EXERCISING STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

1. Stay on top of what’s happening

2. Promote a culture “energizing” organization to accomplish strategy

3. Keep firm responsive to changing conditions

4. Build consensus & deal with politics of strategy formulation & implementation

5. Enforce ethical standards & behavior

6. Take corrective actions to improve overall strategic performance

Six Roles of the Strategy Implementer

MANAGING BY WALKING AROUND -MBWA

• Develop a broad network & sources of information, both formal & informal
• Formal channels
  • Talk with key subordinates
  • Read written reports
  • Glean statistics from latest operating results
  • Get feedback from customers
  • Watch competitive reactions of rivals
• Informal channels rely heavily on MBWA
  • Visit the “field” regularly, talking with many people at all levels

FOSTERING A STRATEGY-SUPPORTIVE CLIMATE & CULTURE

• Successful leaders recognize they must convince people
  • Chosen strategy is right
  • Implementing it to the best of firm’s ability is “top priority”

Only top management has the power to bring about major cultural change!

LEADER’S ROLE: FOSTERING A STRATEGY-SUPPORTIVE CULTURE

Matching Culture & Strategy Entails:

• Philosophy of stakeholders-are-king
• Openness to new ideas
• Challenging status quo
• Energizing employees to make new strategy happen
• Repeating new messages again & again
• Rewarding people exhibiting new cultural norms
• Creating events where all managers must listen to angry customers, dissatisfied stockholders, & alienated employees

LEADER’S ROLE: KEEPING INTERNAL ORGANIZATION RESPONSIVE

• Stimulate dependable supply of fresh ideas
• Support people who are
  • Willing to champion new ideas, better services, new products, & innovative technologies
  • Eager for a chance to turn innovations into new divisions, businesses, & industries
• Promote continuous adaptation to changing conditions

LEADER’S ROLE: PROMOTING CHAMPIONS

• Encourage people to make suggestions
• Tolerate “mavericks” with creative ideas, giving them room to operate
• Promote lots of “tries”, being willing to tolerate failures
• See that rewards for successful champions are large & visible
• Encourage people who champion an unsuccessful idea to try again
• Use all kinds of ad hoc organizational forms to support experimentation

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