“Wise leaders know they shouldn't loose their cool, but they must also never let up on their rivals – particularly when their company has an apparent advantage, because a lead can dry up in no time if a competitor finds a new angle or strikes a hidden chord that resonates with the customer. When your opponent is down, never let him up.”
These lines by Libert, B. & Faulk, R. in their book 'Barack, Inc.: Winning Business Lessons of the Obama Campaign' triggered some thoughts about leadership and strategy -
You cannot out-think or out-play your competitors without thinking beforehand. You have to work towards it, you have to have a strategy. In the business world, its either beat or get beaten. One just cannot get those many lucky breaks. To grow one's business and to hold down competitors, one can not only focus on the short-term bottom line. Sustainability of the bottom line has to be the focus – one needs to develop the ability to think strategically to achieve it. Short-term bottom line affects the outlook of many a people and is one of the biggest issue in businesses. People look at the short-term benefits and discount the sustainability aspect. It is the pressure of the system and people are always under short term pressure. But, to succeed in the long term and to out play the competitors, one must develop the ability to think strategically.
I am not saying that one must have a strategy for every issue. What I am trying to convey is that one needs to enable oneself to think strategically. One should allow a 3 dimensional flow of thoughts when he is trying to solve a problem. When the thinking is inside out, one has only a single perspective – he is the center of the world. You need to learn to look at any issue in a 3 dimensional way – you need to think outside-in too. You can't always be the center of the world.
Business students are tomorrow's business leaders. These students are typically taught to carry out 'position analyses' of various situations. The easiest way to stay in a box is to write down a SWOT – you will never be open to outside opportunities when you are conscious about your strengths and weaknesses. You will never be able to think in a 3 dimensional way. Your business will never take off at 90 degrees! Developing strategic thinking skills is not an option for a good leader.
