the award of a new contract, the breaking of ground, major progress or a major milestone, and the cutting of the ribbon. It is not so much the events themselves that matter but rather the chance each one provides to get our message out. We are not building roads, we are enhancing a nationwide transportation network. We are not building police stations, we are contributing to the security of the people. We are not building buildings...we are Building Afghanistan!

We all have a role in shaping our message, especially as leaders. Employees need to see that the company is making progress. Stockholders need to see that the company vision is being realized and their investment is a good one. Future clients need to learn of past successes and be informed on the potential to work together. Constituencies, whether inside or outside the organization, need to hear of what is happening...and how what is happening fits into the big picture.

What are the implications for leaders? We need to continuously think through who our target audiences are, what our key messages might be, and what opportunities we have to get strategic in our communication. We need to engage our key leaders on how each of them has responsibilities in this critical area. Every one of our tactical, daily events can be strategically critical. The chance to connect those targets with key messages will come and go. We can't miss them! When the tree falls...leaders make sure people hear it. That's Leader Business.

For those who have been wondering (I hope it is hundreds of thousands of you...Haha!), the book (Leader Business) should be ready for on-line ordering in about 10-14 days. I will keep you posted! :)

Petraeus on Leadership II

The Washington Post has a great site for video interviews with key leaders on significant leadership topics. Most recently, the interviews at "On Leadership" have provided some interesting insights from Army General Petraeus. You know him as the 4-star commander of the US Central Command, the author of the "surge" in Iraq, and the leader of the Coalition Military Forces in the Middle East during some very difficult and trying times.

Take a listen to his comments here. In this second interview (see here if you missed the first one), you will be interested to learn of:

-- Sharing risk. All too often we see poor examples of leadership in which all the rewards are reserved for management while all the risks are born by lower ranking members of the team, stockholders, and everyone BUT management. General Petraeus' example of sharing the risk by being out in the field with the troops helps us understand what it means to share both risks and rewards.

-- Keeping up morale. Leaders are always under a microscope, especially when dealing with negative news. How we respond sends a huge message to the troops and sets the tone for their own behavior. The General's comments to be seen as human but don't let them see your shoulders slump reminds us of the importance of inspiring others by being genuine and that perpetual optimism is indeed a "force multiplier!"

-- Empowerment. Providing direction, left/right limits, soliciting feedback, following up. As I like to remind my own troopers, "Empowerment is not abandonment!" I loved the aggressiveness seen in the sign at the company headquarters: "In the absence of guidance or orders, figure out what they should have been and execute aggressively." Leaders must encourage initiative, accept risk, and provide feedback.

-- Communication. The General talks about the importance of being available, of taking personal responsibility for the message. Leaders must be "brutally honest" with the truth. In the most difficult times, often all we have is our credibility. When people trust us, they will accept setbacks and difficult news, knowing that you are not spinning them and will communicate both positive and negative reports.

The General has certainly learned more than his fair share of lessons on leadership -- in his distinguished career and during the very difficult trials of the last 7 years. While he is not likely to take credit for his successes, they are many. His emphasis on leadership -- focused on inspiring excellence and enabling the success of the "troopers" through things like communication and empowerment -- certainly gives us confidence in the mission and those whom he leads. That's Leader Business.

P.S. Kudos to the Iraqi people who continue to demonstrate courage and a desire for freedom and democracy in the face of danger. The elections went forward this week with a turnout that we would love to see in the United States! Proud of the Iraqi people and the US and Iraqi military who enabled the security of the election process!

Petraeus on Leadership I

The Washington Post has a great site for video interviews with key leaders on significant leadership topics. Most recently, the interviews at "On Leadership" have provided some interesting insights from Army General Petraeus. You know him as the 4-star commander of the US Central Command, the author of the "surge" in Iraq, and the leader of the Coalition Military Forces in the Middle East during some very difficult and trying times.

Take a listen to his comments here. You will be interested to learn of:

-- How they dealt with difficult news, an all too familiar event in Iraq and now in Afghanistan. Leaders have to be able to put setbacks into context. They have to be able to learn from negative events without being defined by them.

-- Lessons learned from New York City Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, about tending to small problems before they become much larger ones. Often, the discipline to do small things right has much larger implications for the team. Reminds me of a quote I learned long ago in my military career: "When you walk by a mistake without making a correction, you have just defined the new standard."

