Category: Leadership

#1. Have a compelling mission.

It should explain your existence. One of the best mission statements I have ever come across is from Boston Children’s Hospital: “Until every child is well”

#2. Have an objectively measurable vision for how you will pursue your mission.

Here are a couple of examples:

A state of the art hospital newly built in a world class city which draws the best doctors from around the globe by offering the highest compensation packages and parents of all backgrounds come from every corner of the earth based on our uncontested global reputation for their children to be cured.

A network of thousands of highly qualified, resourceful and socially conscious physicians deployed to every country and made accessible to the poorest communities where parents and their children have access to the care they need.

#3. Ensure your leadership team has a common definition of success.

Each team member should be able to answer: “what specifically are we achieving by when and how?” Each of their answers should be the same.  

Develop your strategic leadership skills as a member of UPschool:

#1: Your mission is actually a project or goal.  

#2: Your vision isn’t objectively measurable.

#3: Your team doesn’t have a common definition of success.

#4: There is ongoing role confusion within or across your teams.

#5: Team members aren’t held accountable to specific metrics tied to the vision.

Be Uncommon

Develop your strategic leadership skills with a membership to UPschool:

Strategic leadership is required to move companies through seismic shifts in their markets. That leadership begins with deciding – or changing – what they will be.

Case #1 – A company’s mission is to reduce loss resulting from fire hazards. Is your vision to be a(n):

• book publisher
• information technology company
• advocacy group

Case #2 – A company’s mission is to improve the quality of life by providing information about technology. Is your vision to be a(n):

• magazine publisher
• programmatic advertising hub
• product review site

Case #3 – A company’s mission is to inspire more purposeful engagement in work and life. Is your vision to be a(n):

• coaching service for professionals
• instruction provider for grades K-12
• professional membership association

These are real organizations. Strategic leadership was required to move these companies through seismic shifts in their markets and that leadership began with deciding – or changing – what they would be.

Strategic Reason #1: A vision describes what you’re building or maintaining. Without it, there is confusion and misalignment.

Strategic Reason #2: A vision indicates what kind of resources and processes are needed. Without it, skill sets and roles become misaligned.

Strategic Reason #3: A vision provides specific metrics by which you can measure progress. Without it, there is a lack of accountability and, therefore, anemic results.  

Be Uncommon.