Management And Accounting Web

Schoemaker, P. J. H., S. Krupp and S. Howland. 2013. Strategic leadership: The essential skills. Harvard Business Review (January/February): 131-134.

Summary by James R. Martin, Ph.D., CMA
Professor Emeritus, University of South Florida

Leadership Main | Decision Theory Main | Managing Yourself Main

This article includes the following Self Test on Strategic Leadership. The 12 questions are based on six skills that indicate a leaders ability to navigate the unknown effectively. These include the ability to anticipate, challenge, interpret, decide, align, and learn. The idea is to identify your weaknesses and correct them. I believe most of these questions are applicable to anyone who makes major strategic decisions about business or life. That includes just about everyone.

Self Test on Strategic Leadership
Skill On a scale of 1-7 for each question, how often do you: Scale*
Anticipate 1. Gather information from a wide network of experts and sources inside and outside your industry and function? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2. Predict competitors' potential moves and likely reactions to new initiatives or products? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Challenge 3. Reframe a problem from several angles to understand root causes? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
4. Seek out diverse views to see multiple sides of an issue? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Interpret 5. Demonstrate curiosity and an open mind? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6. Test multiple working hypotheses with others before coming to conclusions? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Decide 7. Balance long-term investment for growth with short-term pressure for results? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8. Determine trade-offs, risks, and unintended consequences for customers and other stakeholders when making decisions? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Align 9. Assess stakeholders' tolerance and motivation for change? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
10. Pinpoint and address conflicting interests among stakeholders? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Learn 11. Communicate stories about success and failure to promote institutional learning? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
12. Course correct on the basis of disconfirming evidence, even after a decision has been made? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Average    
* Scale: 1 = Rarely, 7 = Almost always

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