How Do Entrepreneurs Become More Strategic Leaders?

How do you become a strategic leader?

How do you become a strategic leader?

How do you become a more strategic leader? How do you take your leadership to a higher level by looking further into the future than others in your industry? The key concept I share with my mid-market clients is that the best way to see into the future is by creating it. To create it, you must be able to accurately understand what’s happening in your market today.  You must also develop a plan for increasing value for your clients in the future.

When I look back over the past twenty five years of working with entrepreneurs, I discovered the clients who became successful did it by taking control of their own destiny. This meant they learned how to become more strategic leaders. This skill alone helped them outpace their markets by a significant percentage every year.

Today, we assess your skills as a strategic leader. On Thursday, I begin sharing several tools and systems I’ve used to help my clients become more capable strategic leaders. Now here are the questions.  Please answer each question yes or no.

  1. Do you see yourself as a strategic leader?
  2. Can you predict your competitors’ moves before they happen?
  3. Do you know the people who lead your competitors’ firms?
  4. Do you have a wide network of professional contacts inside and outside your industry?
  5. Can you manage information from a wide number of people easily?
  6. Can you work your problems through a proven decision making process?
  7. Do you have a system in place to help you seize new opportunities?
  8. Do you have a clearly defined mission, vision, and values for your organization?
  9. Are you constantly updating your business skills and capabilities?
  10. Are you curious about learning new things?
  11. Is your business agile and able to leverage changing market conditions?
  12. Are your people trained to help you develop different scenarios for your business challenges quickly?

Add up the number of yeses. If you scored less than five, you could use some help as a strategic leader. A large part of your time is spent putting out fires and your schedule is anything but your own. You may sometimes wonder why you started this business.

If you scored between five and eight, you vacillate between brilliance and mediocrity. Many successful entrepreneurs are in this range. They see and experience the benefit of being more strategic, but they are too busy being reactive to changing events to get the consistent results of a strategic leader.

A score of nine or more means you are on your way to being a strategic leader. Your business consistently outperforms the market. At this level, you are successful at implementing your strategies. Your business is profitable and growing.  It’s able to provide you the financial freedom and personal fulfillment that most entrepreneurs wanted when they began building the business.

Regardless of your score, many entrepreneurs find that this time of year is a great time to discuss their strategic plans for next year.  Give me a call at 440-293-8811 if you’re interested in talking about how to grow your business and take control of your destiny.  See you Thursday when I start sharing some of my tools and systems to help your business grow.

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