Speech on. Strategic Leadership. Mr. Farooq Sobhan. President, BEI. National Defence College. 19th of November 2012

Transcription

1 Speech on Strategic Leadership By Mr. Farooq Sobhan President, BEI National Defence College 19th of November 2012 Lt. Gen Mollah Fazle Akbar, Commandant of the NDC, Senior Directing Staff of the NDC, NDC Course Members 2012, Aas Salaamu A laikum and Good Morning. Introductory Comments It gives me great pleasure to be here at the NDC once again. The topic of our discussion, Strategic Leadership, has been and continues to be an extremely important constituent of defence, armed forces and nation building. Strategic Leadership is however a broad and complex subject and is related to a diverse number of fields, from education and business to policy making in times of war and peace. The War on Terror and the subsequent unconventional urban conflicts have dramatically changed the role of militaries around the world and as such, the 1

2 Strategic Leadership roles played by the leaders of these organizations have also evolved. Today, I would like to start off by defining Strategic Leadership. Then I would like to explore the pathways to Strategic Leadership and the key competencies and required skills of a strategic leader. This is followed by recommendations on improving Strategic Leadership skills in members of the armed forces. Definition of Strategic Leadership Strategic Leadership is very difficult to define and is most often recognized in action. This type of leadership involves microscopic perceptions and macroscopic expectations. The common usage of the term strategic is related to the concept of strategy which is simply a course of action for accomplishing a goal. Strategy is a plan whose aim is to link ends, ways, and means. Strategic leadership entails making decisions across different cultures, agencies, agendas, personalities, and desires. It requires the devising of plans that are feasible, desirable, and acceptable to one s organization and partners whether joint, interagency, or multinational. Strategic leadership demands the ability to make sound, reasoned decisions and specifically, consequential decisions with grave implications. Since the aim of strategy is to link ends, ways, and means, the aim of strategic leadership is to determine the ends, choose the best ways, and apply the most effective means. The strategy is the plan; strategic leadership is the thinking and decision making required for developing and affecting the plan. In short, one may define strategic leadership as the ability of an experienced, senior leader who has the wisdom and vision to create and execute plans and make consequential decisions in the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous 2

3 strategic environment. Pathways to Strategic Leadership Now that we have managed to define strategic leadership, the process by which strategic leadership is developed must also be understood. The path to strategic leadership involves a number of steps. Shortcuts do not exist, and one cannot start at the top. Strategic leaders gradually build wisdom, defined as acquiring experiences over time. Certain activities can accelerate these experiences and widen perspectives. The contribution to strategic decisions is not confined to leaders alone, and individuals with varied strategic skills may be part of a decision making body. There are 5 key steps towards the development of a strategic leader. 1. Strategic leadership begins with organizational values, standards, and ethics the foundation of profession. 2. Upon this foundation, the officer develops an abstract body of expert knowledge based primarily on experience. Continuing education can influence, expand, and accelerate development. 3. Next, the officer is exposed to command responsibility and accountability. This is a vital phase during which the officer gets his or her first real taste of consequential decision making. 4. Further education in strategic thinking skills enhances the officer s competence. In each case, an officer could have opportunities to exercise strategic competency in support of a strategic leader. 5. Ultimately, the officer will participate in strategic decision making and 3

4 become a strategic leader. Competencies and Key Skills of Strategic Leaders All great strategic leaders have certain characteristic traits or key competencies which enable them to approach complex tasks strategically and systematically. It is difficult to imagine an all inclusive list of competencies required for strategic leadership. However, some skills seem essential such as vision, which allows the strategic leader to focus on the future as well as build that future. Vision makes leaders proactive in the strategic environment rather than reactive. Furthermore, they should become transformational in order to inspire people toward common goals and shared values; they must anticipate change, lead change, and foster a mind set of change; they should critically analyze their own thinking to make decisions logically; they should foster an attitude of creativity in their operations and organizations; they must audaciously seek novel ideas and understand how to frame decisions and organize chaos; and they should know how to build effective teams and gain consensus within large organizations. When consensus fails, strategic leaders must negotiate effectively, or they put success at risk. Many times, this kind of success is directly related to the cultural sensitivity and cross cultural communications ability of the leader. Finally, the strategic leader must assume the role of both teacher and mentor. Great leaders are great teachers. They have a teachable point of view and invest in developing other leaders. The competencies mentioned form the basis of an education for aspiring strategic leaders. 4

5 In addition to those mentioned before, there are 6 competencies which are especially relevant to the development of effective strategic leaders of the future. These are intellectual openness, nuance, intellectual agility, integration, teamwork and ethics. 1. Intellectual Openness is a requirement for effective strategic leadership because since scope and range of issues on strategies are so wide, leaders must be open to different points of view. Subordinates and peers must be actively encouraged to express their points of view and this may also include an open exchange of ideas between government stakeholders, civil society and international partners. An effective strategic leader understands that no one has a monopoly on relevant experience and knowledge on strategic issues. 2. Strategic leaders must be able to recognize and deal with ambiguity and complexity and the shades of nuance that they present. A well developed appreciation for nuance would generally reject an either/or approach, which in itself denies ambiguity and complexity. For military leaders in particular, this means that tactics, techniques, and procedures although important, even necessary may not always be up to the task at hand, which leads to consideration of another quality. 3. Intellectual agility is a fundamental skill for an effective strategic leader. Strategic leaders must be able to shift their focus from one problem to another, often with very little time for adjustment. In practicing intellectual agility, strategic leaders must be informed and guided by doctrine and past experiences but not be confined by them. Properly understood, organizational doctrines are authoritative, but require judgment in their application. Too 5

