Strategic Leadership

HBR.ORG

Managing Yourself

January–February 2013

reprinT R1301L

Strategic Leadership:

The Essential Skills

by Paul J.H. Schoemaker, Steve Krupp,

and Samantha Howland

For article reprints call 800-988-0886 or 617-783-7500, or visit hbr.org

Managing yourself

Strategic Leadership:

The Essential Skills

by Paul J.H. Schoemaker, Steve Krupp,

and Samantha Howland

Illustration: Kelly Blair

T

he storied British banker and

financier Nathan Rothschild noted

that great fortunes are made when

cannonballs fall in the harbor, not when

violins play in the ballroom. Rothschild

understood that the more unpredictable

the environment, the greater the opportunity—if you have the leadership skills

to capitalize on it. Through research at

the Wharton School and at our consulting

firm involving more than 20,000 executives to date, we have identified six skills

that, when mastered and used in concert,

allow leaders to think strategically and

navigate the unknown effectively: the

abilities to anticipate, challenge, interpret,

decide, align, and learn. Each has received

attention in the leadership literature, but

usually in isolation and seldom in the

special context of high stakes and deep

uncertainty that can make or break both

companies and careers. This article describes the six skills in detail. An adaptive

strategic leader—someone who is both

resolute and flexible, persistent in the face

of setbacks but also able to react strategi-

Copyright © 2012 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.

cally to environmental shifts—has learned

to apply all six at once.

Do you have the right networks to help

you see opportunities before competitors

do? Are you comfortable challenging your

own and others’ assumptions? Can you

get a diverse group to buy in to a common

vision? Do you learn from mistakes? By

answering questions like these, you’ll get

a clear view of your abilities in each area.

The...