Core Leadership Skil ls Series

Strategic Thinking, Vision and Mission

Dr. John Persico

612-310-3803Persico.john@gmail.com

Agenda

• Welcome

• Introduction of Participants

• Strategic Thinking Types of Strategic Thinking

• Vision and Mission and Values Crafting a Vision Crafting a Mission Linking Vision, Mission and Values

• Managing the External Environment Building Inter-Organizational Cooperation Building Intra-Organizational Cooperation

• Evaluation of Course

Welcome

The process of developing new skills should include the following:

•Identify a needed skill area.

•Agree on a learning method for improvement.

•Practice and receive feedback.

•Increase awareness of the effects of performance on others.

•Measure change within a well-defined timeframe.

•Recognize and reward skill enhancement.

Introduction of Participants

• Who are you?

• Why are you here?

• What was the most interesting event that you ever planned and pulled off?

• What are five strengths you bring to this class?

• What would you like to take away from this session?

Learning Objectives1. Be able to define strategic thinking and why it is important.

2. Identify types of strategic thinking.

3. Be able to define the difference between and Vision Statement and a Mission Statement.

4. Know the steps in developing a Vision Statement.

5. Know the steps in developing a Mission Statement

6. Define the key forces affecting education today.

7. Describe the steps for building inter-organizational cooperation.

8. Describe the steps for building intra-organizational cooperation.

Promote Lifelong Learning

You can develop lifelong learning traits:

• By showing curiosity about human nature and

how the world works.

• By seeking and valuing diversity.

• By persisting in seeking out new solutions.

• By using your unique talents and intelligence to promote positive change.

• By learning and applying technology tools to solve problems.

Show Respect

• Value yourself. Be honest and ethical, and practice strong moral values.

• Treat all members of the school community and with politeness and respect.

• Honor the ideas and opinions of others.

• Offer to help.

• Be responsible for keeping an open mind.

Policies

• Ask questions at any time.

• Listen to all ideas and opinions.

• Leave for restroom when needed.

• Please be back from lunch and breaks on time.

• Let us know if the day is not working for you.

What is Strategic Thinking

• Definition:

• Strategic Thinking: Strategic thinking is the ability

to recognize the relationships, complexities, and

implications of a situation; anticipate possibilities;

and plan what to do. It is an attempt to develop a

best guess about the future.

Benefits of Strategic Thinking

Strategic thinking requires exploration of the perspectives and positions of possible stakeholders. “Groupthink” is less likely if different perspectives are explored.

Leadership decisions are more effective and people are more

motivated if the organization has a coherent strategy.

A strategy that establishes priorities and guides the allocation of

resources makes it easier to add value and apply the organization’s resources appropriately.

Developing a strategy creates a focus and an opportunity to strike

a balance between the often conflicting mandates of higher authorities and different stakeholders, whose formal mandates are often broad and ill-defined.

Personal Change Exercise

• Refer to your workbook for this activity:

• Recall an experience in your life when you went through a personal change. This may be a major or minor life or career change, but should be something you are willing to share with others. Make a few notes about the change.

• Answer the questions concerning this change.

Why Develop A Strategic Thinking Competency?

• The complexity of educational organizations requires senior-level leaders and executives to do their own thinking and to carve out the direction that best suits their environment.

The Strategic Thinking CycleStrategic Thinking Cycle

Acquiring Insight

Developing Foresight

UNDERSTANDINGWhat possibilities

do we face?

Identifying strategic levers for

competitive advantage

Matching levers with capabilities

REASONINGWhat are we going to do about it?

Choosing a core strategy

Making the strategy work

PERCEIVINGWhat seems

to be happening?

Stages of Change Assessment

• Refer to your Student Workbook for this activity:

• In your small group, please complete the assessment in your student workbook.

• Select a spokesperson to summarize your discussion and findings with the class.

The Strategic Management Triangle

Expanding Your Thinking

Different Types of Strategic Thinking• Logical• Intuitive

• Conceptual• Creative

Logic and Intuition

• The logical mode is best used when trying to refine ideas, whereas the intuitive mode works best when trying to explore areas for which the data are not clear or are unknown

Alien Invasion Exercise

• Please refer to your student workbook for this activity.

• In your small group, read the description and then answer the questions.

• Select a spokesperson to report ideas and findings back to the class.

