Natural born leaders

Many business and marketing managers progressing to leadership positions face evolving their focus from operational matters to strategic decision making and planning.

We all know that people excelling at execution will not always succeed at strategy building or strategic decision making. So it begs the question: Can you learn to be a strategist or is it a skill you are born with?

Many research papers argue a lack of strategic thinking by senior managers is often a major shortcoming in organisations. With all the tools, training and methods available to managers today, this points to the fact that while the strategic process can be learned, the practice of strategy requires a natural incline to really succeed at it.

Of course, not all strategy makers are born the same, and there are many form of strategy building. I am referring to the capacity to see forward, build visions and roadmaps. It is also important to differentiate strategic thinking from strategic planning, the latter being correlated to analytics decision based and organising rather than visioning.

And this is often what is really required from managers. While great visionaries can be amazing leaders, they are the exception rather than the norm.

Unfortunately, people in organisations hold the belief strategic thinking sits above execution in some form of 'royal' hierarchy. This is the core of the issue: Managers want to be perceived as being 'strategic thinkers' because of the  belief that true leaders are 'strategic', therefore equating leadership and strategy.

These are different skill sets and shouldn't be confused. Leading people and creating visions are vastly different and originate from different parts of the cortex.

Take a deep look at your experience with leadership teams and you will find most leaders are not strategic thinkers; their core skills lie in driving people, driving execution and only sometimes in strategy. So the correlation between strategy and leadership falls short.

So when managers want to climb the corporate ladder they may find that they can be successful if they support strategy as opposed to dictating it. Where they need to use their skills is in translating strategies into corporate visions and implementation paths.

What's the lesson here?If strategy is not your forte,don't fake it. Instead, leverage your skills to enhance, plan and lead its successful accomplishment, keep in mind that brilliant strategies often fail due to poor execution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you learn to be a strategic thinker? The strategic process can be learned, but truly effective strategy, particularly the ability to build visions and roadmaps, requires a natural inclination. Not everyone is wired for strategic visioning, and that is perfectly fine.

What is the difference between strategic thinking and strategic planning? Strategic thinking is about seeing forward and building visions. Strategic planning is more analytical, involving organising, decision making, and execution. They are different skill sets that often get confused, especially in leadership contexts.

Are great leaders always great strategists? Not necessarily. Most successful leaders excel at driving people and execution, not at pure strategic visioning. The two are different skills and conflating them is one of the most common mistakes in organisations.

What should you do if strategy is not your strength? Focus on what you do well, translating strategy into clear visions and execution paths. Brilliant strategies frequently fail because of poor implementation. Supporting and executing strategy effectively is just as valuable as creating it.

First published in CMO magazine