6 often military officers remember the former but not the latter, and rigidly apply doctrine to situations that may be significantly different from those the doctrine writers envisioned. Strategic leaders must be adaptable and able to adjust when an unanticipated situation is thrust upon them. Strategic leaders must also be able to adapt in the middle of a war or crisis, rather than holding on stubbornly to the plan or policy they began with, even when it no longer seems to be achieving the objectives, or is doing so at unacceptably high costs. 4. Strategic Leadership involves the effective integration of a variety of assets and mechanisms. The problems confronting strategic leaders are rarely onedimensional. Almost by definition, strategic problems are multidimensional, involving military, political, economic, cultural, social, religious, and historical factors. Thus, successfully addressing strategic problems involves several or all the instruments of national power. Strategic leaders must master the instruments of their own departments or agencies, but must also be able to help integrate and coordinate them with those of other departments and agencies. 5. Government and military operations on the strategic level require teamwork. Strategic leaders must build an effective team within their own agencies that includes career officials (both civilian and military) and political appointees. Strategic leaders must also build effective interagency teams to integrate and apply various instruments that the given problem demands. Increasingly in the 21 st century, strategic leaders must also build effective teams with coalition and alliance partners, whose cultural backgrounds and modes of operation frequently will be greatly different from their own. Relationships are critical in 6

7 building effective teamwork on all levels. The key to strong and effective relationships is trust. For trust to take hold in organizations, leaders on all levels must be both trustworthy and trusting. 6. Ethics is always important, but especially given the complexity of challenges faced by strategic leaders. Strategic leaders must personally set and reevaluate their own understanding and acceptance of ethics. Professionals are guided by an ethos that defines and regulates their profession whether it is the military, public service or the law. All citizens as well as members of the armed forces, must incorporate national values and principles. Ethics must involve both ethical ends and ethical means, especially for strategic leaders who wrestle with 21 st century issues. Ethical ends can justify some means, but even the most ethical ends cannot justify any and all means. Leaders will be judged by themselves and by others not only by the goals they set, but by the means they use in trying to achieve those goals. In every organization, regardless of size, the leaders set the tone, including the ethical tone. Within military organizations, command climate starts at the top. It is reflected in what strategic leaders say and in what they do, and those who serve in their organizations, as well as those people outside who come into contact with them. How to Improve Strategic Leadership in the Bangladesh Armed Forces So far, we have analyzed the concept of Strategic Leadership, the development processes of a Strategic Leader and the key skills and competencies of a competent Strategic Leader of the 21 st century. We must now undertake a 7

8 deliberation on how strategic leadership can be invigorated and improved within the armed forces of Bangladesh. According to the latest press release by the UN, as of September 2012, 97,199 peacekeepers of 116 countries are deployed across the world. Of them, 9,068 or about 9 per cent of the world s peacekeepers are from Bangladesh. Thus our armed forces have not only national but many noteworthy international achievements. The NDC has duly recognized the armed forces of Bangladesh as a source of great pride and to further invigorate this national asset, has undertaken training and education on a number of important topics, including Strategic Leadership. The need to develop tactical leaders into strategic leaders and to empower them to lead in such a challenging international environment has never been more important. Strategic leaders of both civil and military backgrounds who are responsible for national security, peacekeeping, thousands of people and vast resources cannot rely on lower level leadership skills for future success. As a result, further steps can be taken to improve the strategic leadership skills of the armed forces of Bangladesh. The rise in contemporary crises and military events demands that the strategic skills of young professionals are developed early in their careers to ensure that they can: 1. Negotiate 2. Understand globalization 3. Build consensus 4. Analyze complex and ambiguous situations 5. Think innovatively and 8

9 6. Communicate effectively. General officers can also acquire knowledge by participating in strategiclevel programs through multinational and interagency war games. The armed forces should expand opportunities to participate in these programs where possible. Opportunities to partner with academic institutions, think tanks and civil society that offer strategic education, advocacy and awareness must be encouraged. As an example of this notion, BEI has in the past, facilitated the active participation of civil and military constituents in shaping a national counterterrorism strategy for Bangladesh. Initiatives can also be undertaken to organize fellowships and study exchange programs between National Defence Colleges and affiliated educational institutions of international partners. Fellowships and international exposures offer opportunities for military officers to gain a holistic strategic perspective. The contemporary operating environment requires that strategic leaders understand the many instruments of national power and the asymmetrical nature of current and future threats. The armed forces of Bangladesh must thus continue its present momentum of encouraging education of the strategic leaders of the future. Self developmental is an important element of developing strategic thinkers. Organizations can encourage self development as it relates to strategic leadership in young professionals. This should include directed readings or 9

10 functional modules delivered by distance or distributed learning. Selfdevelopment is a primary means to complement institutional or operational opportunities and to develop critical, creative thinkers who can serve as leaders managing strategic change. Strategic leaders should refine their reading lists to include the best available material on the strategic environment and leadership as well as books that discuss the moral dimension at the strategic level. Military leaders should encourage dialogue by publishing articles or writing books on strategic leadership. Given the complexity of strategic leadership, a holistic approach for improving the development of strategic leadership is important. As the preeminent defence educational institution, NDC is the ideal place for the grooming of future strategic leaders of Bangladesh. We hope to see greater innovation and increased initiatives to develop the potential of our young military officers to be effective strategic leaders of the 21 st century. 10