|
Bayissa Milkessa
Business Consultant, Ethiopia
|
What Makes a Person Into a Strategist?
It is really difficult to become a strategist without having the personality / behavior that makes a person into a strategist. I believe a strategist' personality is the product of proactive behavior.
We need to cultivate proactive behavior among business men so that they will be more proactive than reactive. With that I mean that they will be self-initiated, anticipatory and action-aimed at averting their situation to a more favourable environment.
In general, if we succeed in developing proactive behavior among the business community, it becomes simpler to find strategists who embrace creativity, innovation and futuristic thinking.
X
Sign up for free
Welcome to the Strategy and Innovation best practices of 12manage.
Here we exchange knowledge and experiences in the field of Strategy and Innovation.
❗Sign up now to gain access to 12manage. Completely free.
X
Continue for free
Please sign up and login to continue reading.
Here we exchange knowledge and experiences in the field of Strategy and Innovation.
❗Sign up now to gain access to 12manage. Completely free.
| |
|
|
| |
|
Luis, China
|
|
What Makes a Person Into a Strategist? I agree 1. being proactive is an important step to grow as a strategist, but it's also necessary to:
2. Think from a big picture
3. Master some analysis mechanism, and
4. Be able to consider the feasibility of implementation.
|
| |
|
NVDS.RAJU
Professor, India
|
|
What Makes a Person a Strategist Yes. Proactive behaviour is a most desirable trait in business strategy and will certainly yield good dividends.
|
| |
|
Bayissa Milkessa
Business Consultant, Ethiopia
|
|
What makes Someone into a Strategist? Proactive behavior is not only an important step as said by friend @Luis, but I believe it is the CORNERSTONE for having a strategist. Since it consists of acting in advance of future situations, it makes things happen.
On the other hand, it does not involve adjustment to the changing situation nor awaiting for things to happen like an Ostrich Manager (Editor: ~a manager who would prefer to put their head in the sand rather than deal with problems). As result, a strategist goes beyond being adaptive which is about responding to a change.
I can conclude that proactive behaviour is the fundamental source of strategists, because it innovates and initiates change for a better future.
|
| |
|
Dean Gilbertson, United States
|
|
What Makes a Person Into a Strategist Effective strategic planning is about "thinking outside the box" for effective outcomes. It is also realizing that 8 of 10 strategies are not effective due to development of a "final goal date" as opposed to changing the goal dates as part of the strategic process.
|
| |
|
Bayissa Milkessa
Business Consultant, Ethiopia
|
|
What Makes a Person Into Strategist @Dean Gilbertson: thanks for your note that "effective strategic planning is about thinking outside the box" for good output.
I agree with you. But observe that effective strategic planning is requiring more of thechnocratic bahaviour as compared to strategic thinking which is the product of proactive behaviour.
You said that "8 of 10 strategies are not effective due to the development of a final goal". What kind of trait do the crafters of these 10 strategies possess while crafting them? In my country most of the strategies are either copied without considering the contextual environment for which they were made, or crafted by somebody who does not possess the proactive trait.
As a result, it is very difficult to get effective strategies.
That brings me back to saying that it is this trait of a person crafting the strategy that somehow determines its effective outcome.
|
| |
|
Alan Kennedy, Canada
|
|
What Makes a Person a Strategist I would argue that a good strategist is someone who understands what is under his or her control and what is not. Strategy is a choice of action and is under the control of the strategist. Strategy is chosen to address a factor or factors outside the control of the strategist.
Steve Jobs was an extraordinary strategist because his strategies (choices of action under his control) were based on a deeply informed understanding of how technology was likely to evolve and the likely customer demand for that technology. Both of these factors were not under his control.
On the other hand, Kodak clearly either could not make sense of changing external factors outside its control or was not able to make choices appropriate to address that changing reality.
Apple continues to thrive. Kodak is now bankrupt.
|
| |
|
John Henry
Project Manager, United States
|
|
What Makes Someone a Strategist? Strategists look beyond themselves (their control) and past the present (even a person who is proactive is stuck in the present) and look toward a future they envision.
The strategy then becomes attaining the right future based on a realistic understanding of the present, without the limitations if it, and moving the collective (organization, business, group, etc) beyond their current capabilities and limitations toward the strategic goal.
So a strategist has two roles:
- First, identifying what the future good looks like, and then,
- Secondly, (beyond proactive thought) moving in a strategic way, avoiding the temptation of firefighting, toward the right way. And envisioning the organization that will become legendary and successful.
|
| |
|
Bayissa Milkessa
Business Consultant, Ethiopia
|
|
Proactive Thought versus Strategic Thought @John Henry said that strategist must go beyond proactive thought with a view of envisioning the future. Partly I agree with you in the sense that strategic thought is the product of proactive thought.
