By Chief Maker Executive Development Academy

Are you struggling with leaders who are being too operational and not strategic enough? 

Have you ever wondered why? 

So often, leaders have risen up through functional roles based on technical skill and results. They’re really good at what they do, so they keep being promoted. The problem is, they don’t know how to be strategic, so they continue leaning towards their technical expertise getting caught in the weeds of daily operations. 

As the business owner or leader, you want your leaders working ON the business, not in the business. You need them to bring your strategy to life, execute the plan and develop the people below them. Problem is, they’re not being taught how to do this.

In this article, I outline seven steps for you, as the business owner, Managing Director or CEO, to help your leaders think strategically. These steps are in a specific order and it’s critical you don’t miss any.

 

1. Create the space

In many cases, your leaders are anchored to doing the day-to-day operational work because they’re in the office. Emails are piling in, the phone is ringing, members of their team are asking them questions. They’re distracted, they’re available and they can ‘quickly just do it’ so that it gets done.

They can’t get out of the weeds unless you help them. The first step in this process is to create that space. So block a day in the diary, hire a venue (preferably in the country, as far away from the city and office environment as possible). Leave laptops at home, switch off phones, inform everyone else in the business that your leaders are offline for one or two days. They need time and space to think strategically and you must create this.

Listen to Episode 227 of The Inner Chief Podcast - How to Run Effective Offsite Retreats

 

2. Set the frame for why

To manage expectations, you must communicate expectations. Tell your leaders that you want them to be more strategic, you want them to work ON the business, not just in it. This is your opportunity to build a foundation of trust. Without trust, you’ll never win. But without communication, your leaders will never know what’s expected of them. Make it clear that as a group, your leaders are here to serve the organisation. So bond as colleagues, unite as a team, and make sure everyone understands WHY this time away is so important.

Listen to Episode 269 of The Inner Chief Podcast - Working ON the Business

 

3. Analyse the current situation

To work out where you’re going, you need to know where you’re starting from. Use each wall of the room to conduct a thorough situational analysis. On the first wall, look at the external environment and conduct a PESTLE analysis - political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors impacting (or potentially impacting) the business.  On the second wall, review the customer - testimonials, customer journey maps, avatars. On the third, look at the business performance - SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats), financials, operational performance etc. And on the last wall, look at your competitors and what they are doing. Then… stand in the middle with knowledge and understanding of the total situation. This is your launching place.

 

4. Connect to your purpose, values and vision

As a group, deep dive into the big questions and build a vivid vision of the future. Why do you exist as a business? What is the problem you’re solving for your customers? What are the values, behaviours and traits you want to demonstrate through the journey? What is the end vision - the grand outcome you’re hoping for? 

Listen to Episode 304 of The Inner Chief Podcast - Vision, Mission and Purpose Explained

 

5. Develop a strategic plan

This is your business plan - the big picture on paper. What will you do better than all the others? What will differentiate you in the market and make customers choose you over others? How will you offer value for stakeholders? How will you build success?

 

6. Build an execution plan

This is where you translate the strategic plan into something more functional for your leaders to manage. What are the core pillars in the business for achieving the strategy? What are the key projects within each of those pillars? Who is going to own them? When are they due? What resources and budget can you apply to them?

Listen to Episode 81 of The Inner Chief Podcast - High Performance Teams Strategy & Tactics

 

7. Establish an operating rhythm to stay focused

To keep your leaders thinking strategically, you must embed an operating rhythm - an automated schedule of meetings to keep your people accountable. This is critical. Everyone who owns part of the execution plan is responsible for reporting on the progress at each monthly strategic team meeting. How are things tracking? Have the goal posts shifted? Are you heading towards success?

Download this free resource - How to Establish an Operating Rhythm

 

By following these steps, you are creating an environment for your leaders to thrive as strategic thinkers, not operational doers. You’ll have an aligned leadership team working on the business, not just in it. And you’ll have an operating rhythm that automates your daily, weekly, monthly and annual pursuits.

 

>> Ready to invest further in the development of your leaders? Chief Maker is partnering with My Business to run an exclusive intake of the MiniMBA in Leading High Performance Teams. Find out more here. 

Chief Maker Executive Development Academy

Chief Maker is a global professional development company specialising in leadership and executive excellence. Trusted to create high-performance teams and inspiring leaders, their flagship MiniMBA equips leaders with the toolkit to navigate change, drive growth, and inspire excellence.