-- The concept of "Strategic Sergeants," meaning that the actions of low ranking members of the team can have potentially strategic impacts on the overall mission. When we value the contributions of each of our "troopers," training them to think strategically even while acting tactically, they will operate within the context of the bigger picture and enable the overall success of the operation.

The General has certainly learned more than his fair share of lessons on leadership -- in his distinguished career and during the very difficult trials of the last 7 years. While he is not likely to take credit for his successes, they are many. His emphasis on leadership -- focused on inspiring excellence and enabling the success of the "troopers" -- certainly gives us confidence in the mission and those whom he leads. That's Leader Business.

P.S. Today, 7 March 2010, is voting day in Iraq. Iraqis are conducting their first parliamentary elections as a sovereign, democratic nation. The bravery of the Iraqi people, and the "troopers" who endeavor under General Petraeus' leadership to give freedom a chance, will be on full display today. Please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers!

Strategic Planning

This week I spent a few days with my key leaders thinking through our strategic plan for this next fiscal year. This is a critical planning event that serves to ensure that our resources are aligned against our priorities, that we understand our mission, and that we affect the sorts of changes that are necessary to avoid complacency and irrelevance.

While I won't drag you through the details of the planning process (you can remind yourself of the key elements in the 5-part Mission Planning series, see Part I here), I do want to share with you how we set the conditions for our discussions. In the decision-making process it is the key first step in which we define the problem. This is the baseline against which strategic plans can be developed. If you haven't defined the problem, you are likely to come up with a pretty plan that won't see the light of day (and how many of us have been a part of those efforts?).

In the military planning process, Step 1 is to conduct Mission Analysis. This is the sort of detailed review that allows leaders to: See yourself; See the Enemy; See the Terrain. Now, before you think this is reserved for the military, think of it as a SWOT Analysis, with which most non-military leaders are comfortable: Analyze Strengths and Weaknesses (See Yourself), Understand your Opportunities (See the Terrain), and Know your Threats (See the Enemy) -- SWOT. This SWOT analysis is the type of review that must be completed before entering into detailed planning steps.

What I thought was worth sharing with you was the information we gathered as part of our SWOT or Mission Analysis. These are the elements that I felt contributed to the development of a plan that addressed our critical needs:

-- Internal workforce survey. What was working and where did we need improvement in issues like culture, values, counseling, and resource alignment? There is nothing like hearing these issues straight from your teammates.

-- Customer surveys. What do our customers think about our services and how we measure against critical issues like cost, schedule, and communication? Continued relevance demands that we have a finger on the pulse of our customers and their needs.

-- Recent After Action Reviews (AARs). We did not put our recently completed fiscal year "to bed" until we had completed a detailed examination of our successes and challenges. The former need sustainment while the latter demands our attention for key improvements that we know we must make.

-- We conducted a detailed analysis of the mission from our higher headquarters. Any plan we put together MUST address the specified and implied requirements from my boss. We reviewed their strategic plan to ensure that anything we might do is aligned with the vertical team.

-- We looked at our current plan. What actions were completed and where were we making progress...or not? Our strategic plan this year is likely to be continued progress toward our shared vision rather than a complete re-write so best to begin with an examination of how we are doing toward those goals.

-- We looked at data. What are revenue projections for the next few years? What are the implications for our workforce? Does any of it suggest a requirement for a different size or shape of the organization or different skills among our team? What are our demographics and does it suggest anything for the future composition of our team (retirement eligibility, grade and skill distribution, diversity, retention, etc.)?

-- We examined any future opportunities that we needed to consider or any threats that might cause problems for our team and its mission.

-- Finally, I gave my read of the terrain as the organizational leader. It was my assessment of those priority actions that needed to be included in our plan. It was my VOTE before break-out sessions that would build a detailed plan. I wanted to shape the future with some key points and emphasize their importance to my leaders.

None of this is transformational. But it certainly helped us put all of our cards on the table before we started shuffling them. Too often, plans are developed without a thorough understanding of the problem. Sure, we can come up with a plan but if it does not address customer needs, if it does not account for challenges within the workforce, and if it does not take advantage of future opportunities, it is likely to be a strategic plan that does like so many -- gathers dust on the shelf. No progress, no alignment, and no likelihood for the sort of impact that we expect from these efforts.

Have you held this sort of detailed, disciplined review session with your leaders lately? If you have, did you gather the necessary planning tools that would lead to realistic and relevant goals and objectives? If you have not, can I help you get started? Drop me a note and let's talk about your strategic planning process.

