The fundamental elements of good leadership skills are being able to set clearly defined goals, establishing long-range planning horizons/market analysis and effective team building, especially in a crisis. This post goes through these three different areas to establish how they can be done best.
Key to any strategic leadership position is understanding that you have to set clear and well-defined goals for the company and the staff beneath you. These goals need to be clearly set out so that there is no confusion when trying to achieve these objectives. Company goals should filter down into individual department goals/project goals and ultimately define the work that is done by individuals. By setting these goals at a high level you’re directing the business growth strategies of the entire firm.
In parallel with setting company goals, one of the key leadership skills is always maintaining long-range planning horizons. Many lower-level managers fail when they reach upper echelons because they’re planning horizons only in the months and quarters ahead. Strategic leadership need to be looking ahead years in advance to see what projects and markets trends the company should be pursuing. This should incorporate marketing analysis of current changes in the marketplace (threats and opportunities) and factoring these into company plans.
Lastly, one of the more difficult elements of strategic leadership is team building, especially in time of crisis or change within a company. Some people are not cut out for this task while others naturally adapt to it. Key to this skill is hiring outstanding people in the first place to work in your teams. You then need to get the best from each of these individuals through proper motivation and directed work. Finally, you need to constantly assess team members for their capabilities to establish which individuals would form the ideal group or team in a time of crisis.
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