i. Strategic THINKING
• Having a vision of what the organization can and should become.
• Offering new ways of understanding the challenges and optimizing the opportunities available.
• Having a broad conceptual view of the organization and skills to support its translation into actions (changing paradigms, critical thinking skills, broadmindedness, and cosmopolitan outlook, `getting out of the box` and being careful with comfort zones).
ii. Strategic ACTING
• Coordinated effort required for an organization to implement insights and understanding derived from effective strategic thinking.
• Leader requires planning skills, technical and organizational knowledge, benchmarked and well sourced information, integrity, flexibility, effective communication and listening, change management, role modeling, mentoring and coaching skills.
iii. Strategic INFLUENCING
• Creating conditions of clarity, commitment and synergy throughout the organization.
• Leader needs excellent communication skills, effective listening skills, good human relation skills for ease of interaction with the people whose following s/he must attract.
• Leader and the followers must `learn` and `unlearn` together in the processes of thinking, acting and influencing.
• Leader must be open to new ideas (believe in nurturing others talents and expertise) so as to evolve the best strategy that will propel the organization’s enduring success.

Listen to the video above and study the readings given on this page. Focusing on a named institutional leader, what strategic leadership skills does he/she use to steer the institution?

Learn more from the links below