Leaders have a vision. They have a dream and direction other people want to share and follow. It goes beyond the written mission statement. They inspire people to act.
Lisa Nirell, contributor to Fast Company, says she still cannot find the perfect leadership model, but she has identified four timeless qualities of a strategic leader.
A Strategic Leader is Articulate
Social networks such as Twitter, have forced us to become more succinct and clear with our messages. When you only have 140 characters to work with, you have a limited amount of words to use. When you are succinct and clear, it provides the follower with bite-sized pieces of information to process.
Nirell says language is the number one differentiation between a practitioner and a strategic leader.
Accept Yourself
Strong leaders know their strengths and weaknesses. They spend time in their areas of strength and find support in areas they are week. "Acceptance makes it much easier to choose your response to the chaos surrounding us,” says Nirell.
Aggregate
Strategic leaders spot trends in different places and see patterns to better understand the big picture says Nirell. She finds her greatest inspiration and new ideas through time with clients and people outside of her industry.
Adapt
Adaptation is critical for business survival and competitiveness. The world is on a constant move and leaders can only keep up with competitors if they know how to distinguish themselves and their businesses from others.
Great leaders have the skills to adapt continuously to changing situations in our fast-paced world.
A strategic leader has a clear vision and they know how to turn it into a vivid picture others see. They provide the foundation that makes it possible to empower individuals to act with independence, judgment and initiative.
What other traits of strategic leaders would you add?
