Uses strategy to set and explain priorities
● Seeks innovative ways to contribute to the growth of the business
Acts strategically
● Is future-focused and sees the big picture, business trends, and implications
● Is a source of fresh perspectives and challenges “the way it has always been done” objections
Thinks and acts strategically
● Thinks about future trends and consequences, which highlight opportunities to take action and shape the organization's future
● Seeks to understand the business's strategic direction
● Identifies and articulates a compelling strategy and strategic vision for the future
● Demonstrates a big-picture view of the business
● Anticipates future business trends accurately, and responds quickly and effectively
● Identifies new business processes that are key to future success
Clearly, many organizations feel the need to have more long-term, proactive thinking occurring among leaders at all levels of their businesses. From what we've seen, it's evident that most leaders work hard to make their teams and organizations better, but many are so focused on the short-term, day-to-day routines, and on fighting fires, that they neglect to work on long-term priorities. Our aim in this book is to familiarize you with the fundamental characteristics and qualities that are necessary for you to be successful with the strategic-leadership expectations – explicit or not – that your organization has of you.
Knowing what it will take for you to win over the long haul and having goals and strategies to pursue is critically important – but that's not all that matters. Strategic leaders take it one step farther. They actively engage and leverage the organization's pool of talent not only to achieve short-term results, but to work with them to set a direction that will produce long-term results and create a secure and prosperous future for everyone.
Sometimes leaders have a hard time understanding why they can't get better traction with important changes that need to be made, critical business plans, or long-term initiatives. Remarkable effort goes into creating goals, plans, and strategies. Most of the time, the strategy or plans aren't the problem; it's the lack of strategic leadership that's the bottleneck. Simply put, the thing that is missing most often is the leadership necessary to translate strategic ideas into reality. Leaders must have the personal qualities and discipline necessary to push the implementation of these important priorities through to completion.
Everywhere we go there is an intense appetite for insights into the makeup of a proactive, strategic leader and how to develop those capabilities. People are grasping for practical solutions to these challenges. Business leaders want to know how to lead their teams strategically while keeping things practical and down to earth. Don't get us wrong: We know that high-level strategy matters, but so does integrating a strategic mindset into the heart of the organization and enrolling leaders at all levels in creating strategic plans for their parts of the business. That said, we also recognize that leaders can't work in a strategic mode all the time and that balancing the urgent demands of today with the important priorities that sustain long-term advancement is a daunting task. But what leaders can constantly do is look at everything they do through a proactive lens. That's the key. The qualities and underlying principles of strategic leadership need to act as your frame of reference. They will guide your pattern of leadership behaviors and thoughts, and those matter a lot when it comes to making a difference in the organization. People who have combined their leadership style with strategic ideas and plans are far more likely to achieve the results they desire because it is a person's fundamental behaviors and frame of mind that brings strategy, goals, and plans to life.
The future speeds toward us with greater velocity, more complexity, and greater uncertainty, but we still have a choice in how we respond to these challenges: We can either be driven by the forces of change or we can choose to be proactive and drive. Being a driver means taking some risks, running some experiments, anticipating and preparing for eventualities, and offering innovative solutions. Strategy, at any level, seeks an answer to one basic question: How do you add value, introduce new services, and not just embrace best practices but actually invent the next practices that will ensure you remain relevant in your business environment?
The simple truth is that the future won't be any different from the way things are now if you and your team continue to do the same things in the same way. If the internal rate of change doesn't exceed the external rate of change, you will lose the race. To win, you and your organization need to anticipate what's coming and invest in the future now. Strategic leaders go to work every day – thinking, planning, and acting on challenges and opportunities that lie ahead – because they care about the future and know they can play an important role in creating it.
How You Can Use It
What makes strategic leaders stand out from the crowd? To illustrate their unique qualities, it's crucial to see them in action, so we will share with you the story of Alex, a bright leader about to tackle the greatest challenge of his career: charting an exciting new direction for his team in a highly competitive industry. As he interacts with his six department heads, you will observe the inner workings of his mind and get acquainted with the core qualities and characteristics of strategic leadership up close and personal. Each member of Alex's team possesses a unique talent, and over time, Alex is able to harness these special competencies and guide his part of the business to a better place. The twists and turns, intrigue, and drama will pull you through, and you'll relate to the story's recognizable situations and characters.
The people and dilemmas you will read about are based on the practical, strategic challenges managers face in a demanding business environment. Following each narrative section of Alex's story, we discuss concepts and suggestions that are directly applicable to leaders seeking solutions in their quest for long-term success. As you'll discover, when the right mindset and approaches are combined with clear plans and strategic direction, the outcomes are remarkable.
Throughout this book, we will explore the seven essential qualities of strategic leaders, the attributes that have the greatest impact on setting a direction and helping the organization change. The sections analyzing those qualities will help you assess your own strategic-leadership strengths and areas that you'll want to cultivate. By using what you learn, developing new capabilities, and applying strategic approaches to your unique situation, you will be better prepared to respond to business challenges, leverage new opportunities, and excel in your role.
One final note: We have structured the book so it will reward two types of readers: those who read from the first chapter to the last and those who scan the contents and zero in on the aspects of strategic leadership they find most interesting, challenging, or urgent. We know your time is precious and we want to put it to good use.
Let's hit the road!
Chapter 2
The Business
Look around you. Think about the products that affect your quality of life. The contact lenses on your bathroom shelf. The molded bumpers on your car. The precision plastics that are integral parts of the airplanes we fly, the surgical devices we use, the medical implants we rely on, and the technological devices that keep us connected to the world around us. They're just a few of the countless advanced polymer- and composite-based products we use every day.
The role that composites and polymers play in our lives goes far beyond consumer convenience. As nations and corporations focus on reducing their environmental impacts, by saving energy and improving product performance, nearly every industry is racing to incorporate sustainable, lightweight, and durable materials into their products.
Polymer Solutions, Inc. (PSI), based in New Jersey, was founded in the 1980s by a group of chemists and engineers who did research and secured patents in the aerospace, electronics, and biotech industries. A privately held company, PSI branched out from its beginnings as a supplier of high-performance engineering plastics for defense and aerospace manufacturers, as well as medical and surgical