Final Exam 2015

Character Based Leadership

STRATEGIC PARTNER EXECUTIVE

SUMMARY
THE STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP MODEL, CAREER DESTINATION, AND THE
STRATEGIC PARTNER VALUE PROPOSITION

PRESENTED BY:
THE
STRATEGIC
PARTNER
MODEL...PAGES:
1-4...BRAD
ARMSTRONG
THE CAREER DESTINATION CONCEPT.....PAGES: 4-5......JACOB
WHYLE
THE STRATEGIC PARTNER VALUE PROPOSITION...PAGES: 6-11..SARAH
STONER

Final Exam 2015

STRATEGIC PARTNER EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

THE STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP MODEL
The Strategic Leadership model is an overarching concept in leadership strategy, stemming from the
theme of Servant Leadership, that identifies the directly related outcomes to the motives and
behaviors of a person who is, or is striving to be, a Strategic Partner or an, otherwise, invaluable asset
to an organization that works harmoniously with its mission and values to help it grow and thrive.

SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Servant Leadership is an ancient leadership philosophy and set of practices that shares power, puts
the need of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible rather than the
exercise of power by one at the top of the pyramid.

Philosophies of Servant Leadership have been traced as far back as 570 BCE to Lao-Tzu in
ancient China. His philosophy was The highest type of ruler is one of whose existence the
people are barely aware. Next comes one whom they love and praise. Next comes one whom
they fear.
This concept also appears in many religious texts. Take the Christian Bible for example: it reads
Jesus called them together and said, You know that those
who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so
with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among
you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first
must be servant of all. For even the Son of Man did not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many (Mark 10:42-45).
The philosophy of Servant Leadership has certainly
withstood the test of time and is still coveted as a top
leadership practice today.

SUCCESS IS SIGNIFICANTLY DETERMINED BY ONES LEADERSHIP STYLE AND MOTIVES

Servant Leadership is about the selfless serving of others rather than yourself by connecting, assisting,
supporting, championing, mentoring, motivating and inspiring them while being a good role model.

A modern example of this leadership model being put to practice can be found in the success
story of Popeyes new CEO, Cheryl Bachelder. She was inspired by Jim Collins, the author of
Good to Great.
Bachelder stated: He said that great leaders have a paradoxical mix of personal humility and
professional will. They're ambitious for the company, not themselves. Research suggests this
certain kind of leader can deliver superior results. I wanted to practice it, and Popeyes is that
case study.
The end result Restaurant sales jumped twenty-five percent, profitability improved, market
share increased, and the stocks went from an all-time low at thirteen dollars when she took
over in 2007 to more than sixty dollars per share. She attributes her success to her servant
leadership practices and by filtering every decision through the question how well does this
serve the franchise owner?

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THE GOALS OF A STRATEGIC PARTNER

The goals of a Strategic Partner are multi-dimensional but also
have a common theme. The majority lie within helping build their
organization and helping their people with respect to different
facets of the organization.

That being said there is a common theme of Servant

Leadership throughout all aspects of the Strategic
Leadership model.
The only semi-selfish goal would be to enhance Individual
Value and Personal Marketability but even though it has
an individual focus, increasing individual value is synonymous with having more to offer to the
organization.
An example of this could be if a manager was approached about a promotion to a higher
position in the company, he or she might decide to invest in some professionalism training to
help step up their game. This would not only help that individuals value and marketability but
it would also benefit the company by their staff coming off as more professional and prepared.

WHY BECOME A STRATEGIC PARTNER?

MASLOWS SELF-ACTUALIZATION THEORY
Everyone, by human nature, has dreams, goals, and a desire to
succeed in life. Abraham Maslow believes that only one percent of
each generation experiences self-actualization. In other words,
only one percent of people actually realize their full potential and
reach their goals.

Maslow believed that "What humans can be, they must

be."
Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the
grave with the song still in them. Henry David Thoreau
It is easy to live for others, everybody does. I call on you to live for yourself. Ralph Waldo
Emerson

Everyone at some point had or has lofty goals and dreams for themselves. Its unfortunate that so
many people give up on themselves and settle for less before reaching what they are truly living for.
People give up because they lack the know-how, or it may be too difficult, or maybe they have a lack of
support, or some people dont completely know what they are passionate about. Whatever it may be,
they are lacking some part or maybe multiple parts of what builds the foundation to self-actualization.

