Strategic Leadership Training Service | in Dammam - Riyadh - Jeddah - Makkah

1. Introduction to Strategic Leadership

1.1 Strategic Leadership Fundamentals

• Strategic leadership definition including (long-term orientation, vision creation, strategy formulation, organizational alignment, sustainable advantage, future-focused)

• Strategic versus operational leadership including (strategic what/why, operational how, timeframe long versus short, scope broad versus narrow, both essential)

• Strategic leader roles including (visionary, strategist, change agent, organizational architect, culture builder, talent developer)

• Leadership versus management including (leadership direction and inspiration, management execution and control, complementary, balance required)

• Strategic leadership importance including (competitive advantage, adaptability, innovation, stakeholder value, long-term success, organizational resilience)

1.2 Strategic Leadership Competencies

• Strategic thinking including (systems perspective, pattern recognition, future orientation, conceptual thinking, connecting dots, big picture)

• Visionary capability including (imagining future, inspiring others, translating vision to strategy, communication, possibility thinking)

• Change leadership including (transformation management, resistance handling, momentum building, sustaining change, cultural evolution)

• Influence and stakeholder management including (political acumen, coalition building, negotiation, trust development, relationship management)

• Decision-making including (strategic choices, ambiguity tolerance, risk assessment, judgment, decisiveness with incomplete information)

• Emotional intelligence including (self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, relationship management, empathy, authenticity)

1.3 Strategic Leadership Challenges

• VUCA environment including (Volatility rapid change, Uncertainty unpredictability, Complexity interconnectedness, Ambiguity unclear cause-effect, leadership response)

• Competing priorities including (short-term versus long-term, stakeholder tensions, resource constraints, balancing act, trade-offs)

• Resistance to change including (organizational inertia, fear, comfort zones, change fatigue, overcoming barriers)

• Talent and capability gaps including (skill shortages, succession challenges, development needs, retention, future competencies)

• Technology disruption including (digital transformation, business model threats, innovation imperative, adaptation speed, obsolescence risk)

2. Vision Development and Strategic Intent

2.1 Crafting Compelling Vision

• Vision definition including (desired future state, aspirational, inspirational, directional, meaningful, mobilizing)

• Vision versus mission versus values including (vision where going, mission why exist, values how behave, strategic hierarchy)

• Effective vision characteristics including (clear and concise, inspiring, challenging yet achievable, memorable, stakeholder-resonant, future-oriented)

• Visioning process including (environmental scanning, stakeholder input, leadership dialogue, iteration, communication, embedding)

• Vision examples including (Microsoft "computer on every desk", Amazon "Earth's most customer-centric company", analysis of effective visions)

2.2 Communicating Strategic Vision

• Communication principles including (clarity, consistency, repetition, multiple channels, storytelling, emotional connection, two-way dialogue)

• Storytelling and narrative including (compelling story, hero's journey, organizational narrative, metaphors, visualization, memorability)

• Cascade and alignment including (leadership communication, manager translation, employee understanding, line-of-sight, ownership building)

• Symbolic actions including (leader behavior modeling, resource allocation signals, recognition aligned to vision, walking the talk)

• Overcoming cynicism including (credibility building, authenticity, addressing concerns, quick wins, persistence, track record)

2.3 Strategic Intent and Ambition

• Strategic intent including (stretch goal, organizational obsession, competitive focus, resource leveraging, Hamel and Prahalad concept)

• BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) including (Jim Collins concept, 10-30 year aspiration, energizing, catalyst, commitment)

• Stretch versus realistic including (aspirational yet believable, motivating not demoralizing, innovation driver, capability building)

• Strategic priorities including (focus areas, saying no, resource concentration, sequencing, portfolio management)

3. Strategic Analysis and Environmental Scanning

3.1 External Environment Analysis

• PESTLE analysis including (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental factors, macro trends, opportunities and threats)

• Porter's Five Forces including (competitive rivalry, supplier power, buyer power, threat of substitutes, threat of new entrants, industry attractiveness)

• Competitive analysis including (competitor identification, strengths/weaknesses, strategies, market positioning, benchmarking, intelligence gathering)

• Market trends including (customer needs evolution, demographic shifts, technology trajectories, regulatory changes, globalization)

