A strategic leader is one who has a vision and who makes decisions after accessing all the possible intricacies and motivates others to follow. I think every person is a strategic leader whether at a personal or professional level. Every person takes decisions for a better future, make plans for their studies, career, marriage, kids and many big decisions of life. All these things need a careful plan with all possible risks in mind to reach a set goal.
As a strategic leader, presently I am working towards my plan. I made the decision to pursue Masters of Arts in Leadership to know what actually leadership is all about and to open more career options for the future. I traveled all the way from India to Canada all alone without my family to reach my vision. While planning I was well aware of the circumstances I may face. I struggled to find a part-time job, learned to drive on right hand and learning new skills and values from MA LEAD. My present circumstances are according to my expectations what I already planned. I am trying to balance my work and study.
When I face stressful situations, I may become argumentative with my close family members only. At the professional level I have never argued with anyone in any condition. I feel demotivated and good for nothing. I cannot take decisions quickly. After going through my Birkman assessment I realized my weakness regarding stress and how I react to it. I am trying to learn to gain endurance to cope with stressors. At the personal level I feel easy to talk and discuss things out. I feel emotionally weak. I feel alone sometimes being away from my family which effects my concentration on my work and studies as well.
To change these circumstances I need to try to be calm, build trust in myself, remain positive, make a good plan and take decisions quickly both at personal and professional level. I need to learn to manage my emotions. It’s all in the mind. I need to train myself psychologically. I need to improve my stress management skills. At the professional level I feel difficult to speak up and this is what I am trying to work out, so that if I face any problem and I can discuss with the right person to avoid any miscommunication. I am learning to balance my life which can reduce the chance of stress. As mentioned by Hughes, “strategy as a learning process (2014.p 19). I managed to take out time to meet my friends and for other family get together.
Strengths and Weakness
The Birkman assessment has helped me a lot in self-awareness, to understand my strengths and weaknesses. Other skills that assist leaders to thrive in a VUCA world are self-awareness about how to leverage personal strengths and compensate consciously for weaknesses through partnering with others (Ungerer, Ungerer, and Herholdt, 2016).
As a transformational servant leader, I need to work on visioning and strategic thinking. I have the leadership competency of adaptability and change as I can easily adjust to the changing needs. As now I have changed my career move from education to business and I am trying my best to learn new ways to adjust myself according to the new goal. I feel easy and confident while working in a team and I respond best in collaboration. Collaboration is a powerful choice (Ungerer et al., 2016). I lack the skill of innovation. I cannot think out of the box and I need to sharpen my skill to think with new perspectives and possibilities. I plan and organize things well but I need to work on time management to handle multiple tasks effectively.
Mission, Vision, and Values
Our day to day activities and decisions are guided by mission and vision. Our faith and trust in God let us move forward to work on our mission and accomplish our vision. My present mission is to pursue my MA Leadership. My mission is to hold hands with my family and loved ones towards the path of life and help them whenever they want. My family and near ones are always my priority. I learn the value of love and friendship from them. The other values are:
Truth
Helping others
Continuous learning
Honesty
Teamwork
Strategic Drivers
“Strategic drivers are called key success factors” (Hughes et al, 2014, p. 26). In my personal and professional life, the key strategic driver is being adaptable. I am flexible enough to adjust in new surroundings easily and quickly. My other strategic driver is social competence. I feel emotionally sensitive and I understand the value of emotions. Being close to my family and friends I know the value of care and I feel connected to them emotionally. The area that I will excel in is teamwork.
Culture
I want to develop a culture of best service, quality, and equality. To have faith in God, to believe in values and to enhance relationships. The relationships should be strong enough so that as a leader I can influence everyone around me. To bring desired changes and help people to adapt and adjust in new surroundings. The role of leaders is to help other people to do the important work of developing products and delivering services (Ungerer, M., Ungerer, G., & Herholdt, J., 2016). Interaction with every person will strengthen relations and can help build a better character.
Conclusion
The old economy thinking and practices that I experienced was leader-focused or egocentric. But with time leadership practices are evolving. The new economic thinking and practices rely on team-work and collaboration. In India, I have seen leaders fighting for the power only. They do not focus on the welfare of people. To change this practice is really difficult. Usually, a leader holds all the power. I want to change this practice of leadership at my professional level. I believe that leaders are servants and always serve humanity. At the professional level I think collaboration, communication, and building a belief are necessary. A strategic leader thinks for the long-term impact and looks for needed changes. As the strategy is a process of change and transformation, we need to keep on learning and adapt to new changes.
Refrences
Hughes, R. L., Beatty, K. C., & Dinwoodie, D. L. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader your role in your organizations enduring success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Ungerer, M., Ungerer, G., & Herholdt, J. (2016). Navigating strategic possibilities: Strategy formulation and execution practices to flourish. Randburg: KR Publishing.
