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Recommended Resources – The Strategist

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StrategyDriven Recommended ResourcesThe Strategist: Be the Leader Your Business Needs
by Cynthia Montgomery

About the Book

The Strategist by Cynthia Montgomery challenges readers to ask “Am I a strategist?” and goes on to provide illustrated examples and insights into the skills and sensibilities all senior leaders must possess in order to guide their organization to ongoing growth and success. Cynthia presents the lessons learned from leading executives while teaching at the Harvard Business School. Within her book, Cynthia covers topics including:

  • Strategy & Leadership
  • Are you a strategist?
  • The Myth of the Super-Manager
  • Begin with Purpose
  • Turn Purpose into Reality
  • Own Your Strategy
  • Keep It Vibrant
  • The Essential Strategist

Why You Should Read This Book

StrategyDriven Contributors like The Strategist for its insights to a key skill every successful executive possesses. Cynthia brings readers a vast collection of experiences from hundreds of senior corporate leaders and well researched case history. Her concepts come to life through a myriad of detailed case studies like those the Harvard Business School is known for.

If we had one criticism of The Strategist it would be that the book is too academic, lacking the real-world insights only an author who has ‘been there’ can provide.

The Strategist conveys to readers the key skills and thought processes they need to succeed as organization leaders. It challenges the conventional, tactical thinking so many managers get locked into. For its executive-level insights and illustrative examples to the critical challenges faced by all organization leaders, The Strategist is a StrategyDriven recommended read.

RACI Matrix

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Performance measurement systems monitor the behaviors and results of the organization’s workgroups and, in some cases, individuals; providing periodic reinforcement of the achievement of desired outcomes. This reinforcement can only occur when an individual understands his/her role as associated with a metric and receives and understands the associated performance information. Such role designation and communication is fostered through development of a RACI matrix specifically associated with each performance measure within the system.

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Additional Resources

Individual RACI assignments can be difficult. Several other StrategyDriven articles provide additional insights to help in this decision-making process including:

About the Author

Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

Recommended Resources – The 4 Disciplines of Execution

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StrategyDriven Recommended ResourcesThe 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals
by Jerry Weissman

About the Book

The 4 Disciplines of Execution provides the steps needed to repeatably translate one’s business strategy into the day-to-day activities instrumental to realizing organizational goals. These disciplines include:

  • Focus on the Wildly Important – Give your best effort to those few goals that really matter instead of giving mediocre effort to dozens of goals.
  • Act on the Lead Measures – Carefully track the lead measures and let the lag measures take care of themselves.
  • Keep a Compelling Scoreboard – Make sure everybody knows the score at all times so they can tell if they are winning or not.
  • Create a Cadence of Accountability – Hold frequent accountability sessions whose only purpose is to advance the Wildly Important Goals.

Benefits of Reading this Book

StrategyDriven Contributors like The 4 Disciplines of Execution for its methodical, repeatable method of translating corporate strategy into the day-to-day actions of organization members. We appreciate the adaptation of the book’s principles to both an organization and team-level implementation.

Chris, Sean, and Jim richly present their concepts with detailed illustrations and examples; making the disciplines both easy to understand and readily implementable. The 4 Disciplines of Execution is remarkably well aligned with the foundational principles upon which StrategyDriven, its products and services, is based. For its actionable principles of strategy execution while promoting organizational alignment and accountability, The 4 Disciplines of Execution is a StrategyDriven recommended read.

Alternative Selection Warning Flag 2 – An Initiative for Every Executive

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StrategyDriven Alternative Selection Warning FlagSenior executives typically ascend to their elevated positions through the contribution of significant organizational value. While these individuals’ daily activities provided ongoing benefit throughout their careers, there is seldom a more value adding opportunity than successful leadership of a strategic initiative or large-scale project. Consequently, senior leaders seeking further career development and advancement covet these initiatives; sometimes resulting in the creation of such projects to satisfy an individual’s need rather than an organizational one.

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About the Author

Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

Leaving On Top

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David HeenanLeaving On Top: Graceful Exits for Leaders
by David Heenan

About the Reference

Leaving On Top by David Heenan examines the exits of large corporate C-level executives; identifying the several actions common to graceful departures. David shares ten lessons from successful transitions including:

  1. Know thyself
  2. Know thy situation
  3. Take risks
  4. Keep good company
  5. Check your ego at the door
  6. Keep learning
  7. Stage your exit
  8. Know when to walk away
  9. Know when to stay put
  10. Start now!

Why You Should Not Buy This Book

Leaving On Top is a niche book focused on large corporation CEOs and celebrities. David makes no effort to translate his departure lessons to fit small company or below CEO-level executives. Furthermore, Leaving On Top is largely a series of stories and does not get to its departure recommendations until Chapter 12. While these are worth considering, David should have presented his ten points up front and dedicated a chapter to each lesson; providing the reader with specific, actionable insights.

Leaving On Top is too niche in its focus and too shallow in its content for most readers. If you are a large corporate CEO, we suggest you read only Chapter 12, an executive summary, or, better yet, call some of your successful peers.

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