How Would You Describe Yourself?

Posted on December 03, 2009 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.

“There are two parties, the establishment and the movement.”  – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Leadership without strategy is nothing, for without strategic thinking, leaders have no where to go, no where to point others, and only boring stories to tell. To be an effective leader, we need to be a strategic thinker - for Great leaders have clearly defined dreams and visions of what could be, and what should be. 

The father of Servant Leadership theory, Robert Greenleaf, writes, “Not much happens without a dream.  And for something great to happen, there must be a great dream – for behind every great achievement is a dreamer of great dreams.  Much more than a dreamer is required to bring it into reality; but the dream must be there first.”

Although you may not have thought of yourself as a “dreamer” (or a strategist), unless you are able to develop powerful dreams, your ability to effectively lead others will be greatly undermined – For leadership always starts with a strategic vision that defines (and describes) what could be – or rather, what should be. 

So what does strategic thinking look like

?  This can be a little confusing, for many executives interchange the words: strategy, values, mission, purpose, vision, and goals as if they were all the same.  But Strategic Thinking is the way in which a leader thinks about, assess, views, and creates the future for themselves, their organization, church, or family.  It is not reactive, but proactive.  One more thing… Strategic thinking always involves change, and often, profound personal change.  It is about achieving positive results, adding incredible value…  and so forth and so on.  You get the idea.

Challenge

: What are you doing to improve your strategic thinking skills?  What dream do you need to create a specific plan around to achieve?