THE STRATEGIC PARTNER VALUE PROPOSITION

A Strategic Partner will have developed exceptional personal credibility, oral presentation manner and
style, marketplace eminence, self-management around time demands and constraints, and leadership

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ability. This significantly increases their value to an employer, propels them far beyond the crowd, and
ensures they will have a successful career as well as self-actualizing and reaching their goals.

This is the part where we get to be a little selfish while also helping others. It goes back to
being a Servant Leader. If you focus on helping others achieve their dreams and goals, yours
will come passively with ease. There are two kinds of people in the world those who walk
into a room and say Here I am and those who say There you are. Abigail Van Buren
Former GE CEO Jack Welch observed (paraphrase), were taught how to raise our hand to
answer every question. The problem is that leadership that building an organization, is all
about knowing how to help others raise their hands and answer questions.
Calvert Investments, the nations largest family of socially responsible mutual funds, veteran
CEO Barbara Krumsiek oversees $12.5 billion in forty funds, leading several hundred people.
She likes to have nothing on my desk that Im responsible for so she can focus on bringing
together her staff and the work on their desks.

The moral of the story is to Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you strive to
become a strategic partner and focus your efforts on helping others, you will be much more likely to
self-actualize and reach your own goals.

CAREER DESTINATION
Career Destination is taking a long-time perspective. Many people struggle with this concept even
when prompted to consider their plans for themselves, much less deciding to consider it frequently on
their own. Many become so caught up in their daily tasks and activities that they almost never consider
their long-term goals that are 5, 10 or 15 years out Much less 1 year or 6 months even.

It is incredibly easy as a college student to bury yourself in class work, extracurricular, and a
job, so much so that many bow their head and plow through the work. Six months later, they
look up and realize how much time has passed and theyve made no progress. Instead they
have simply treaded water and wasted a lot of time (a most valuable resource). It is
unfortunate this happens so frequently in college because in my opinion, it is the most
important time in anyones life to be considering their career destination
The number of Americans that are satisfied with their job hit an all-time low of 42.6% in 2010
following the Great Recession. While it has made some improvements, 52.3% of Americans are
still unhappy at work.

It is not common human behavior to frequently think and strategize that far into the future without
being prompted to do so. It is something that we must force ourselves to do. Imagine how much better
off we would be if we sat down once a week and asked ourselves how what we did this week moved us
closer to our goals and acted upon our findings. It would be a game changer.

WHY DO ORGANIZATIONS NEE D STRATEGIC PARTNERS ?

Upon first thought, when you think of an organization, you likely think of it as a legal entity, you think
about it in the form in which you have had interactions with it.

When you think of United Postal Service, you think about the satisfaction of receiving what you
wanted on your doorstep without ever having to leave your house and you think about the
iconic brown straight trucks that they drive.
When you think of Walmart, the first thing you picture would likely be the physical storefront
or maybe even their website.

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The problem with this is that this is only half of the story. What really makes up an organization are its
people. It is ultimately the people, directly or indirectly, that influence the customer experience and
how an organization is perceived. This goes to show that an organization is only as good as it its talent.

BASIC QUALITIES OF A STRATEGIC PARTNER

Desired Qualities:

Contributing Factors:

Projects a Strategic Partner image:

Healthy Self-Esteem, Boardroom Presence, Professionalism,

Relationship & Team Building, and management around time
demands and constraints

Business Knowledge and Practice

Understands Vision & Strategic Imperatives of the Firm, Strong

Technician, Practice Management, Engagement Management,
True expertise, exercises sound business judgement

Strategic Contribution:

Creativity, Consultative Skills, Marketplace Eminence

Leading Others:

Positive Role Model, Connector, Recruiter, Mentor, Motivator,

Champion of others

By looking at the foundational qualities of a Strategic Partner, we can clearly see how these would be
paramount in the leadership of a successful organization. A Strategic Partner ultimately drives the
growth of an organization, properly leverages talent, inspires others to be winners, earns respect from
others in the business community, create highly sought-after work environments, naturally draws more
talent, increases employee and customer retention, brings credibility to the company, mentors
subordinates in succession planning, and helps the company leave a great legacy.

Following the Strategic Partner Leadership model is mutually beneficial to both the organization and the
individual. It is the driving force for personal growth and success as well as that of the companys.

