Make it a daily habit

Welcome to the Strategic Leader newsletter! If we haven’t met yet, thank you for joining me! You can learn a little more about me here, including a short film.

Think.

Coming back from holidays you might be wondering what's next. Ambitions or frustrations come to the fore when you have time away from the grind. Time for a change, perhaps? But soon the obstacles get in the way – the comfort of a good job, the prestige of your title or organisation, or the fear of trying something new. 

My 'revelation' over the summer has been my genuine passion to develop more strategic people. More of us who can make intentional choices at home and at work that help us get closer to an ambition we care about. 

For too long, strategy has been a word associated with an organisation. And an elite, closed sport at that. As a practice, it sometimes leaves people last – as if they’ll pick up the pieces or fall into line even though they’re integral to its design and delivery. 

I captured some of my thoughts in a HBR article called ‘6 ways to bring strategy into your work’ which has turned out to be very popular. It seems to have struck a nerve with people who want to wrestle back control, find some meaning, and effect change in their lives. And the good news is that have many more choices than we think, even in the most controlling, bureaucratic organisations. Check out my 1 minute summary here.

It's time to get a grip of:

• What you choose to do in your role. Which activities are most valuable to the organisation AND play to your strengths?
• Which moments you focus your attention on. Which moments have a disproportionate impact on the strategy?
• How you show up. Who impact do you want to have and what does this mean for the role you play and the way you contribute?
• How you master the skills that matter. How can you play your A-game in these moments, and what do you need?
• The resources you need to fuel your work. What combination of mental, physical, and environmental resources help you do your work?

Start with one of the questions. Today. Let me know what you find and do.

I’m so enamoured with using strategy every day – so important and yet so hard to do – that I’m renaming this newsletter ‘Every Day is a Strategy Day’. Still aimed at leaders at all levels, I’ll be sharing tips and practices you can use to help you be more strategic. Look out for the next edition in your inbox.

Listen.

I love this take away from Lancefield on the Line podcast with Caterina Kostoula, Vision Coach:

‘Vision is the navigational system that guides you through a fulfilling life. It's not just the image of a potential destination.’

How are you working on your vision?

The new season of Lancefield on the Line starts on 4th September, featuring:

• Neil Bearden: crafting intentional stories.
• Liz Kislik: doing real work.
• Jayshree Seth: innovating from the inside.
• Alison Balsom (trumpeter): performing at the frontier.
• Scott D. Anthony: leading disruptive change.
• David De Cremer: leading with AI.
• Luis Velasquez MBA, PhD.: nurturing resilience.
• And more!

Visualise.

The Art of Opportunity sets out nine ways to develop a growth strategy from Marc Sniukas. I particularly like number 3 – identify barriers to consumptions and hurdles to consumption.

Mark has a compelling way of synthesising and illustrating strategy frameworks, sharing his ideas and frameworks generously on a daily basis. Check out his great work.

Read.

Here’s a great passage from the ‘Anxious Achiever: Turn your Biggest Fears into your Leadership Superpower’ by Morra-Aarons-Mele on Thought Traps

‘If your anxiety is palpable, it’s most certainly affecting others, and if you’re relying on thought traps to quell anxiety, chances are everyone feels less safe and therefore can’t perform at their best. No one can think clearly or deliver peak performance when they’re walking on eggshells or are constantly triggered.’

Great work on the prevalence of thought traps (all-or-nothing thinking, catastrophising, discounting the positive, et al) which often dominates strategy and what to do about them. Check out Morra's stimulating work.

Challenge yourself.

Take out your schedule for the next week. Map out the three critical activities you need to focus on – each of them essential for your role. Identify the outcome for each one. Say no to or delegate three more. I bet it’s not as hard as you think. Repeat. Enjoy!

Strategy Shift.

I’ve opened the next cohort of the ‘Leading high-stakes meeting’ Masterclass Series, which starts on October 30th. The pilot was a big success according to participants so I’m keen to roll out it to more folk. I loved it too – a great opportunity to try something new and learn from a great group of people.

A senior partner in KPMG said it was ‘the best development programme he’s been on’ whilst an SVP at Mastercard said 'it had an immediate positive impact on my everyday performance', and a C-Suite leader called it a 'game-changer.'

It’s one-of-its-kind approach will transform your confidence, capability, and credibility in the Boardroom, Exco, and other big meetings.

What's included? Six live Masterclasses, assignments, a community of fellow execs, daily nudges, a 170-page workbook full of tips, scripts, checklists, templates, decision trees, and references, and a Strategy Shift certificate on completion.

You can check out the details, and enrol, here.  

That’s all for this edition.

Many thanks!

David.

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Thank you for reading this edition of the Strategic Leader newsletter. I hope you found it insightful and useful. Here are some ways to access further perspectives, tips, and resources:

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