Advancing from an Operational Manager to a Strategic Leader

Develop the mindset and skills of a true innovator, a persuasive leader, and a champion of strategic change. This seminar provides the practical experience needed to close the gap between where you are today and where you want your career to go. You will conduct SWOT analyses, identify and leverage strategic opportunities, and build the capacity to inspire innovation and calculated risk-taking across your organization.

Make your mark. This training program equips you with the skills to add measurable value to your organization and move your team forward with confidence and clarity.

Who Should Attend:

Managers with fewer than five years of management experience who are ready to step into a more strategic leadership role.

How You Will Benefit:

• Motivate and direct your team toward greater readiness and competitiveness
• Apply strategic thinking to create value by deeply understanding customer needs and expectations
• Anticipate change and develop strategies that connect vision to core organizational capabilities
• Recognize and act on opportunities to build strategic alliances and expand your influence
• Use strategic frameworks to identify key strengths and weaknesses within your team
• Cultivate a culture of innovation and support calculated risk-taking at every level
• Strengthen your persuasive communication skills to sell your ideas and drive results

What You Will Cover:

Developing and Balancing Operational and Strategic Management Skills

• Establish a working definition of operational management
• Explore the key characteristics of today's strategic leaders

Creating a Strategic Frame of Reference

• Understand the key components of the strategic leadership model
• Develop a strategic leader's approach tailored to your own work environment

Understanding Your Current Operational Mission: Your Team, Your Customers, and Your Competitors

• Strategic thinking: moving from a limited perspective to a broader organizational view
• Apply a SWOT analysis to your team's situation
• Draft a mission statement that captures the operational reality of your work group

Developing a Strategic Vision: Moving from What Is to What If

• Identify priority issues that form your strategic advantage
• Encourage and support innovative solutions
• Draft a vision statement for your team or organization

Making Your Vision a Reality: Influencing Key Stakeholders

• Build and apply persuasive communication skills
• Explore a range of options for influencing others across the organization

Your Personal Plan: Developing and Selling Your Vision of the Future

• Communication strategies for selling your strategic plan internally
• Conduct key conversations that encourage innovation and risk-taking

Course Outline:

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Encourage All Managers and Employees to Think Strategically
• Foster Shared Investment in Developing and Pursuing a Strategic Vision for Organizational Success
• Prompt Participants to Continually Ask "What Can I Contribute?" and "Where Are We Going as an Organization?"

LESSON ONE: Developing and Managing Your Operational and Strategic Leadership Skills

• Define Operational Management
• Define the Attributes of Strategic Leaders
• Determine How to Balance Both Skill Sets
• Identify Your Current Strengths

LESSON TWO: Creating a Strategic Frame of Reference

• Describe the Strategic Frame of Reference
• Define Key Outputs
• Develop a Strategic Leader's Approach for Your Context

Understanding Your Current Operational Mission

• Clarify the Purpose of Your Work Group
• Draft a Mission Statement
• Create a SWOT Analysis

LESSON THREE: Developing a Strategic Vision

• Assess Customer Needs, Wants, and Expectations
• Determine an Approach for Gathering Customer Insight
• Use an Importance/Performance Matrix
• Create Linkage Between Mission and Vision
• Describe the Power of a Compelling Vision

LESSON FOUR: Making Your Vision a Reality

• Apply Persuasive Skills in Real Scenarios
• Describe and Explore Influencing Options
• Assess Your Ability to Encourage Innovation
• Conduct Five Key Leadership Conversations

Your Personal Plan

• Complete a Strategic Frame of Reference
• Prepare to Communicate Your Mission and Vision Statements
• Identify and Practice a Key Conversation to Have Upon Returning to Work
• Consolidate Your Personal Action Plan