THE CAREER DESTINATI ON CONCEPT

Much of what was discussed throughout this semester revolved around interaction with your
peers, both directly and indirectly. Career Destination however is one of the few topics that we studied
that is entirely concerned with personal vision and growth. Career Destination is centered on a long term
perspective. All successful people have a plan and a vision.
They know where they want to be and they take very specific
and deliberate steps to get there. Although it is encouraged
that your end goal be a high and lofty achievement, it is well
known that nothing worthwhile was accomplished overnight.
It is not expected that to have accomplished your goals
immediately; however, you will never see them through
unless you take decisive actions. Career Destination is similar
to a game of chess. Assuming you are a decent chess player,
each move you make, puts you one move closer to capturing the opposing king. In addition, it is
essential to always be thinking a few moves ahead. When discussing Career Destination there are a few
main points to be addressed:

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1) The power of a plan
2) How my actions today, shape my tomorrow
3) Why many fail to create their own career destination
Each of these points are essential to understanding the importance of Career Destination in both your
professional and personal life. Although the term career may be misleading, the concepts of career
destination are very applicable to personal goals that may revolve around family or a childhood dream.

THE POWER OF A PLAN

Nearly all people have the intention of accomplishing great things throughout the course of their
lives; however, few are able to realize their dreams. More often than not, people carelessly chalk up
their losses as bad luck or beyond their control. The idea of career destination challenges those
ideologies. The first aspect of career destination is identifying clear cut and specific goals. The goals may
vary from reaching out to a few old friends by the end of the month to becoming a CEO of a fortune 500
company. The goals themselves do not matter, if each goal is attacked in the same manner you are much
more likely to accomplish them. After you have set your goals, you then start to strategically position
yourself for success. When presented with a decision or choice, you must ask yourself what outcome of
this decision will place me closer to where I want to see myself in the end? If you are able to consistently
question yourself in a similar manner you will find yourself copious with opportunity.

HOW MY ACTION TODAY, SHAPE MY TOMORROW

An essential concept to fully understanding career destination is that your actions and
environment of today will undoubtedly affect your tomorrow. People naturally tend to habituate their
actions, and it is their habits that define them. For this reason it is crucial that people develop habits that
are in accordance with their goals and will position them for success. For example, a friend of mine has a
career dream of working on Wall Street as an investment banker, thus he has been diligently working to
stay up-to-date with the markets and economy to give him an edge on others. He developed a small
habit of reading the Wall Street Journal the moment he wakes up every morning. Simple actions such as
these are what allow people to cross that elusive line of failure and success.

WHY MANY PEOPLE FAIL TO CREATE THEIR OWN CAREER DESTINATION

Each individual has the ability to be the master of their own future; however, there are few
people that achieve their dreams. Why is that? People consistently fall short of their dreams because
they take the road of least resistance and are afraid of failure; others are not able to locate their
passion and/or may not have the right motivation to follow through with their plans. These are all
reasons that people find failure and each of these can be avoided. Successful people take the time to
reflect on their own lives and identify what they truly want and nothing will get in their way of
accomplishing it. Successful people understand that it will get hard and they are willing to endure to
achieve. This is what career destination is about: identifying goals, developing a plan, and obtaining the
right mindset to accomplish said goals. With this strategy, even the most outlandish goals soon become
attainable and you are capable of accomplishing anything you put your mind to.

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THE STRATEGIC PARTNER VALUE PROPOSITION

OVERVIEW
The Strategic Partner Value Proposition describes the qualities of great leaders and how
any person can change their behavior to achieve Strategic Partnership. Its all about perception.
Reality is in the eyes of the beholder, but Strategic Partners can ensure that they carry a positive
perception in the minds of all those met. The Strategic Partner Value Proposition can be broken
into 5 main focus area:
1) Personal Credibility
2) Oral Presentation Manner and Style
3) Management Around Time
4) Marketplace Eminence
5) Leading Others
PERSONAL CREDIBILITY
HEALTHY SELF-IMAGE
Nearly every step of the Strategic Partner Value Proposition requires confidence in ones self.
Confidence starts with a healthy self-image. What constitutes a healthy self-image?
Charisma: warmth, sincerity, establishing a presence
Character: good, strong, always there in a time of need
Resilience: strength through negative experiences
Attitude: positive, optimistic
Emotional Intelligence: empathizing with others, helping others, leading others
Start by evaluating your current self-image. List your positives. Do you have a healthy ego or are you
arrogantly narcissistic? Do you have a positive self-image from others or by stepping on others? Does
your perception match others? Ask them. Work to match others perception of you to you your own
confident self-image.
A struggle with self-image is maintaining optimism through negative experiences. Life is not so much
what happens to us as it is how we respond to what happens to us. This quote from James C. Hunter
shows that ones ability to be a Strategic Partner starts with establishing a healthy self-image so that
we may persevere through peril and work towards achievement and help others to do so as well.

