Strategic Leaders

Strategic leaders develop subordinates through coaching, through providing policies and resources, and sharing the benefit of their perspective and experience (mentoring). To bridge the knowledge gap between organizational and strategic leaders, experienced strategic leaders can help newcomers by introducing important players and pointing out the critical places and activities. Strategic leaders become enablers as they underwrite the learning, efforts, projects, and ideas of rising leaders.

Through developing others, strategic leaders help build a team of leaders prepared to fill critical positions in the future.

Using Persuasion to Build Teams and Consensus

Using Persuasion to Build Teams and Consensus

11-22. Persuasion is an important method of communication for organizational leaders. Well-developed
skills of persuasion and openness to working through controversy in a positive way help organizational
leaders overcome resistance and build support. These characteristics are important in dealing with other
organizational leaders, multinational partners, and in the socio-political arena. By reducing grounds for
misunderstanding, persuasion reduces wasted time in overcoming unimportant issues. It also ensures
involvement of others, opens communication with them, and places value on their opinions—all critical
team-building actions. Openness to discussing one’s position and a positive attitude toward a dissenting
view often defuses tension and saves time. By demonstrating these traits, organizational leaders also
provide an example that subordinates can use in self-development.

11-23. In some circumstances, persuasion may be inappropriate. In combat, all leaders must often make
decisions quickly, requiring a more direct style when leading and deciding on courses of action.

EXERCISE 5: SINGLE-LEG OVER

Purpose: This exercise develops flexibility of the hips and lower back muscles (Figure 6-105).

Starting Position 1: Supine position with arms sideward, palms down and feet together.

Movement: On the command Ready, STRETCH, turn the body to the right, bend the left knee to 90 degrees over the right leg, grasp the outside of the left knee with the right hand and pull toward the right. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds.

Starting Position 2: On the command Starting Position, MOVE, assume the starting position.

Movement: On the command Change Position, Ready, STRETCH, turn the body to the left, bend the right knee to 90 degrees over the left leg, grasp the outside of the right knee with the left hand, and pull toward the

left. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds. On the command Starting Position, MOVE, return to the starting position.

Figure 6-105