Peer to Peer Magazine

SMART MOVES Building a Road to the Future: My Transition from Operational Management to Strategic Leadership O f the many challenges managers must face, the ability to transition from operational manager to strategic leader can prove to be particularly demanding. As an operational manager, you are running the day-to-day functionality of the organization. This includes the services, processes and procedures that are delivered to your users and customers. Strategic leaders focus on the future. They inspire and lead organization-wide change. These leaders plan long-range goals and build intimate relationships with their shareholders, while piloting the competitive landscape of the business. Where the operational leader will execute the policy, the strategic leader will drive the culture and direction of the organization. However, it is important to understand that one cannot exist without the other. At some point, a strategic initiative becomes an operational process. Likewise, the need for operational improvements can lead to a change in your strategic vision. THE FAST TRACK APPROACH This blend of strategy and operations is the situation in which I find myself, having taken on a strategic role by fire. When I accepted my position as director of information technology, I reported to the CIO. Shortly after my arrival, I found myself in the midst of executive changes that, when all was settled, left the CIO position in transition and me with the added responsibility of working with the COO on new and exciting initiatives leading the firm forward. What was more empowering (and quite frightening) was that while I was not acting as the interim CIO, my opinion was being asked in areas where I heretofore had certainly had an opinion, but never a voice. 38 www.iltanet.org Peer to Peer SELF-ASSESSMENT With added responsibilities, I found myself in a netherworld of organizational leadership. Previously, I had been sheltered from the business unit in the IT basement. I discovered that my skill set, while impressive for an operational role, lacked some of the tools necessary for strategic success. Though it may seem obvious, each time I realized I lacked a skill, it was a eureka moment that demonstrated to me that I had to get in the game and be ready to play. I quickly identified the “what” and “why” concepts that were necessary to grow professionally, but I was frustrated by my lack of understanding of the “how.” In my new position, with its fresh viewpoint, I quickly identified my shortcomings. Prior to this change, I had never introduced myself to the firm beyond the typical “Hi, nice to meet you.” I had not marketed my brand to my customers in a way that would contribute to my success in this new challenge. While I “knew” many of the individuals and what their roles were, I lacked the understanding of their full business contribution to the firm. My familiarity ended with their specific pain points or issues as they related to IT. I needed to learn the philosophy that the firm’s marketing group utilized when seeking new business, to identify the challenges facing the records department while implementing a retention policy on all media (not just electronic), and to understand the financial goals of the CFO and accounting department beyond my section of the budgeting spreadsheet. BUILDING YOUR STRATEGIC CHARACTER Naturally, I found myself recalling the strategic leaders I had learned from in the past, both good and bad. I wanted to emulate the traits of those that affected me in a positive way, while not repeating those detrimental to my objectives. A mental inventory of prior mentors and coaches generated a list of truisms I already knew, including the importance

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