BOARDROOM PRESENCE
Your Boardroom presence determines how others perceive you in a business or social setting. Your
appearance derives from your physique and dress.
Fitness is vital to maintaining a healthy life, physically and mentally. Fitness promotes positivity, a
sense of well-being, confidence, and a stronger presence.
Dress should appeal to your critical audience. Dressing professionally establishes credibility and
respect. Bill Gates, carrying high regard in even the most casual of wear, dresses in full, business
professional attire when he champions Microsoft in front of the Senate and other settings
demanding professionalism.

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INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Your interpersonal skills are rooted in the minds of others by 4 apsects:
1) Carriage
a. Standing upright, moving with purpose, and carrying confidence
b. Acknowledging others, giving them attention and focusing on them
2) Introduction Style
a. A kind smile, attentive eye contact, and a strong handshake
b. Seek to form relationships: introduce yourself and remember names
3) Etiquette
a. Please and Thank yous (especially to wait-staff)
b. Patience and politeness
4) Attention to others
a. Focus your body language towards them
b. Listen to those you are talking with
Having strong interpersonal skills helps to form strong and remembered relationships. It also helps to
build others confidence and trust in you, even in just a few short minutes.

AWARENESS
Awareness of your immediate surroundings and those whom you are with plays an important role in
your interactions and presence. It is also equally important to have awareness of the world around you
and current events. Know events and happenings in within your professional realm, your social circles,
politics and world affairs, and entertaining events (sports, arts, etc.).
The best way to develop your awareness is through reading books, watching or reading the news, and
talking to others. A real life example of this practice: Bill Gates reads one book per week outside his
personal area of interest. Great leaders always work to learn more.

PERSONAL SUBSTANCE/PROFESSIONALISM
Integrity. Integrity establishes personal substance. Doing the right thing rather than the wrong is
neither habit nor instinct. It is will. We must make the effort to learn what is right (rather than what we
desire) and then do it Stephen L. Carter. Integrity Quality Professionalism Ideal qualities.
Attitude: Your environment is a merciless mirror of you. Your condition and position is only as
positive as you are.
Civility: an unconditional positive regard for others
Self-Discipline: commitment to your goals and maintaining bearing, even in the most difficult
situations
Work Ethic: self-motivating and exceeding expectations. Dedication to the mission.
Remember that Social Media is a large part of the professional world and helps to develop (or hinder)
the professionalism of all people. Ensure that your social media best represents how you wished other
professionals to perceive you. You can up security to keep unwanted others from your profile. The
professional level of profiles varies for the specific social media cite, but use it to enhance others
perception of you.

RELATIONSHIP AND TEAM BUILDING SKILLS

How to expertly create and build relationships and team building skills:
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Proactively reach out to others. Understand different personalities and know how to interact
with each. Build your personal network and frequently extend courtesies to others.
Take a helpful attitude toward others. Sacrifice for the team. Carry an open mind. Be a champion
for people: act as a role model for others and be a mentor. Ensure that your relationships are
two-way streets.

Always do your best to proactively stay in contact to maintain strong relationships.

PRESENTATION MANNER AND STYLE

Selling yourself, your ideas, and your services.
Interpersonal and Listening skills
Reception interaction (comfort in networking)
Oral Presentation
Facilitation of meetings, discussions, negotiations
Interviewing for talent
Written skills (grammar, brevity, persuasion): notes, emails, messages, etc.
Vocabulary (precision of language and production of sound bites)

ORAL PRESENTATION
Skill in oral presentation facilitates your establishment as a Strategic Partner. The skills of oral
presentation are used for client presentations, leading client meetings, staff meeting presentations,
facilitating training sessions, keynote addresses, student presentations, oral proposals, and
conversation. A simple concept for effective presenters is O.P.E.N.U.P.:
Organization: defined purpose and outline, poised and polished, enlightening
Passionate: deliver the message with conviction (body language and speech devices)
Engaging: connect with your audience; make it entertaining and impactful
Natural: appear comfortable, confident, and conversational
Understand Audience: know target audience and their psychographics; connect early
Practice: early and often

TIME MANAGEMENT
Time is natures greatest force. Nothing can stop it;
nothing can alter it. Unlike the wind, it cannot be felt.
Unlike the sun, it cannot be seen. Yet, of all natures
forces, time has the most profound effect on us Dr.
Tony Alessandra. You cannot manage time; it is forever
definite. We can manage ourselves around time. In the
time we have, we must balance career and family,
personal and professional goals, resolve conflicting
priorities. All activities accounted for, the average
person has approximately 6 hours to be used
discretionarily. To optimize our definite time, we
should avoid Quadrant IV and strive to live in Quadrant II.

