Making Strategic Leaders

Much has been written about leadership, as well as about strategy and the strategic process. However, there has been relatively little focus on the individual in a strategic leader role, and the particular challenges of shaping strategic direction and change in organisations. 'Are you suggesting that Bill Gates did a strategic analysis of the software industry when he was building Microsoft?' An insightful question from an incredulous MBA student, and a growing belief that managers are being seduced by overly simplistic analytical frameworks, led author Narendra Laljani to consider if there is more to strategy than planning and analysis, more to leadership effectiveness than self-awareness and vision, and more to effective executive development than a high-impact classroom experience. Motivated by a desire to improve the effectiveness of the development of strategic leaders, this study unites the domains of strategy and leadership. It offers a new and insightful model of strategic leader capability, and explores what it is and how it may be developed and deployed effectively. In the process, Making Strategic Leaders challenges much of the received wisdom of the leader development industry, and offers new approaches.