• Scenario planning including (plausible futures, uncertainties, drivers, strategic implications, contingency planning, robustness)

3.2 Internal Analysis and Core Competencies

• SWOT analysis including (Strengths, Weaknesses internal, Opportunities, Threats external, integration, strategic fit)

• Resource-Based View (RBV) including (VRIO framework Valuable/Rare/Inimitable/Organized, sustainable advantage, capability development)

• Core competencies including (distinctive capabilities, competitive advantage source, Prahalad and Hamel, leveraging, protecting)

• Value chain analysis including (Porter model, primary and support activities, margin creation, optimization, outsourcing decisions)

• Organizational capability assessment including (people, processes, technology, culture, readiness, gaps, development priorities)

3.3 Strategic Position and Options

• TOWS matrix including (SWOT extension, matching strengths to opportunities, converting weaknesses/threats, strategic alternatives generation)

• Ansoff Matrix including (market penetration, market development, product development, diversification, growth strategies, risk levels)

• BCG Matrix including (Boston Consulting Group, Stars/Cash Cows/Question Marks/Dogs, portfolio management, resource allocation)

• Blue Ocean Strategy including (Kim and Mauborgne, value innovation, uncontested market space, eliminate-reduce-raise-create, strategic canvas)

• Generic strategies including (Porter cost leadership/differentiation/focus, strategic positioning, stuck in middle avoidance, choice clarity)

4. Strategy Formulation and Planning

4.1 Strategic Objectives and Goals

• Strategic objectives including (long-term aims, measurable outcomes, aligned to vision, prioritized, resourced, achievable yet stretching)

• SMART objectives including (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, clarity, accountability, tracking)

• Objective cascading including (corporate to business unit to functional to individual, alignment, line-of-sight, contribution clarity)

• Objective balancing including (financial and non-financial, short-term and long-term, stakeholder interests, sustainability, holistic)

4.2 Balanced Scorecard Methodology

• Balanced Scorecard overview including (Kaplan and Norton framework, four perspectives, strategy translation, measurement, management system)

• Four perspectives including (Financial shareholder value, Customer satisfaction and value, Internal Process efficiency and quality, Learning and Growth capabilities)

• Strategy map including (cause-and-effect relationships, strategic hypotheses, visual representation, communication tool, alignment)

• Measures and targets including (leading and lagging indicators, KPIs selection, target setting, benchmarking, balanced metrics)

• Strategic initiatives including (programs and projects, resource allocation, prioritization, portfolio management, execution)

4.3 Strategic Plan Development

• Planning process including (analysis, formulation, documentation, communication, implementation planning, review cycles)

• Strategic plan components including (vision/mission, environmental analysis, strategic objectives, strategies, initiatives, metrics, resource allocation)

• Three-horizon framework including (McKinsey, Horizon 1 core business, Horizon 2 emerging opportunities, Horizon 3 future options, portfolio balance)

• Resource allocation including (capital, people, technology, prioritization, trade-offs, strategic bets, discipline)

• Risk assessment including (strategic risks, scenario sensitivity, mitigation strategies, monitoring, contingency planning)

5. Leading Organizational Change and Transformation

5.1 Change Leadership Fundamentals

• Change types including (incremental continuous improvement, transformational fundamental shift, cultural, structural, strategic, technology-driven)

• Change drivers including (external competitive/regulatory/technology, internal performance/leadership/capability, proactive versus reactive)

• Change resistance including (fear of unknown, loss of control, competence threats, comfort zones, past failures, addressing concerns)

• Change readiness including (organizational assessment, capability, capacity, culture, timing, preparation)

5.2 Kotter's 8-Step Change Model

• Step 1: Create urgency including (compelling reason, burning platform or positive aspiration, stakeholder awareness, momentum)

• Step 2: Build guiding coalition including (diverse powerful team, credibility, influence, expertise, commitment, leadership alignment)

• Step 3: Form strategic vision and initiatives including (clear future picture, achievable path, communication-ready, inspiring)

• Step 4: Enlist volunteer army including (broad engagement, buy-in, empowerment, grassroots support, critical mass)

• Step 5: Enable action by removing barriers including (obstacles removal, systems/structures/processes alignment, empowerment, resources)

• Step 6: Generate short-term wins including (early successes, visible results, credibility building, momentum, celebration)

