QUESTION:  How to Develop a Strategic Focus?

Dear Merry,

I am newly promoted from Director of Human Resources where I had a lot of tactical responsibility, to Vice President of HR.  In my new position I report to the Chief Operating Officer.  He called me in to his office recently and told me that I need to let go of my tactical focus, and start to develop a more strategic focus.  Can you help me?  I don t really know how to deliver on this because I am so busy during the day I don t know where I am going to find the time to be strategic as well.

RESPONSE:  It s Time to Elevate Your Game

Dear Executive,

This is excellent news!  Your boss is asking you to step up to the next level of performance.

When we get promoted many of us continue to do the functions of the old job - because that s what s comfortable.    It sounds like this may be the case for you.  You are still managing the tactical responsibilities of the Director job as your boss is asking you to step up a level to strategic responsibilities.  You are so busy learning the new job AND doing your old job that it causes problems:

-        The person now responsible for your old functions may feel you are meddling.

-        They may feel that you don t trust them to do the job.

-        This is not the best use of your time and company resources.

It s time to elevate your game.  Here are my suggestions:

1. Consider Hiring a Coach.  A coach can help you pinpoint the areas of focus in developing a more strategic leadership style and can help you clarify and navigate your bosses expectations.  They can support you in the creation and execution of an action plan that delivers results.
2. Evaluate Your Team.  Do you have the right people in place?  Can you delegate to them? 
3. Can You Let Go?  Often times we have all the resources in place, but the problem is with us...and our inability to let go of the old comfortable responsibilities.  Take an honest look at yourself.
4. Let Go of Constantly "Doing". Often we feel that we are only contributing when we are constantly executing and busy "doing".  In order to be a strategic leader, we have to be comfortable NOT constantly "doing".  You have to have uninterrupted time to look at the business.
5. Consider what is mission critical to the business.  How do your HR issues tie in to what s being discussed in the boardroom and what is seen as mission critical?  To the extent that you can find these connections and align yourself to them, you will be seen as strategic.
6. Clarify your boss expectations. For your boss to say "go be strategic" is not giving you much information to go on.  So what to do?  Undertake some organizational analysis....
   1. What are the business imperatives?:  If you are in the executive committee meetings, what is being discussed/seen as most strategic.
   2. Ask other business unit leads how you could support them more strategically.
   3. Come up with your top 3 strategic initiatives and run them by the COO and see if they are inline with what the COO was thinking.  Ask your boss what they would add or subtract from your list.  Reach a consensus.
7. Manage yourreputation.  Now that you have pinpointed the top 3 strategic imperatives, you can continually point to your progress and manage your reputation. 
   1. Use appropriate self-promotion to show the COO and others how you are being strategic.  Share your progress along the way.
   2. After a few months progress, meet with the COO.  Prepare a debrief of your work against the 3 initiatives and share that with your boss and key constituents. Show them what you ve achieved and then ask:  "Are you seeing more strategic leadership from me?" 

This is an exciting time for you of growth and change as you redefine your priorities and leadership style.  Using the strategies above will help ensure that your transition from a tactical focus to a strategic focus is smooth and rewarding.

Dare to Deliver!

Merry

Merry Marcus

President, www.breakthroughconsulting.com

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Merry Marcus, President of Break Through Consulting (links to www.breakthroughconsulting.com?source=HRcom) is a Certified Masterful Coach, entrepreneur and former Fortune 100 VP of Sales.  Break-Through Consulting is a coaching and consulting company focused on producing otherwise impossible business results through breakthroughs in traditional thinking and actions.  Merry can be reached at:  (215) 579-8293 and mmarcus@breakthroughconsulting.com.