Importance Of Strategic Leadership

The above quote by Albert Einstein perfectly captures the need of strategy and the essence of strategic leadership. In order to solve problems and move forward, people need to interpret the world around them with a fresh insight and vision. While it’s easy to think that most leaders would go ahead with a strategy, all too often the idea of strategic leadership framework is misunderstood as simply having a plan of action. The leadership style is much more than just an idea of how to implement certain policies or processes.

In this guide, we’ll examine the defining characteristics of strategic leadership and its purpose in business. We’ll also explain the core elements of the framework, as well as the requirements it imposes on a strategic leader.

It is regularly flashed around, but what exactly does it mean to define things as strategic? The word is derived from the Greek word ‘stratêgia’, which means “art of troop leader; office of general, command, general ship’. The Oxford dictionary defines strategy as, “a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim’. Therefore, strategy is about drawing up a set of steps and processes, which can help in achieving a pre-determined objective. To have a strategy, you need to first formulate an understanding of the situation and the objectives at hand. Once you’ve formulated an action plan, you must implement it, following the guidelines you’ve established. For a deeper analysis of strategy, the below presentation by professor Michael E. Porter offers an in-depth analysis of the different aspects of

In essence, leadership is about the ability to take actions that guide a group, such as an organisation, towards set objectives. Therefore, strategy adds another layer to leadership and is just another framework to use when leaders are considering the actions and processes they want to use in order to communicate, motivate and direct the group they are supposed to lead. Just like the authoritarian leadership or the charismatic leadership, the strategic leadership provides the leader with the framework for guiding the troops.

There are a number of different ways to define strategic leadership, but in essence, the definition by Business Dictionary is an apt one. According to the definition, strategic leadership is “the process of using well considered tactics to communicate a vision for an organisation or one of its parts”. Furthermore, the framework uses specific set of actions in order to achieve its objectives. The tactics referred to in the definition combine different management methods, motivation of subordinates, and persuasion