Conceptual Thinking

• See basic relationships.

• See multiple relationships.

• Clarify complex data or situations.

Conceptual Thinking Exercise

• Refer to your student workbook for this activity.

• With a partner, review the exercise and select the best responses to each situation.

• Which is Fact and which is Fiction?

• Report from one pair and see what the rest of the class thinks.

Creative Thinking

• Creative thinking assumes experimentation. By its very nature, creativity is about trial, error, and taking risks. To leaders, this sounds at best counterintuitive, at worst dangerous.

• To think creatively as a leader, you must shed some of the “safety consciousness” to experiment and risk failure. It can take learning or relearning different skill sets.

Film on Creativity and Play

• TED Film featuring Tim Brown on Creativity

• Film on Creativity

Critical Thinking Exercise

• Please refer to your student workbook for this activity.

• Read the case.

• In your small group, answer the questions and complete the tasks as noted at the end of the case.

Vision and Mission

• Perhaps the most critical task of educational leaders and managers is to help all stakeholders understand the value of the educational organization’s services.

Definit ions of Vision and Mission• Vision: The vision is a broad statement of the unique current

and future purpose for which the organization exists and the constituents it serves. The vision represents a deeper level of motivation than the mission. It describes how an organization finds its fulfillment. The vision describes what the organization wants to do or where it wants to go. It projects an ideal future that may not be attainable.

•

• Mission: The mission is a statement that identifies the core purpose of the organization and motivates stakeholders. The mission describes the means to achieve the vision, i.e., how the organization will get there. It should be both attainable and measurable.

Pros and Cons of Vision and Mission Statements.

• Large Discussion: Pro’s and Con’s of Vision and Mission Statements?

• In a large group, can you identify some pro’s and con’s for the idea of vision and mission statements?

Steps in Crafting a Vision

• The three major steps for crafting an organizational vision are:

1.Gather data.

2.Engage senior-level leaders.

3.Develop a vision, a mission, and values.

Linking Vision, Mission and Values

Vision, Mission and Values must link the needs and desires of

the internal organization to the critical external forces affecting

the educational organization .

Value Exercise: Futuring

• Refer to your workbook for this activity.

• You will work in your small group to complete this exercise.

• Your goal in this exercise is to identify the essential values need by students and educators for the 21st Century. a

• Please refer to your workbook where needed.

The Role of Mission

Effective missions meet the following four objectives:

• State the core purpose.

• Allow room for expansion into new programs and innovations in carrying out the education organization’s public policy mandates.

• Inspire stakeholders.

• Encourage staff to work more effectively.

Steps in Implementing the Mission

• Clarify roles and responsibilities.

• Develop goals that support the mission.

• Make performance and reward systems reinforce the mission.

Managing the External Environment

• Interacting with citizens and interest groups.

• Collaborating with other public agencies.

• Acquiring necessary resources.

• Maintaining a productive place in the education system.

• Applying effective techniques and strategies to building public and media relations.

External Factors Affecting Education: The Wells Model

Driving Forces in Education Exercise• Please refer to your workbook for this activity.

• Read the comment by Schank and Jones on a “Vision for Education in the 21st Century.”

• In your small groups, answer the questions.

• Please select a spokesperson to share ideas and comments with the class.

Building Inter-Organizational Relationships

Barriers to Cooperative Relationships

• Resource Shortfalls.

• Mission Conflict and Ambiguity.

• Political Obstacles.

• Legal and Constitutional Barriers.

Building Intra-Organizational Relationships

• Dr. W. E. Deming• Point 9: Break down barriers between staff areas

Deming’s 14 Points Applied to Education

Building Intra-Organizational Relationships

• Regular senior staff meetings

• Achieve consensus among the staff

• Extensive Planning between the departments

• Strong communication with your customer

• Strong focus on prevention of issues

• Fully analyze goals to assure they do not create barriers

Intra-Departmental Collaboration Exercise

• Refer to your workbook for this activity

• Working in your small group, complete the exercise and questions relating to Intra-Departmental cooperation.

• Pick a spokesperson to share your comments with the class.

Evaluation of Session

• Please complete the evaluation form in your workbook. (Leadership Course Evaluation)

• In small groups, would you please summarize your conclusions in terms of what worked for you in this session and what did not.