I believe that one can not be strategist without having proactive thought. So proactive understanding of things which are present now or in the future is the baseline for being a strategist in any business environment.
Do you think that one can go beyond proactive thought without being proactive?
|
| |
|
Ken Gordon
Strategy Consultant, United Kingdom
|
|
Strategic Thought is Applied Proactive Thought A strategist must indeed be a proactive individual. The very act of being or becoming a strategist, is to have reviewed the potential for impact on the environment and to have determined the strategic level to be the appropriate level at which to apply influence i.e. proactive thought.
This coupled with the the necessity to absorb, and make sense of 'relevant' knowledge regarding the environment; relating to the constraints and opportunities for influence, requires the additional trait of discrimination applied to the knowledge gained.
Then must be added the ability to project the potential results of the application of the influence he is able to apply, into an unknowable future with the expectation of beneficial results.
All of this takes a vast degree of self awareness and self confidence, that is only nurtured by the proactive nature of the individual being applied to himself and his environment in a positive manner.
|
| |
|
Bayissa Milkessa
Business Consultant, Ethiopia
|
|
Proactive Trait is also a Salient to Develop to the State of Maturity We all somehow agree the proactive thought is the fundamental ground to be a strategist.
On top this, having this proactive trait is essential to reach a state of maturity. By state of maturity, I me...
|
| |
|
Andrew Blaine
Business Consultant, South Africa
|
|
Developing the Ability to Strategize One of the first lessons that those who decide to take their Advanced Drivers Licence learn is to change their point of focus. Most people concentrate on a point about 15 - 20m in front of the vehicle...
|
| |
|
Stephen Ofori
Ghana
|
|
Attributes of a Good Strategist Strategy is about "looking forward". It's about being able to anticipate the future and working towards that future now. I agree being proactive is one thing; however the ability to anticipate the fut...
|
| |
|
John Henry
Project Manager, United States
|
|
ProActive Thought versus Strategic Visioning @Bayissa Milkessa: Proactive thought is based on the present circumstances, and the short term look forward to find the way through the current problems/issues and to a new better steady state. Strate...
|
| |
|
Warren D. Miller, CPA, CFA
Strategy Consultant, United States
|
|
What Makes a Person Into a Strategist? As one who has studied strategic management for 39 years (and counting) and who has also advised business-owners and senior managers for just over 30 years, I confess that I'm quite surprised that no ...
|
| |
|
Patrick Parsons
United Kingdom
|
|
What Makes a Person Into Strategist? Whilst I agree that proactive behaviour is a one of the pillars of successful strategic thinking. Becoming proactive is about situational awareness in both short and long term horizons . By analysing ...
|
| |
|
Jaap de Jonge
Editor, Netherlands
|
|
Traits of a Strategist I agree also with Bayissa Milkessa that being proactive as defined by him is an essential trait or capability of a strategist.
The things mentioned by members are valuable too.
One trait which I bel...
|
| |
|
Alkhaly Mohamed Tahey Conde
Analyst, Guinea
|
|
Strategic Capabilities To be a genuine strategist, you must also get more and more knowledge on strategic management processes and frameworks, with a true leadership capacity and governance capability. The organization envi...
|
| |
|
Frederic A Parker
Consultant, United States
|
|
'Strategist' is NOT a Skill After more than 50 years as a consultant in Training (skills) and Development (capabilities), I have learned not to confuse the two. Skills are technical and can be trained and learned. Capabilities a...
|
| |
|
Paramathmuni srinivas Kumar
India
|
|
A Strategist Needs to be Disassociated from Past and Expand on Vision Anyone who needs to be involved in future oriented creation such as strategy must cut off from the past. He also needs to have a good lateral thinking capability apart from having clear forward visi...
|
| |
|
Philippe Guenet
Coach, United Kingdom
|
|
It is Like Chess Playing I think that any good strategist much enjoy playing chess. Chess is a formidable game of unfolding possibilities.
The novice chess player plays one move at a time, figuring what is the best answer to...
|
| |
|
John Henry
Project Manager, United States
|
|
Get the Organization from Here to There A strategist, a person responsible for establishing a series of events that lead the organization to a desired outcome, must know the goal, must have the objective clearly in focus and agreed upon by ...
|
| |
|
Joseph Adedio Egievba
CEO, South Africa
|
|
Abilities of a Strategist The ability for a person to be able to design, bring plans to fruition, make him a strategist.
Strategy has to do with mapping out a plan, design on a particular thing, and making sure it becomes ach...
|
| |
|
Maurice Hogarth
Consultant, United Kingdom
|
|
Thinking Strategist Traits I presume this need for strategic thinking and that "business men" should be more "proactive: self-initiated, anticipatory, action-aimed", is also true for businesswomen.
Identifying strategic thinke...
|
|
|
|
|
More on Strategy and Innovation
|
|
|
Log in
Comments by date▼