The Role of

Strategist

The Role of
ROLE DEFINITION
Role Definition Practice Activities Training Programs Personal Development Reading List Other Resources (Web Materials, Business Cases, Tapes and Videos)

Strategist

Can use both convergent and divergent analysis to envision the direction in which the industry and competition are moving and put in place long-term plans and unit capabilities to position the organization for future success. Knows how to evaluate external threats and capabilities, internal strengths and weaknesses, and logically establishes a path forward that is consistent with both vision and reality. Able to adjust actions and decision-making for focus on critical initiatives and issues.

PRACTICE ACTIVITIES
1. Schedule time with a leader in the organization who you respect as a business strategist. Discuss the issues this person is confronting, and how he or she is going about dealing with strategies to confront them appropriately. 2. Ask your supervisor or another experienced leader to include you in discussions on strategic planning. Spend time after these sessions discussing what happened and why. 3. Ask a mentor to look over your shoulder and offer suggestions as you try out a new area of strategic analysis and decision-making. 4. Look for opportunities to join a strategic planning session or team, and study some of the thinking of others there. 5. Ask your business unit members to analyze which of their operating concepts and views are potentially obsolete or no longer credible. Dialogue with them about what needs to change. 6. Explain your strategy for business success to your supervisors at least twice each year. Make sure that they realize this is an opportunity for them to add to the strategy planning and that you are eager to get their feedback. Carefully review their thoughts and include what is most important in your planning. Then, review the re-calibration of the strategy with them so that they can share it with the rest of the business unit. 7. Avoid solving the immediate problem only. Look for root causes for the problem and solve that issue. Get anothers point of view so that you are not so quickly locked into a single perspective or mental model of the problem or issue. This other manager should be

Strategist

Diane Foster and Associates All Rights Reserved

STRATEGIST

Strategist

Diane Foster and Associates All Rights Reserved