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Learn to prioritize and put first things first. Manage time for relationships instead of schedules and
effectiveness instead of efficiency. Follow your compass (your vision, values, principles, and mission),
not your clock.

MARKETPLACE EMINENCE
The most renowned Strategic Partners have a strong marketplace eminence. To establish your
marketplace eminence look for opportunity in new business development, focus on networking,
develop your business knowledge, exercise your creativity, and consult with others.

NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Personal Credibility make your name synonymous with success
Personal Product Confidence respond to needs in the marketplace; offer pro bono advice and
consulting

NETWORKING
The best plan for building and maintaining a strong network: Plant Nurture Harvest.
Relationship building with clients, targets, co-workers
Revenue Generation be a valuable asset in others networks and to your business
Expand your network attend seminars/roundtables, present to business groups, and engage in your
community

BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE
Know your business vision, history, structure, mission statement, the brand, new business
developments, projections for the future, etc.
Know your clients their brand, organizational structure, policies, mission statement, challenges,
projection for future, special initiatives, vision, etc.

CREATIVITY
Your mind is a powerful tool; use it.
Become a Thought Leader resolve issues, share your philosophy, lead others to think for
themselves, think freely and look for opportunity.
Exercise your Mind spend time challenging your mind, challenge yourself, develop a best practice
and push past your settled comfort zone.

CONSULTING
Know your expertise engage your sense of identity and your future vision; work with purpose and to
build competence; sense mistakes and get feedback to improve yourself
Work with superiors and clients provide creative thought; bring strength and improvement

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Influence others offer something of benefit; reciprocate partnership; establish trust; offer
knowledge and advice (within your expertise or experience)

LEADING OTHERS
SERVANT LEADERS
Strategic Partners strive to act as Servant Leaders. They work to design positive strategies, focus on
building relationships with clients, and establish an employer of choice brand. They constantly lead in
service to others. They hold an unconditional positive regard for others, lead positive conflict
resolution, and inspire others. Servant Leaders hold themselves accountable for their actions and the
performance of their teams. They are resilient through peril and misfortune and maintain their bearing
in the most stressful situations. Strategic Partners as servant leaders are the best leaders to act as
champions and role models for others.

PEOPLE LEADERSHIP
Strategic Partners recruit, develop, and retain outstanding talent.
People want to be championed and led by those who closely
follow the Strategic Partner Value Proposition. Strategic Partners
create and sustain an employer of choice culture. They recognize
the new generation and know how to reach out to different
types of professionals. They facilitate internal teaching efforts and
know how to motivate and inspire those whom they champion.
They listen to the pains of their clients and provide solutions, they
build success, and effectively use resources to work towards the end goal.

THE VALUE PROPOSITIO N PUT INTO PLAY

Our most recognizable leaders closely followed the Strategic Partner Value Proposition.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt faced much adversity suffering from polio while helping to lead the
country through wartime. He held onto his strong self-image and took measures to ensure that the
country maintained their faith in him with his image. Despite his polio, he maintained a strong image
and relied on trusted others to help him with standing and walking. He maintained his strength and
helped to inspire others with his strong self-image. Roosevelt carried renowned credibility, knew how
to inspire others, and effectively lead others by providing them with solutions.
Helen Keller is a symbol for resilience, strength, inspiration, and integrity. Thrust into a world of silence
and darkness before the age of two, Helen Keller went on to transcend all imaginable physical barriers
to graduate Cum Laude from Radcliffe College. She also authored a number of articles, books, and
biographies and lectured in more than 25 countries. She held a healthy self-image and a remarkable
awareness for her situation. She established her personal credibility, held on to her integrity, and
persevered through extreme adversity. Her personal substance and ability to present and accomplish
all that she has, inspires others to face their own struggles and overcome to develop.

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Final Exam 2015

If you change your behavior, you can change your outcome. Put into practice the Strategic Leadership
Model and follow the Strategic Partner Value Proposition to improve yourself as a leader, as a
professional, and as a person. Start with the end in mind and follow a goal-oriented path set by the
Career Destination concept. Seek first to understand then to be understood, work towards synergy and
to serve others, and commit yourself to constant improvement.
We will leave you with three thoughts:

Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours. Les Brown
Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are
always asking, Whats in it for me? Brian Tracy
Its not (only) how good you areIts (also) how much you want it David Maister

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