• Step 7: Sustain acceleration including (consolidate gains, broader changes, continued urgency, more change, persistence)

• Step 8: Institute change including (embed in culture, leadership development, reinforcement, make it stick, new normal)

5.3 Managing Resistance and Building Commitment

• Stakeholder analysis including (mapping, influence/interest matrix, concerns identification, engagement strategies, coalitions)

• Communication strategies including (clear consistent messaging, multiple channels, listening, addressing concerns, transparency, frequency)

• Participation and involvement including (co-creation, input solicitation, ownership building, implementation teams, empowerment)

• Support and resources including (training, coaching, tools, time, recognition, removing obstacles, psychological safety)

• Reinforcement mechanisms including (recognition, rewards, metrics, stories, role modeling, systems alignment, persistence)

6. Strategic Thinking and Systems Perspective

6.1 Developing Strategic Thinking

• Strategic thinking definition including (holistic perspective, long-term orientation, pattern recognition, creative synthesis, conceptual thinking)

• Strategic versus tactical thinking including (big picture versus details, what/why versus how, conceptual versus operational, both needed)

• Strategic thinking practices including (reflection time, broad reading, diverse exposure, scenario thinking, question asking, learning)

• Mental models and paradigms including (assumptions surfacing, challenging conventions, reframing, cognitive flexibility, unlearning)

• Strategic conversations including (dialogue quality, inquiry not advocacy, diverse perspectives, creativity, collective intelligence)

6.2 Systems Thinking

• Systems thinking principles including (interconnectedness, feedback loops, leverage points, unintended consequences, whole greater than parts)

• Causal loop diagrams including (reinforcing loops, balancing loops, delays, system behavior understanding, intervention points)

• Leverage points including (Donella Meadows hierarchy, system structure, paradigm shifts, high-impact interventions, efficiency)

• Unintended consequences including (second-order effects, system complexity, holistic analysis, anticipation, monitoring)

• Learning organization including (Peter Senge disciplines, systems thinking, mental models, shared vision, team learning, personal mastery)

6.3 Strategic Decision-Making

• Decision-making frameworks including (rational analysis, intuition, consultation, data-driven, judgment balance, situational)

• Strategic choices including (either/or decisions, trade-offs, portfolio balancing, timing, commitment, reversibility assessment)

• Decision quality including (framing, alternatives, information, values clarity, reasoning, commitment to action, implementation)

• Risk and uncertainty including (ambiguity tolerance, probability assessment, scenario analysis, hedging, real options, adaptation)

• Bias awareness including (cognitive biases, groupthink, confirmation bias, overconfidence, sunk cost, mitigation strategies)

7. Innovation and Competitive Differentiation

7.1 Innovation Leadership

• Innovation imperative including (competitive necessity, disruption threats, growth engine, value creation, customer expectations, survival)

• Innovation types including (product, process, business model, incremental versus radical, sustaining versus disruptive per Christensen)

• Innovation culture including (experimentation encouragement, failure tolerance, creativity, psychological safety, challenge status quo, curiosity)

• Innovation process including (idea generation, selection, development, implementation, scaling, stage-gate, agile approaches, portfolio)

• Design thinking including (empathy, define, ideate, prototype, test, human-centered, iterative, IDEO methodology)

7.2 Blue Ocean Strategy

• Red Ocean versus Blue Ocean including (red compete in existing market, blue create new market space, bloody versus uncontested)

• Value innovation including (differentiation and low cost simultaneously, trade-off breaking, value leap, strategic logic shift)

• Strategy canvas including (current versus new value curve, eliminate-reduce-raise-create grid, visual tool, strategic profile)

• Six Paths Framework including (look across alternatives, strategic groups, buyer chain, complementary offerings, functional-emotional, trends)

• Blue Ocean examples including (Cirque du Soleil, Southwest Airlines, Nintendo Wii, iTunes, analysis and lessons)

7.3 Fostering Organizational Innovation

• Leadership role including (vision setting, resource allocation, role modeling, permission giving, celebrating innovation, tolerance)

• Structures and processes including (innovation time, cross-functional teams, incubators, partnerships, open innovation, experimentation budgets)

• Talent and diversity including (creative hiring, diversity of thought, empowerment, recognition, development, retention of innovators)

