I had an opportunity last week to participate in a conference on 'Augmenting Human Intelligence with AI' organized by NHRD, Bangalore. The conference was a confluence of HR leaders exploring how HR could seize the next business cycle powered by GenAI and beyond. Industry leaders provided a strategic perspective on the immediate impact while perceiving the future and how HR professionals could shape it.Â
GenAI is the latest in a wave of technology shifts that have followed Cloud computing, Big Data & Analytics, AI & ML, Smart Phones, WWW, and the Internet, and it is proving to have a significant impact and shift across all industries. Boards, CEOs, C-suite, and senior leaders are re-evaluating and redefining their businesses to harness this. GenAI powers today's shift; tomorrow, it could be General Artificial Intelligence and, later on, Quantum and other technologies. Every such shift requires leaders to have a solid strategic perspective as one of their core competencies.Â
How can leader stay sharp and shape the future of their organizations and industry? The critical competency that helps them do this is developing a strategic perspective.
Strategic perspective is the ability of leaders to understand, anticipate, and align with the organization's long-term goals by perceiving and analyzing shifts that can impact the industry and organization from internal and external factors. It involves strategic planning, forward-thinking, goal alignment, effective communication, and leading organizational change initiatives.
Leaders with strong strategic perspectives can look beyond the horizon to understand and align the organization's long-term goals while anticipating shifts in the environment that open up new opportunities and challenges to harness for shaping the future. It involves strategic planning, forward-thinking, goal alignment, and effective communication, enabling leaders to lead change initiatives.
An essential competency for senior executives, C-suite leaders, and those in the boardroom, it helps navigate the complexities of the organization's operating environment and guide it toward long-term success.Â
Leaders can demonstrate strategic perspective by
establishing clarity about the mission, values, and long-term goals for self and others
Striking a balance between the long and short-term goals of the business
connecting the dots between the organization's business strategy and its work
Making the business strategy real for the people executing it by aligning their goals
Thinking Forward
Initiate and lead organizational efforts that harness and leverage the best business opportunities.
Communicating prolifically and consistently.
Some of the ways that leaders can develop strategic perspective by
Becoming a part of the larger ecosystem of the industry and understanding how innovations are creating value
Identify patterns of value migration in the value chain.
Defining the unique value proposition of your organization that can be leveraged with new technologies
Being customer-centric. Hearing the voice of the customer first-hand.
Networking with peers across other industries to gain visibility of innovations that can impact your organization.
Being curious and a continuous learner of innovations that push boundaries.
Empowering the teams to have a voice through internal focus groups, conferences, and leadership think tanks. Making the time for the organization to think together.
Strategic perspective is a competency that leaders can develop, like all other competencies, through leadership interventions like coaching.Â
Leadership Coaching Questions:
How can you ensure that your organization's mission, values, and long-term goals are communicated and understood by all levels of the workforce?
What strategies can you employ to balance the short-term demands of the business with its long-term objectives, ensuring sustained success?
In what ways are you actively engaging with industry ecosystems, fostering curiosity, and promoting continuous learning to stay ahead of emerging trends and technologies?
Leaders Poll
What do you think can enable you to hone your strategic perspective competency?
Industry Networking
Cross-Industry Exposure
Curiosity & Learning
Coaching