Our SWOT definitely set the conditions for a great planning session. This may not be a comprehensive list but it gives you an idea of the sorts of things that we needed to consider as part of our mission analysis. I think our leadership team believes that it helped produce a refreshed strategy that is what we need to improve our performance, align our resources, increase market share, and have a successful, relevant future. And that makes this critical first step of the planning process...Leader Business.

Image from www.corbisimages.com

Celebrate Success!!

Well, it is that time of year again. We finished up our fiscal year with a bang on September 30th, meeting or exceeding all of our milestones. It really is fun to be a part of team that sets the bar high and then does whatever it takes to get over it! We finished the year with total revenue around $1B and countless projects completed for a very satisfied customer base. Wow!

And as we have done in years past, we celebrated! We had a "New Year's Celebration" on October 1st. It was a great chance to review our accomplishments and to recognize some great people who had made success possible. This year, despite being spread over 3 states in dozens of project offices, I think we were able to leverage technology to connect most of the staff. We presented awards to a couple dozen people who worked hard to meet our end of year goals. We had cake and confetti and party favors and music. It was fun. And then I sent people home early. Yea!

The point is, we do need to take time to celebrate. We need to recognize our heroes. We have to reflect on our accomplishments and the great people who make success possible. It meant a lot to our staff and...it meant a lot to me!

Now, the year is not complete. We still need to complete our After Action Reviews (AARs) and document our lessons learned. We are planning on taking key leaders away for strategic discussions in a few weeks and this learning must be factored into our future plans. Regardless of how good we think we are, we can always improve!

So are you celebrating victories with your team? Do you let loose every once in a while to ensure that your teammates know how much you value what they do? Are you having fun? I hope so. That's Leader Business!

Please take some time to visit this month's Leadership Carnival, hosted by Mountain State University. They have gathered together a number of great posts on leadership and I was happy to see them include my discussion on "INTERNS" as part of their collection. Please check them out!

Being Strategic

Friends,

I read a lot of business and leadership books. I'll admit it...I'm addicted. I appreciate the varieties of perspectives out there "in the arena" about what I call the business of leaders. Unfortunately, I rarely commend many of them to my friends. Frankly, I find most of them to be only marginally useful, rarely based in reality, and downright dull.

I have an exception. Erika Andersen is a consultant, advisor to CEOs, and author/blogger. I first saw some of her thoughts on her blog, The Simplest Thing That Works. And now that I've read her book, Being Strategic, I know she has broken the mold on business books. This one's a keeper. Read my interview with Erika below. If you are intrigued about her approach to strategic leadership or want a superb book for yourself or some aspiring leader, order a copy. I guarantee you will not be disappointed! Here's my interview with Erika:

First of all Erika, I thought you did a terrific book with Being Strategic. You found a way to connect with real people and real leaders using a framework I can really appreciate. Great job! I know that the readers and followers of Leader Business will not regret picking up a copy of your book and learning from a great writer and strategic thinker. Here are a few questions.

1. Erika, you frame your book around a "Castle on the Hill" and the leadership of Llewellyn Fawr, Prince of North Wales. Why him and what can we learn from his leadership?

Llewellyn Fawr was an unusually strategic leader. At a time when other Welsh leaders were simply arguing over bits and pieces of land, worrying about their relatives and counting their cattle, Llewellyn envisioned a united North Wales. He was able to look clearly at what and who he was dealing with – his current reality of strong-minded and independent Welshmen, and what motivated them and didn’t, what they had and hoped for – and to see the possibility of bringing them together. Then he was able to craft strategies and execute tactics for making it happen. He died in his bed, still Prince of North Wales and in his mid-sixties…a good long life by medieval standards. It was an astonishing accomplishment, and unique in the history of Wales.

2. I love your definition of "Being Strategic." You're right. I could not come up with a better definition. Tell us about being strategic!

I think the most important thing I’ve learned over the years about being strategic is that it is primarily a learnable skill. I’ve noticed that people tend to talk about being strategic as though it’s an inborn – and unchangeable – thing, like having blue eyes, or being tall! But I’ve found that almost anyone can improve his or her ability to think and act strategically, if they understand and practice the mental models and the skills involved. That’s really the core reason I wrote the book; I wanted to share these skills with as many people as possible, in a format that would make them accessible, engaging, and reasonably easy to learn.

