Summary by James R. Martin, Ph.D., CMA
Professor Emeritus, University of South Florida
Leadership Main | Decision Theory Main |
Managing Yourself Main
This article includes the following Self Test on Strategic Leadership. The 12 questions are based on six skills that indicate a leaders ability to navigate the unknown effectively. These include the ability to anticipate, challenge, interpret, decide, align, and learn. The idea is to identify your weaknesses and correct them. I believe most of these questions are applicable to anyone who makes major strategic decisions about business or life. That includes just about everyone.
| Self Test on Strategic Leadership | ||
| Skill | On a scale of 1-7 for each question, how often do you: | Scale* |
| Anticipate | 1. Gather information from a wide network of experts and sources inside and outside your industry and function? | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
| 2. Predict competitors' potential moves and likely reactions to new initiatives or products? | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | |
| Challenge | 3. Reframe a problem from several angles to understand root causes? | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
| 4. Seek out diverse views to see multiple sides of an issue? | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | |
| Interpret | 5. Demonstrate curiosity and an open mind? | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
| 6. Test multiple working hypotheses with others before coming to conclusions? | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | |
| Decide | 7. Balance long-term investment for growth with short-term pressure for results? | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
| 8. Determine trade-offs, risks, and unintended consequences for customers and other stakeholders when making decisions? | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | |
| Align | 9. Assess stakeholders' tolerance and motivation for change? | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
| 10. Pinpoint and address conflicting interests among stakeholders? | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | |
| Learn | 11. Communicate stories about success and failure to promote institutional learning? | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
| 12. Course correct on the basis of disconfirming evidence, even after a decision has been made? | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | |
| Average | ||
| * Scale: 1 = Rarely, 7 = Almost always | ||
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