What are strategic initiatives?
Strategic initiatives are the means through which an organization translates its goals and visions into practice. To stay ahead of the competition, companies need to systematically build a portfolio of strategic initiatives. Such initiatives are typically aligned with a company’s top strategic priorities, and so the pressure to execute them well is often very high.
Small wonder then that taking on a new strategic initiative can strike fear in the hearts of business managers. If you are responsible for launching one of your company’s strategic initiatives you may feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. You may be struggling to get the initiative out of the starting blocks. Or you may feel like you are spinning your wheels trying to maintain momentum for a project that is tied to organization change.
Targeted executive training programs from one of the top international business schools are designed to give you the leadership skills to confidently master any of the strategic initiatives you are assigned to oversee. You should expect the best of such executive programs to help you understand and overcome the main challenges that come with driving strategic change. And with the right executive education, you can develop the framework to successfully pilot your strategic initiatives.
1. Start by getting the right guidance…
So how can management training help? With a program on leading strategic initiatives you should expect to learn how to:
- Create a compelling vision for your initiative
- Tie your initiative to your organization’s overall strategy
- Gain insights into what drives successful execution of strategic initiatives
- Learn how to assess and manage key stakeholder relationships
- Set the stage for change
- Execute an implementation plan within a short time-frame
2. Don’t wait, turn your vision into reality…
A strategic initiative is developed in different ways. Often, feedback from customers and suppliers can be instrumental in sparking the need for change. New priorities may emerge from a top management retreat or a marketing strategy plan. Or the impetus may come from a review of technological change, competitive pressures, a mission statement or a restatement of the organization’s vision.
Whatever the source of new strategic initiatives, achieving successful strategy implementation from the initial discussion stage is often easier said than done. That’s why senior executives can benefit from strategy workshops and strategy facilitation, as well as the knowledge gained from more conventional executive leadership development programs.
3. An intensive learning journey yes, but it’s worth it!
Not all business administration schools provide the kind of executive programs that specialize in leadership of strategic initiatives. Courses offered by good business schools allow you to apply the lessons you’ve learned to your own context. Real world executive development pays off with immediate results for you and your organization.
Top executive education should challenge you assumptions and open you to new ways of thinking. The best executive programs offer leadership coaching, personalized feedback and hands-on practice.
Gaining the opportunity to network with peers and receive peer reviews from leaders of other strategic initiatives is another thing you should look for in educational leadership programs. A combination of teaching methods can stimulate your thinking, change habits, unlock new insights and apply new knowledge to your strategic initiatives.