THE FOCUS OF LEADERSHIP- DESIGNING STRATEGIC PLANS TO MATCH VISIONS

People ask the difference between leader and boss... The leader works in the open, the boss in the covert. The leader leads and the boss drives" -Theodore Roosevelt ,24 Oct 1910.

The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on ... The genius of a good leader is to leave behind him a situation which common sense, without the grace of genius, can deal with successfully" -Walter Lippman

The leader is one driven by vision, who plans better, persists when others have faded out and who is immortal in the history of that entity-Padma Srinivasan.

Leaders and Leadership have been defined, time and again, in different contexts and theories based on the leaders who have succeeded in that era. But all leaders have been known for their visions. The vision leads them to success and the leader continues his plan on and on. The Corporate strategies, redefined and rewritten, are to bring about the competitive leadership, differentiation in the business space and focus on the vision and mission. The organization of Microsoft is where it is now because of Bill Gate’s vision; Infosys technologies is a success story because of a simple visionary man named Narayan Murthy. It is the thought seed that has germinated, nurtured by vision, shaped by the leading hand.

The ideology of David Gleicher1 maintained that organizational change dynamics follows the change equation of D x V x F> R ,
where D- dissatisfaction, V-vision, F-first steps and R- resistance to change. But Carol Verret, in her article states that following are the idealistic expectations form a leading leader.

They are
§ Develop market IQ
§ Know the enemy
§ Agonizing Reappraisal § Positioning rates
§ Partnering.

In a growing globalized environment, converting challenges to opportunities then into wealth creation require a fine blend of strategic integration of resources and competencies. The competitive environment has brought about paradigm shifts in the comprehensive conceptual framework of organizational goals, systems, processes, skills and lookouts. It is no longer enabled to rest on the previous functional setup and design waiting for things to happen. Here the leader plays a significant part diagnosing the gaps, intervene if variances occur and reinforce the vision and mission-the essence of organizational set up.

Finally, to conclude the visionary leadership requirements to align with the global trends can be SEVEN 2,

CONCEPTUALIZE GOALS
VISUALISE GLOBALLYv ACT LOCALLY
ACCEPT REGIONAL DIFFERENCESv SPEED UP RESETS
BE INNOVATIVE
STAY FIT & TRIM

Thus as Organizations expand and venture into wider global markets, the executive and managerial workforce must have technical competence, international expertise and a global perspective. In short, they must be prepared to become global leaders, equipped to meet the demands of global organizations.

Source: http://akottolli.spaces.live.com/