Article review.
Shoemaker, P.J.H., Krupp, S., Howland, S. “Strategic leadership the essential skills”. Harvard Business Review. 02-03 (2013): 1-5.Print.
Thesis statement
The article is dedicated to researching essential skills a strategic leader has to possess. While the scope of the notion ‘strategic leadership’ remains not sufficiently researched (Morill 2), the description of essential skills of a strategic leader can be used to address strategic leadership from conceptual standpoint. Relying on the findings of empirical research in several corporations, the authors of the article distinguish six skills, essential for a strategic leader. They include anticipating, challenging the status quo, interpreting data, deciding, aligning and learning. The thesis is substantiated by the reference to empirical research, as well as the fact that essential skills can be attributed to the four basic functions of management, such as planning, organizing, leading and controlling (Norman &Media 1).
Planning and organizing are impossible without an anticipation of the changes in market situation, challenging existing assumptions and interpreting data. Strong decision-making skills are necessary to exercise all the above-mentioned functions of management. Leading cannot be imagined without communicating with stakeholders and taking into account their positions as regards an issue. Finally, learning is also important for a leader to stay up-to-date about the new tools to research market, leadership techniques and controlling methods.
Following an in-detail description of the article thesis, the authors also present a systemic inventory that can help an individual determine whether he/she has sufficiently developed essential skills to become a strategic leader. As the inventory is based on the evidence of individuals, who already act as strategic leaders, it can be considered a credible tool for assessing one’s strengths and weaknesses in the area of strategic leadership.
Takeaways
As it was already mentioned above, the article by Shoemaker, P.J.H., Krupp, S., Howland, S. presents six essential skills, needed to be a strategic leader. In this regard, the most important takeaway, contained in the article, is that strategic leadership is not an inherent value or advantage an individual uses, but a set of specific skills one can learn, using concrete techniques and tools, suggested by the authors. Secondly, the paper under study emphasizes the strategic importance of anticipating and considering different scenarios of a situation’s development. A so-called “art of the long view” is necessary for a strategic leader to be prepared to any development at the market and being not afraid of being unable to predict all the peculiarities of the situation (Schwartz 5-6). Thirdly, an important point is that a strategic leader shall challenge existing status quo to go out of the box and develop unusual solutions to emerging issues. To achieve this aim, a strategic leader shall dedicate significant efforts to self-development and not limit himself/ herself to the traditional sources of information.
The fourth, insight that can be distinguished from an article is that interpreting data might be even more important than gathering them. A strategic leader needs to have developed data interpretation skills in order to be able to make best use of data, when making a decision.
Fifthly, taking into account the positions and views of multiple stakeholders, when making decisions, is a necessary skill for a strategic leader. The stakeholders, whose positions are to be considered, include customers, management, employees, partners, as well as the government’s and community representatives. Finally, sustaining success as a strategic leader one shall not forget about learning that helps not only gather new data and develop one’s knowledge, but aid an individual to improve his/her skills.
Overall assessment
The article under study is dedicated to the phenomenon of strategic leader. The importance of strategic leadership for a modern organization is concerned with continuing changes in the business environment and a need to anticipate various scenarios of a situation’s development. Using the findings of empirical research, the authors of the article single out six most important skills, needed for a strategic leader to exercise his/her functions. Referring to each new skill, the authors do not only address the scope of the skill. While also including a scheme, helping a reader to conduct a self-assessment of strategic leadership skills, the article contains viable recommendations one can utilize in order to develop his/her skills. For instance, to improve one’s ability to align, an individual is advised to identify major internal and external stakeholders and use structured and facilitated conversation to get to know their positions and include them into the decision-making process and strategy formation (Shoemaker, Krupp &Howland 3). The above characteristics contribute to the practicality of considered article. It can be used not only to conduct self-assessments, but to develop curricula for trainings in the field of strategic leadership and optimize hiring and promotion processes within organizations. Furthermore, using the article under study, it is possible to elaborate on the scope of the notion “strategic leadership” and develop a skills-based model of such type of leadership.
Works cited
Morill, R.L. Strategic leadership: integrating strategy and leadership. Lanham: Rowman&Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2010. Print.
Norman, L, Media, D. What are the four basic functions that make up the management process? Small Business, 2012. 26 march 2016. Web.
Shoemaker, P.J.H., Krupp, S., Howland, S. “Strategic leadership the essential skills”. Harvard Business Review. 02-03 (2013): 1-5.Print.
Schwartz, P. The art of the long view: planning for the future in an uncertain world. London: Currency Doubleday, 2002.Print.
