Looking further into the Year 2013 through the Lens of Strategic Leadership

You are probably wondering why you should read this excerpt on leadership as you proceed into the year 2013. The following five points can assist in clarifying your thoughts as you propel to launch yourself and your organization/company this year. I call these the 5 “Ds” of Leadership.

The Five “Ds” of Leadership

Direction: – Like most things in life, we need to have a clear and precise focus when we set out on our leadership journey. Many of us today follow and live in the shadows of others. Sometimes we call it coaching and mentoring. The essence of these concepts (coaching and mentoring) is to facilitate the process of bringing the best out of the protégée or the coached. Unfortunately, most individuals being mentored or coached knowingly or unknowingly drop their personal goals, objectives and aspirations only to pick-up those of others; especially that of the mentor or coach. Though, it is good to encourage young and upcoming as well as experienced leaders to identify individuals they admire and look up to, we must also ensure that these individuals do not lose their direction and focus in the leadership development process. Both young and experienced leaders must be encouraged to have a clear personal and organizational vision, mission and strategy as they proceed into the Year 2013. Direction must accompany determination to ensure you arrive at your destination.

Determination: – Most people make resolutions and proceed to set specific goals and objectives for themselves and their organizations as they set out into the New Year. However, the question of whether these resolutions, goals and objectives are pursued to the latter mostly remain unanswered; partly because most people lack the discipline to consistently work towards achieving them [goals & objectives] or they lack the necessary mechanisms to assist in bringing their set goals and objectives back on track when they fall away. Both young and experienced leaders need the determination and drive to follow through with set goals and objectives and New Year resolutions. Below are four reliable steps towards ensuring you work diligently towards the realization of your goals and objectives in 2013 are:

• - Build/develop a network of like-minded, trusted and astute people. Such individuals can serve as your accountability group on regular basis to guide you through the process.
• - Set a regular meeting time and date where you (your accountability group) all get together to share your accomplishments and failures.
• - Celebrate each other’s accomplishments and find the appropriate words of encouragement for failed experiences and identify ways of avoiding a repetition of such mistakes.
• - Never give up on your resolution, goals and objectives.

Diversity: – Sometimes we become set in the way we do things and the people we want to work with. But the truth is, we can never find everything we need in a single place or individual.  Today’s leaders must learn to appreciate the fact that people are different in unique ways and every organization has something different to offer its people. We must learn to be flexible and open to new ideas and thoughts from both “new” and “old” people around us. Openness to different ideas and thoughts can facilitate the process of achieving organizational goals and objectives. In fact, making room for new thinking and idea creation can enhance an organizational environment that promotes creativity and innovation for industry leadership. Diversity can lead to organizational/company differentiation.

Differentiation: – Most leaders and organizations are losing the sense of being unique in their chosen industries and sectors due to paying too much attention to “the competition.” Paying attention to your competitors should never be sacrificed for setting yourself apart from the competition.. Leaders and organizations must take the necessary steps to develop a spirit of innovation and creativity within (internally) the organization/company while observing what is happening on the outside (externally). The following five steps can assist you in distinguishing (differentiating) yourself and your organization in 2013:

• - Develop a culture of creativity and innovation (this must be an ongoing process).
• - Allocate enough organizational/company resources towards the innovative and creativity process.
• - Implement a training and coaching program that promotes innovation.
• - Develop an idea management team.
• - Ensure all projects and tasks are tied to overall company/organizational strategy/ies.

Delivery/Destination: – Most leaders and organizations spend ample amount of time, money and other organizational resources developing mission statements, core values and strategic plans without actually implementing them. They never get to the actual delivery stage and the desired destination. The successful leaders and organizations in 2013 will be the ones that essentially focus on the implementation of their set goals and objectives towards the actualization and realizations of overall organizational strategy/ies. It is very easy to be distracted from your goals and objectives as you proceed further into the New Year. But taking the appropriate steps to ensure there are matrix in place to assist you and your organization in the implementation of your plans can lead to enormous individual and company success. The following are five steps you can apply towards the implementation and realizations of set individual and organizational goals:

• - Create buy-in from all stakeholders
• - Develop matrix for measuring and monitoring individual and organizational progress
• - Ensure that there is a regular and consistent feedback system (a 360 Degrees Feedback Process) in place. Do not wait until the last minute to provide feedback.
• - Celebrate small achievements
• - Accept and encourage “relevant failure/s”

You are off for a great start!

Dr. Peter Carlos Okantey

© January, 2013. The Okantey Group Inc.

About

The purpose of the iLeadership360 Degree Series is to facilitate the development of holistic organizational leaders who are capable of leading themselves, colleagues, followers and the organization as a whole. The seminar topics are carefully chosen to enhance the equipment of leaders at all levels of an organization. Every leader will be equipped to perform at the end of the each of the seminar series.

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The Dynamics and Roles of a Leader

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Seminar One

Why Leadership? Holistic Leadership Defined

By carefully analyzing leadership theories and attributes as well as providing room for practical applications, this seminar provides a solid foundation for leaders in identifying personal and individual traits/styles and discovering the most effective style of leadership with the organizational setting.

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Seminar Two

Preparation for the Journey: Leadership & Personal Triumphs

This seminar aims to promote and enhance the self-development and success of the individual leader in order for him/her to effectively pursue life and workplace related challenges as well as communicate them to fellow colleagues and staff to enhance organizational success.

