5 UNUSUAL ATTRIBUTES OF EFFECTIVE STRATEGIC LEADERS

Easily said, but how does that translate into something tangible? What do managers have to do and how do they have to behave towards their employees?

Visit Google, LinkedIn, Harvard Business Review, or any of the resources you use for knowledge and information. Conduct of good leaders and so on.

I recently read Google's "10 Traits That Make You A Successful Leader," according to internal Google research; If you read any of these, you are likely to think that what they encourage as behaviors or traits are desirable and often practical, even though you may think that all of these are rare in executives you are familiar with.

But every time I read these articles, I keep finding that there is a key leadership trait missing that we believe is essential, the processes.


In working with senior management teams over several decades, PMI has consistently recognized five common characteristics that enable managers to consistently achieve the goals of their organization using a process approach rather than a results-oriented approach:

1. Executives develop and implement an effective strategy
It is important that managers, both at the top level and at the functional or business unit level, have a strategy that leverages competitive advantages and is sustainable.

2. Managers operate effective leadership processes
We expect process operators to work according to a defined process. It is no different with top managers. They need to run their own leadership processes, making sure they involve all employees so that employees understand the strategy and their role in executing it.

3. Executives understand their customers' needs and how the company meets them.
Effective leaders ensure their company is delivering for its customers today by taking care of the following:

Value Streams - the core activities, processes in your organization that deliver products and services that your customers want and are willing to pay for

Customers - they understand their market, the wishes and expectations of their customers and work to inspire them so that they can retain them in the future

A process approach for management - so that the current business delivers what customers need:

Consistent: Everyone works according to the same standard, i.e. it does not matter in which area / location is worked, there is a uniform workflow of the work as a process.
Effective: The product or service meets the customer's needs, is delivered in the right quality so that the customer is satisfied, if not enthusiastic, with what he gets.
Efficient: The way the work is done is efficient for the organization, not subject to waste, delays or high costs, so the work is sustainable and results in a healthy and profitable product or service.

A systems approach to leadership - the work is not done in isolation or in a silo, you see how the value streams are linked across the functions so that the work can flow smoothly through your system and the needs of your external and internal customers are met.



4. They ask questions of demand
They do this because they are genuinely interested in how the work works and how the managers and operators of the work see the work, what is working well and what opportunities for improvement they see. This is key to understanding if your strategy is understood, how it will be implemented, and if it is producing results.

These questions are not limited to the board room or the monthly report, but are asked regularly in the workplace, as they regularly visit the workplace as part of their management process.


They are interested in understanding whether they need to adjust their goal, strategic goals, based on the information that people and processes share with them.

5. You value contributions from others
Effective leaders value the contribution of all employees and enable them to be as effective, efficient and adaptable as possible. They guide and control everything they do by assigning specific roles and responsibilities to all levels of the company, from the CEO to the shop floor; Everyone knows their role and the requirements for them so that their results are efficient, effective and agile. They ensure that the processes are owned and managed like any other asset. You are looking for external input from customers, competitors and macroeconomic factors.