Strategic Will: How to Cultivate Strategic Courage?
Strategic courage is the ability and willingness to take calculated risks and make tough decisions in pursuit of long-term goals. It is about the willingness to make changes in order to achieve an effect. Unfortunately, Norwegian organizations often lack this willingness. We are too busy solving everyday problems and even if we see that there are opportunities, we are too slow to take them. We are not ambitious enough. We kind of have to have a crisis before we make big changes.
But it wasn't always like that. In kindergarten, we sat side by side with potential astronauts and football stars. Everyone built castles and were rock stars in the making. We were the king of the hill, princesses and fort designers!
Naturally, these ambitions fade with age, but it's important that we don't give up the will to think a little bigger. As a leader, you have a responsibility to create a culture that moves forward towards something bigger and better. Whether you're leading a small team or a large organisation .
5 tips for creating and cultivating strategic will
1: Be a role model
If you as a leader do not dare to show strategic will, then you cannot expect those under you to do so.
This is very much about clarity.
Strategic prioritization . A strategy often has many elements. You need to be clear about what are must-win battles and what comes second. Prioritizing also helps others understand where to put their pressure, and that they also need to prioritize.
Tell us what you do and why. If you can show how you think when you make decisions, and how you live up to the strategy, you create confidence for those under you to also show courage and determination.
Live your company's values The values of a company are there for people to understand how to behave. How to make decisions. What not to do. Create safety. Make sure your decisions and actions align with the organization's core values. Think Employer Branding .
Transparency is also about being open about what is happening. Many people avoid sharing negative news “to protect their employees.” You don’t want your employees to worry. That’s natural, but you’re pacifying those who have the will and ability to solve any problems.
2: Teach your team to think growth
It's pretty simple math, really. Without growth, you don't make more money than you did last year. And without more money than you did last year, there won't be any pay raises. Or other fun things!
Increased costs will likely mean that cuts will have to be made somewhere, so it's important to teach your team to look for and attack growth opportunities.
Have a clear purpose . A mission. A goal . We call it “ purpose .” And it’s not just about giving people a reason to come to the office or wherever they are. projects , but about giving them a strategic direction so that they dare more. Make it easier to make the decisions that lead you there.
Create a strategic space for action. Strategy often resides at the top, not with those who will implement it. It is okay to be entrepreneurial in the company, but it must be consistent with the company's strategic direction. As a leader, you must create this strategic space for action and make it clear where employees can express their will.
Encourage them to see opportunities. Make sure that employees see the importance of participating in industry organizations, staying up to date on trends, and simply being a little ahead of the curve. Then they will see opportunities and feel more confident in making strategic suggestions. ("Others have succeeded with this, so we think it can work here too")
Don't be afraid to show numbers. People understand that more should come in each month than what goes out. The more people understand what they can contribute to the numbers and how they affect the economy, the easier it is for them to make good choices.
When people understand the importance of growth, it creates positive energy. People collaborate better, are more ready to adapt to changes in the market and think more long-term. Understanding economic sustainability creates strategic will.
3. Create psychological safety
If people are not completely confident in their colleagues or the organization, they will never dare to make decisions or share their thoughts on what is smart to do. They will burn out on things and waste both your and others' time escalating things that they could solve themselves.
Make sure people get to know each other, you, and the organization well.
Encourage people to be themselves. Let them understand that diversity is a strength, and that by being themselves they contribute to creating a better whole. In other words, make sure people are safe enough to offer themselves.
Make room for failure. Thomas Edison is often quoted as saying that he found 10,000 ways not to make a light bulb before he made it. People need to have the courage to try to make things happen, even after they have failed. That learning process can be difficult for people, but if you as a leader approach it as learning and not criticism, you build the courage and will to succeed.
Pavlov's dogs have taught us that behavior that is rewarded is repeated. Recognize and reward team members who demonstrate strategic courage. Be sure to celebrate every time you succeed! It not only creates security, but also a desire to contribute.
4. Learn to manage risk
In all strategic choices there is also a risk of making mistakes. That is why you need courage and will, because if you are only going to be on the safe side, you will never get anywhere. But it is good to have some methods for managing and minimizing risk. There are books about this, but there are some practical steps that may be more effective.
"Mentor" arrangement. It doesn't have to be that formal, but having a slightly more experienced colleague to spar with is smart. That way you can weed out the worst nonsense.
Learn stress management. Risk management often involves dealing with uncertainty and stress. People need to be comfortable with these feelings. We simply need to have some emotional intelligence. There are tons of courses on that, but talking to each other often works.
Share experiences . Regular self-reflection in a group is incredibly useful. It stimulates learning and provides a shared database of experiences that makes it easier to identify potential risks.
Talk about how you assess risk . Probability and consequence. What do these terms mean to you? What scenarios do you see? Best case? Worst case? Practicing talking about these things develops the ability to stand by them.
As mentioned, there are many formal risk management courses, and software for scenario mapping, etc., but fundamentally it is a lot about creating a culture of sharing experiences.
5: Facilitate continuous learning
Strategic will is a lot about the willingness to learn, and the willingness to take the consequences of what one has experienced. Therefore, making arrangements for evaluating and following up on decisions, projects and initiatives is something all businesses should do. Create a feedback loop/strategy loop that ensures that one constantly develops the business, sets new goals, gets a better picture of the market situation, creates better strategic alternatives and makes better choices.
It's not easy. Technology evolves. Customer behavior changes. Things happen in the industry. That's why you need to encourage your team to be on the ball and adapt new knowledge quickly. They need to be able to adapt to change. The consequence of not doing so is quickly an outdated strategy. But you also need to make sure that that learning is mapped and pushed up the organization.
A simple method could be regular surveys such as SSC (Stop-Start-Continue)
Stop: What should we stop doing?
Start: What should we start doing?
Continue: What should we continue with?
Key Takeaways
Most people who have been through a strategy process have gone through all the thoughts in this article, but then they fail at the learning part. You create a strategy and take some actions, but then the strategy disappears into a drawer and is not brought up again until a new leader comes along.
Strategic management is about constantly evaluating and developing strategy, brand platform, values and positioning. If you are going to cultivate strategic courage and will, then strategy work must be brought out of the drawer and into the consciousness of each individual!
The way forward towards more strategic will
At Mission, we are becoming increasingly skilled at helping people define purpose and giving them tools to bring vision and strategy to life in their organization. Together with you, we create culture, brands and brand expressions that help you cultivate clearer leadership and strategic courage.
Send us an email at hello@mission.no or call us at 24 10 35 00