As a leader, it’s easy to lose sight on the framework of thinking strategically if you have a culture where you are pulled in too many directions, and mired in the actual operations of the business.
In The Strategist: Be the Leader Your Business Needs, Cynthia Montgomery asks leaders to consider four questions in the context of leading strategy in your organization:
- What does my organization bring to the world?
- Does that difference matter?
- Is something about it scarce and difficult to imitate?
- Are we doing today what we need to do in order to matter tomorrow?
According to Montgomery, being a strategist means living these questions.
They are powerful questions because they force us to think from a larger perspective. Notice, none of the questions pertain to a specific product or service; they define the very purpose of your organization.
And a clear purpose is the foundation of any strong and strategic organization.
In this Harvard Business Review book review, IKEA’s strategy is cited as an excellent example. Founder and CEO Ingvar Kamprad set out to build something that provides “a better everyday life for the many.”
A Strategy Leader Leads with Purpose
Being clear in purpose is, of course, only the beginning.
Now you, as the strategy leader, have to take words on paper and transform them into a living, breathing organization; one that deconstructs silos and empowers employees of all levels because they have clear direction and are able to participate in the strategic direction.
Leading strategy is an ongoing endeavor. Many organizations have exploded in growth only to fade away due to lack of purpose and foresight. A change in technology might force you to change your product line, but in no way should affect your core strategy.
And that is the key.
The continued existence of a company depends on it’s ability to have a clear purpose. The leader, therefore, is the steward of this purpose; the one who brings it to life in organizational execution.
Does your organization have a clear purpose? Please share it in the comments.