Seminar Three

When Heart & Mind Collide: Leadership & Emotional Intelligence

Dealing with the intricacies of assessing and managing the emotions of one’s self and other groups is a vital skill in any organizational setting. This seminar illustrates the importance of constructively developing this notion in order to spearhead leadership performance in and out of the workplace.

Seminar Four

The Confluence of Strategy & Imagination: Visionary Leadership

This seminar is designed to prepare a leader to develop and implement dynamic and strategic vision statements that enhance organizational change for performance. The activity worksheets facilitate the process of providing the necessary tools needed to be a high-achieving and visionary leader.

Seminar Five

Leadership & Organizational Design & Development

This seminar is instrumental for re-designing an organization for  performance and success  for  local and international enterprises.  Both  new and experienced leaders will participate in several activities focusing on planning and expanding their organizations utilizing relevant steps and models.

Seminar Six

The Art & Science of Decision-Making: Leadership & Decision Making

The ability to make timely and informed decisions is a fundamental skill that any leader must possesses in his arsenal. The goal of this seminar is to highlight the impacts of valuable decision-making skills in the organizational setting and facilitate practical and realistic steps to achieve this.

Seminar Seven

The Core of Effective Communication: Leadership & Communication

Effective communication is the means by which a vision becomes a reality, especially in an organizational setting. This seminar emphasizes the development of appropriate media for effective communication to assist in achieving set goals and objectives.

Seminar Eight

The Art of Followership: Leadership-Followership Alignment

Leaders and followers must work in synergy to meet and exceed set goals and objectives. This seminar prepares leaders to receive insight from their followers, gain buy-ins for set projects and maximize productivity within their organizations.

Leading Others

Seminar Nine

Leadership, Mentoring, & Coaching

Support systems like mentoring and coaching programs have been shown to provide additional benefits to organizations.  This seminar will facilitate the development of such programs and equip leaders with the ability to effectively promote mentor-mentee relationships and retain new potential leaders.

Seminar Ten

Everyday Team Building: Leadership & Team Building

There is no “I” in team. The importance of a good and highly functional team can never be underestimated. Different types of team building activities and their relevance to assigned projects will be discussed.  This seminar will also assist leaders in identifying the challenges teams face and the steps needed to conquer them.

The Dimensions of Leadership

Seminar Eleven

Leadership & Change

All organizations have to adapt to dynamic environments.  In this regard, this seminar prepares participants for the necessary steps to take to lead and implement successful changes and transitions within the organizational setting.

Seminar Twelve

The Disappearing Act of Critical Thinking: Leadership & Critical Thinking

Why do organizations need leaders to think critically? What is critical thinking about? This seminar stimulates the critical and analytical thinking capacities of each leader to develop critical thinking skills for strategic decision making in an organizational setting.

Seminar Thirteen

Business Without Borders: Leadership & Diversity in a Global Economy

As the world becomes more globalized, different individuals, cultures and beliefs must increasingly interact and coexist with each other. This integration provides the setting for very diverse communities and workplaces. This seminar is designed to equip leaders with the necessary skills and tools they need to be effective and efficient in working with a diverse workforce and customer base.

Seminar Fourteen

The World is Grey: Leadership & Ethics

Ethics are imperative to leading a thriving organization.  This seminar analyzes the principles of ethical leadership and exposes leaders to current ethical theories and relevant values necessary to create ethical organizations.

Seminar Fifteen

Leadership & the Future

The future of the workforce is variant, technology filled, and more diverse than ever before. This session will address how leaders can become aware of the changing multi-generational landscape and the direction of workplace norms and trends, to maximize the opportunities and potential of the future workplace.

Contact us for more information

1. Create the Path

Nothing can happen without leadership.  The success of an organization begins and ends with the right leadership. True leaders model their values and what they stand for.  This allows followers to pursue short and long-term goals alongside. Leaders who set the right pace achieve the desired result for their organization.

2. Create a Shared Vision

Most leaders emerge with a vision for their organization. Successful leaders work to inspire and motivate their followers to buy-in to their vision to enhance its realization. Follower buy-in is significant to the success of every organization. Clear and concise channels of communication leads to follower buy-in. Individuals will follow if they have a clear understanding of the direction the leader is headed.  Leaders who fail to clearly communicate their vision have difficulty implementing their ideas.

3. Create the Process

True leaders develop specific steps needed to realize a desired future and vision within the organizational setting.  Successful leaders create the right atmosphere for their followers to succeed by providing the required tools and resources to enhance individual performance.

4. Create Leaders

Successful leaders work towards empowering others to develop into leadership positions. They identify opportunities and provide the needed support to augment their growth. Leaders have a succession plan for their organization and therefore pass on what they have learned to prepare others for a higher calling.

5. Create the Future

Triumphant leaders are imaginative with a clear mental picture of the future. They have the ability to put the needed structures in place for their followers to work towards the end goal. The power of imagination facilitates leadership success in times of challenges because the leader is able to foresee beyond the current situation to behold a promising future.  The leader then visibly communicates this promising future. Successful leaders are able to create hope and a future. This can only take place with a vivid imagination.

By Dr. Peter Carlos Okantey