BAH shows blueprint for strategic leadership (page 1 of 2)

And not surprisingly, these are the same factors that need to be integrated to develop and maintain a company's capacity to transform.

What makes a leader great? There is still no definitive consensus, despite numerous books and extensive research on the topic. Instead, a leader's success depends in large part on the organizational context: the conditions and the people that surround him or her.

"There is no one-size fits all secret to being an effective leader. Building a great team with a clear purpose, ensuring they have the tools and resources needed, and providing them with compelling direction, are all characteristics of government and business leaders that have successfully implemented change in their organizations,"

commented Rabih Abouchakra, Principal at Booz Allen Hamilton, based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The Booz Allen research, "A Blueprint for Strategic Leadership," found that over time a leader's capability is shaped by the top team's quality and by the capabilities of the full organization. These can either provide invaluable support for the changes a leader wants to make or make those changes impossible. The best leaders pay a great deal of attention to the design of the elements around them: they create effective leadership teams, prioritize and sequence their initiatives carefully, redesign organizational structures to make good execution easier, and, most importantly, integrate these tactics into one coherent strategy.

Abouchakra noted, "In the Gulf region, we're increasingly seeing companies and public sector organizations that are making dramatic changes to modernize. Leaders recognize that it is not sufficient to issue a decree for change: they are designing their organizations, building management teams and embarking on strategic initiatives to manage change."

Leaders facing change can begin by asking themselves guiding questions:
•Why do we do what we do? (That is, what is our purpose?)
•What few initiatives do we need to deliver fundamental change?
•How do we build and align the top management team?
•And how can we equip the organization to develop and deploy the right capabilities to produce the results we want?

The "Why" factor

The experience of the computer company Dell demonstrates the importance of not losing sight of an organization's raison d'être. During the high-growth years of the 1990s, the purpose of Dell was clear to its leaders and employees. It had a strong reputation among its customers for high-quality customer service and support. In 2004, around the time of a change in leadership, the company seemed to change direction and implemented a series of cost-cutting measures. The help desk was one of the casualties; and customers had a much harder time getting their computers fixed. The result was unhappy customers and a lawsuit by the New York State Attorney General, claiming false advertising related to customer service.

The "Why Factor," like in the case of Dell, is very powerful. Realizing why we do what we do allows leaders to set priorities and explain the relevance of their decisions. The answer also attracts a higher-quality group of employees, drawn not just to making money but also to meaningful work.

Purposeful initiatives

Changing organizations requires action. This is usually achieved through strategic initiatives, such as a launching a campaign, changing a practice or establishing a market position.