Leadership Capabilities

As a leader, I believe that I possess the most vital skills or capabilities that have seen me through many situations that required the same. One of the skills that I own is the ability to communicate my vision or ideas succinctly and clearly. Generally, effective communication is one of the tools that can be used in groups or organizations to encourage members to work towards a given goal. In this case, it is essential for the members to clearly understand a given vision so that they are in a position to understand the need of the objectives (Muzee, Bagire, &Ngoma, 2016). I remember one time in our town we used to experience insecurity cases now and then especially during the night. The main reason was that past midnight most of the streets had no lights, and they became better places for thugs to hide as they were waiting for their targets. I came up with an idea which involved all homesteads adjacent to the roads to have at least one bulb near the road. I effectively communicated to them of all the advantages of having the streets lightened up and the idea was implemented by most of the people. It was successful since the rate of crime reduced by over 80%.

Another vital leadership ability I have is being created. In this case, the world is in continuous change that occurs every day. Therefore there is a need for one to be creative enough to be in a position to adapt to the new switch. I have in several times practiced creativity in life.  A good example that I have is when I was volunteering in one of the small companies in town, and I realized that the company was performing poorly despite having many employees and many resources. After thorough research, I found out that the reason behind the poor performance was just because many employees were not aware of what was required from them at the end of the day. I came up with the solution, and I advised the management to establish specialization in the company. Specialty was necessary since every employee was given specific duties; hence confusion and conflicts cases were solved. Since then, the company has experienced a positive radical change in performance.

However, I do have one weakness which I should not have as a leader. In this case, I have a defect in problem-solving skills. The main reason behind my weakness merely is because I jump in to a conclusion faster even before determining the cause that resulted in the problem. In most cases, I have found myself on the wrong side of the road despite being offended by someone.

Improving Strategic Planning Leadership Skill

One of the skills as a leader that I want to upgrade is strategic planning. Most people think that the strategic plan is more critical for employees only. This belief is not true since the skill is more important to the leaders as well. Great leaders are characterized by effective strategic planning of their activities as well as the organization’s efforts and time. For leaders, strategic plan includes knowing where and how they will spend their own time in and on,understands how every department will spend its time on its objectives, and how the employees will performing their duties(Muzee et al.,2016). The main reason behind this argument is because effective planning is a vital tool in the company or organization. Leaders have the responsibility to invest the company’s resources and time; which staffs/employees need a little more mentoring; which business activities will serve the customers well; which customer has the highest return-on-investment, and so on.

Developing Strategic Thinking Skill

Ability to think strategically is critical in an organization. It helps the leadership of the organization to remain focused when controlling both internal and external business environment to enhance business success(Kazmi, &Naaranoja, 2015). To develop strategic thinking skills, one needs to be conversant with the business environment to ensure plans being developed is aligned to the organizational goals and objectives. Developing strategic thinking is not a one-day event, it involves building personal confidence to handle corporate duties with high-level professionalism and while observing the terms of work. Also, one has to be goals or rather results-oriented though influencing the subordinate staff to work towards attaining the set goals and objectives. Also, a strategic thinker must be able to identify opportunities in the economy to boost its operations remaining competitive in a fast-growing economy. The efficiency of strategic thinking is influenced by how bets the leadership of the organization cuts the cost of services and maximizing profit through the use of new technology

For an organization to compete effectively and efficiently in the market, the management must be able to employ this skill effectively. Managers who think strategically can evaluate various business processes and bring about changes promptly to improve on performance. (Kazmi, &Naaranoja, 2015). The ability is substantially supported by the knowledge system in the market that provides leaders and organizations managers with the right information key to their business hence able to make substantive decisions relating to the company. Therefore, when developing actions steps to become a strategic thinker, I would include an information system that gathers organizations data both internally and externally and analysis it to support strategic decision making.

Action Plan on Strategic Thinking Skill

One step to improve my strategic thinking skill is by being aware of my biases. An excellent strategic thinker is attributed to being self-aware enough to question his/her thoughts. The strategic thinker is in charge of his mind. Accepting that my thoughts or ideas could be flawed will not impinge my credibility, but do quite the opposite. Therefore, I will be open to verify facts and thinking outside the box to create new ideas. The second step will involve improving listening skills. In this case, a strategic thinker should accept that their thoughts or ideas can be flawed (Cottrell, 2015). Hence, he/she is required to intently listen to others so that he can learn from the perspectives of others. It is also essential for one to realize that everybody is valuable and should be heard. Keen listening gives others to lay out their opinions and promote an environment where everybody critically contributes to a cohesive unit.

The third step is hone questioning skills which involve questioning everything. However, the questioning should not in a cynical point of view, but in a way the positively allows the individual view ideas objectively. The system of thinking or thought should be questioned despite being accepted as the standard. The door of improvement is mainly opened when something such as an idea is challenged. Some of the questions that can be asked in this case are rationality of belief and credibility of the source(Cottrell, 2015). The last step will involve understanding the consequences of the choices I make. This step is significant in final decision making since it enables the parties to come up with a solution that will not negatively affect the business/organization. Some of the questions I will ask myself include the pros and cons of choice, the choice that will enable the organization to reach its goals, and whether there are alternative options that will establish long term opportunities. In conclusion, strategic thinking is essential since it gives room to the achievement of goals and increased productivity.

References

Cottrell, S. (2015). Skills for success: Personal development and employability. Macmillan International Higher Education.

Kazmi, S. A. Z., &Naaranoja, M. (2015). Cultivating strategic thinking in organizational leaders by designing supportive work environment!. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 181, 43-52.

Muzee, H., Bagire, V., &Ngoma, M. (2016). Strategic Leadership and Employee Engagement, Evidence from an African Industrial Setting. Open Access Library Journal, 3(08), 1.

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