Page 65 - HBR Leader's Handbook: Make an Impact, Inspire Your Organization, and Get to the Next Level

Developing a Strategy 55

Don’t go it alone

Whatever your role (and relative authority), you should not assume that
the strategy-making process rests only on your shoulders. You will have
to approve what the strategy on your watch will be, but it’s important
that you understand the constraints and opportunities under which you
are operating and who else will have a share in the overall accountabil-
ity. If you are asked to develop a strategy for your unit’s contribution to
broader company strategy, you will likely receive a set of assumptions
and resources that will bound the options you’ll be able to develop.
But whatever the scope of your ultimate strategy-making responsi-
bility, resist the temptation to be the all-seeing, heroic decision maker.
You’ll develop better options by listening to other people along the
way—calling on other professionals, working collaboratively across and
beyond the organization—to ensure that your process is identifying the
right problem areas and exploring the most viable ideas. It’s also valu-
able to get help and outside perspective on analyzing and modeling the
financial and implementation considerations of different ideas. Fresh
eyes can minimize what is often inevitable confirmation bias.
Great leaders we’ve spoken with stress the importance of letting go
and being open to perspectives other than their own as they consider
strategy solutions. Kerger readily admits today she was too skeptical
when Rotenberg approached her about the new dedicated kids’ channel.
It is to her credit that, even as she challenged her general manager, she
kept an open mind about an initiative she had doubts about.
Trying to minimize your own personal prejudices is especially impor-
tant when hearing objections and concerns about your ideas. The best
leaders make a conscious effort to listen to others, and to know and
restrain their own biases. Being able to hear dissent means that you’ll
“understand why the status quo doesn’t have to be the way business is
done,” in the wise words of Tamara Lundgren, CEO of Schnitzer Steel.
(continued)