And why, you might ask, would I want people to be able to improve their ability to think and act strategically? Well, it goes back to Llewellyn – if you have professional and personal dreams, things you truly want to accomplish, I believe that being strategic will make it much more likely that you’ll achieve them.

3. The first step to Being Strategic is to "Define the Challenge." You write, "people often propose solutions to problems before they're clear on what the problem is." This is huge. So many times we jump right into problem solving and getting to what you call the tactics before we have framed the issue. What are key elements of this first step?

As I’ve noted in the book, the first step is to take the time to clarify what isn’t working – that is, what’s the problem or challenge you’re trying to address. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worked with people who sail right past this step and get themselves into seemingly inextricable knots. For instance, let’s say there are two adolescent brothers who want to go to a concert. The first kid is convinced the only problem is that their parents won’t want them to go, though he hasn’t said that out loud. The second kid doesn’t think that will be a problem; he’s just worried about getting there (though he hasn’t really said that out loud, either); they’re not old enough to drive, and none of their friends are going.

So imagine the conversation: brother A just talks about how to sweet-talk their parents, while brother B focuses solely on ideas for arranging transportation. That’s going to be a frustrating conversation, where each person’s focus is going to seem weird and nonsensical to the other. I call it ‘dueling solutions,’ and a more complex but equally frustrating version of it happens in boardrooms all over the world every day!

But once you’ve clearly defined what the true problem is, then you’re ready to start solving it. In the brothers-going-to-the-concert situation, both things might actually be problematic. So their challenge might be “How can we get our parents to let us go, and find a safe way to get there?” And if solving the problems posed in their “How can we…” question would feel like success to both of them – then they’ve defined their challenge, and can now start to try to address it.

4. You talk about "clarifying what is" by "pulling back the camera." I love this concept and know you use this term throughout the book. I call it "seeing yourself." Why is this important for being strategic? And why do we need to do this before we start formulating strategies?

I love this concept too, and it works for almost everyone because most people watch TV or movies. We all know what happens when you don’t “pull back a camera”: when a camera is pulled in really close to a shot, you only see whatever it’s focused on. For example, there might be a really close-in shot of a piece of paper with the word “no” written on it. Because the camera’s in so close, you don’t really know what that’s about – it could be referring to anything. You can speculate all you want, but you don’t really have enough context to understand what you’re seeing.

Then let’s say you pan the camera back a little, and you see there’s another piece of paper next to it that says “yes,” and that both are taped to pieces of wood. Hmmm, that’s a little more context, but still not enough to really make sense of what you’re seeing. So you pull the camera back even more, and now you can see that both papers are taped to piles of 2x4s; those in the “no” pile are warped; those in the “yes” pile are all straight. Ah-ha! Now it makes sense!

In the same way, when you’re trying to look at your current state relative to your challenge, and you really want to see it clearly, it’s essential to “pull the camera back” far enough to allow you to understand the critical elements IN CONTEXT. For example, let’s say your challenge is “How can I build a productive motivated team of employees?” You might think that someone on your team is a poor employee because she’s not fulfilling a part of her job responsibility. But then, when you ‘pull the camera back,’ you find that her previous boss never held her accountable for doing it and she doesn’t actually know it’s supposed to be part of her job! And when you pull the camera back a bit more, maybe you find out that the old boss was actually pretty unclear with everyone about what their jobs were. That new view would certainly lead you to deal differently with the situation: your strategies and tactics would change significantly!

5. Talk about "envisioning the hoped for future" as I know this is truly key to being a visionary, strategic leader. Can anyone get there or is this something we either have from birth or...don't have?

I think everyone can envision the future if it’s important to them. We do it all the time: lovers talk about what it will be like to be married; kids think about what it will be like when they get that new bike for Christmas; junior employees imagine how life would be different if they got a promotion.

The approach I outline takes that basic human capability to envision a different future and helps you to exercise it, strengthen it, and learn to direct it consciously. And, by employing that capacity to envision within the context of the whole process I recommend, you can make it really work for you.
That is, by grounding your “envisioning” in an accurate sense of the current state, you can ensure your hoped-for future is a “reasonable aspiration.” And by then considering the obstacles to your vision, and creating the strategic and tactical path to get there, you’re making it practically achievable.

Not everybody can be world-class at this – there are only a handful of truly great Nadal-and-Federer-level tennis players, for example…but almost everyone can learn to play fairly well if they practice. And many people can get really good!

6. Strategy, then tactics. What's the difference and can you talk about the concept of "FIT" to help ensure both are appropriate?

Strategies are “core directional efforts.” They’re the big paths you’re going to walk down to get to your vision. When I’m working with groups, I often say, “a strategy isn’t ‘I’m going to do this particular thing,’ it’s ‘I’m going to move in this direction.’ Tactics are then the specific things you do to move in that direction.

For instance, when my own company, Proteus, did our last vision and strategy session, one of our strategies was “Establish and sustain ways of operating that support our growth.” That’s not a particular thing you can run right out and do; it’s a statement of intention, of direction. It was us saying that we were going to focus time, energy and resources on improving our systems and processes…a necessary strategy for many growing businesses that have outpaced their infrastructure! Some tactics under that strategy were to document our current client processes; to identify gaps and ‘pinch points’; to find a resource for helping us upgrade our technology, etc. Specific, measurable things we could do to implement the strategy.

And FIT is just a great, simple screen for choosing both strategies and tactics: it stands for “feasible, impactful and timely.” And you use it by asking yourself, when you’re thinking about whether or not a strategy or tactic is right for you:
- “Can we actually do this? Do we have the skills, resources, bandwidth?” (feasibility) “
- “Will this move us farthest toward our objective with the least amount of effort? That is, does this give us the biggest ‘bang for the buck’? (impact)
- “Do we need to do this first? And is there a window of opportunity – that is, if we don’t do this now, might we be unable to do it later? (timeliness)

7. Finally, I would ask if this approach to being strategic is for individuals or for groups? Is it the same approach for both?

It is for both, and the core skills and mindset are exactly the same. The differences are all in application. That’s why I wrote the book the way I did, with the first half focusing on clarifying and teaching the approach itself, and the second half layering on the skills and understanding necessary to use the approach with a group.

And we teach and use it with both: we’ve taught hundreds of folks to use this skill in their own careers and lives, and we’ve worked with dozens of companies and teams to support them in working through this process to envision and achieve the future they want for their organization or their department.

And I hope the book enables many, many more people to do the same! Thanks for these great and thought-provoking questions, Tom.

Thank you, Erika. Your book is great. I know that "Being Strategic" will help anyone on the way to their "castle." I trust that you are on your way to yours! Being strategic is a key component of the growth of every leader. That makes it...Leader Business.

Whack-a-Mole Leadership

Are you familiar with this game? You try to hit the little critter when he pops his head up from the hole with a large mallet. The pattern is random and the moles keep coming -- sometimes one at a time, sometimes several at once. They pop up -- you WHACK 'em! It's fun!

Are you familiar with this brand of leadership? You race from crisis to crisis. You go from one initiative to another. You dabble in the management flavor of the day (empowerment, strategic planning, communication, lean six sigma, outsourcing, metrics) but never really make any progress. Something pops up, you put a lot of energy into whacking it. Sometimes you hit it...sometimes you don't. It's not fun!

Whack-a-mole leadership is very frustrating to teammates who can never understand where they are being led, nor gain a sense of strategic priorities and organizational vision. They never seem to accomplish anything nor see any meaningful progress. As soon as they accomplish something (whack the mole)...something else that is seemingly just as important pops up -- and they race to whack it.

Trust me. Whack-a-mole is no way to run a team. The moles will keep coming and no one wins. Morale suffers and the team will not produce.

There is a different approach, a style that avoids the pitfalls of whack-a-mole leadership. You see it exhibited by mature, strategic thinkers and executive leaders in all walks of life who know the following:

-- Set priorities and stay on them.

-- Identify what is important and stay focused. Don't be distracted by every little mole that pops up if it does not contribute to the strategic success of the team.

-- Be consistent and be yourself. Don't follow every flavor of the day.

-- Think ahead. Think strategically. Know where the next mole will pop up and be in position to whack it. Be proactive instead of reactive.

-- Be a calm and steady presence for the team. Protect them from the "urgent" distractor-moles sent down from HQ and keep them headed in the right path.

Whack-a-mole leadership is no way to run a business, lead a team, or govern in politics. Mature leaders understand the importance of picking up the mallet every day and consistently hitting the critters that matter. They set a winning vision and stay with it! Morale soars and the team wins. That makes it Leader Business.