• Customer and market insights including (voice of customer, unmet needs, lead users, ethnography, trend analysis, outside-in)

8. Organizational Culture and Transformation

8.1 Understanding Organizational Culture

• Culture definition including (shared values, beliefs, norms, behaviors, assumptions, "how we do things", organizational personality)

• Culture importance including (performance driver, strategy enabler/barrier, engagement, retention, brand, competitive advantage)

• Culture assessment including (Edgar Schein levels artifacts/values/assumptions, surveys, focus groups, observation, diagnostics)

• Culture types including (clan, adhocracy, market, hierarchy per Competing Values Framework, dominant culture, subcultures)

• Culture-strategy fit including (alignment essential, culture follows or eats strategy, mutual reinforcement, intentional design)

8.2 Shaping Organizational Culture

• Leadership role including (primary mechanism per Schein, attention focus, reactions to crises, resource allocation, role modeling, selection)

• Values and behaviors including (espoused versus enacted, defining desired behaviors, measurement, recognition, accountability)

• Symbols and rituals including (ceremonies, stories, heroes, physical environment, language, traditions, meaning creation)

• Systems alignment including (recruitment, performance management, rewards, promotion, development, processes reinforce culture)

• Communication and engagement including (dialogue, transparency, listening, storytelling, involvement, ownership)

8.3 Cultural Transformation

• Transformation triggers including (performance crisis, leadership change, strategy shift, merger/acquisition, market disruption)

• Transformation challenges including (deep-rooted beliefs, identity threats, complexity, time required, partial adoption risks, persistence needed)

• Transformation process including (assess current, define desired, gap analysis, intervention design, implementation, reinforcement, embedding)

• Critical interventions including (leadership behavior change, symbol changes, new rituals, hero creation, structure changes, quick wins)

• Sustaining new culture including (continuous reinforcement, systems alignment, onboarding, storytelling, leadership consistency, monitoring)

9. Strategic Execution and Performance Management

9.1 Strategy Execution Fundamentals

• Execution importance including (strategy without execution worthless, implementation gap common, discipline required, operational excellence)

• Execution barriers including (unclear strategy, poor communication, misaligned resources, capability gaps, competing priorities, lack of accountability)

• Execution framework including (translate strategy, plan operations, align organization, monitor and learn, adapt, continuous)

• Cascade and alignment including (objectives cascade, initiative ownership, resource allocation, decision rights, coordination)

9.2 Performance Management Systems

• Performance metrics including (financial, customer, operational, employee, leading and lagging, balanced, aligned to strategy)

• KPI design including (critical few, meaningful, measurable, owned, actionable, cascaded, SMART criteria)

• Target setting including (historical performance, benchmarking, strategic requirements, stretch versus realistic, commitment)

• Performance reviews including (rhythm monthly/quarterly, data-driven discussions, root cause analysis, action planning, accountability)

• Performance dashboards including (visualization, real-time, role-based, drill-down capability, actionable insights, accessibility)

9.3 Strategic Agility and Adaptation

• Environmental monitoring including (scanning, weak signals, scenario updates, competitor moves, customer shifts, technology trends)

• Strategy review cycles including (quarterly reviews, annual planning, rolling forecasts, trigger events, dynamic strategy)

• Adaptation mechanisms including (rapid decision-making, resource reallocation, portfolio adjustments, pivots, experimentation)

• Learning organization including (after-action reviews, knowledge capture, best practice sharing, continuous improvement, innovation)

• Organizational ambidexterity including (exploit existing and explore new simultaneously, balance, separate structures, leadership)

10. Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Communication

10.1 Stakeholder Mapping and Analysis

• Stakeholder identification including (internal employees/leadership/board, external customers/investors/suppliers/regulators/community, comprehensive)

• Stakeholder analysis including (power/interest matrix, influence/impact, needs/expectations, current relationship, engagement strategy)

• Prioritization including (key stakeholders, resource allocation, tailored strategies, balance, dynamic reassessment)

• Stakeholder engagement including (inform, consult, involve, collaborate, empower per IAP2 spectrum, appropriate level, authenticity)

10.2 Strategic Communication

• Communication strategy including (objectives, key messages, audiences, channels, timing, feedback mechanisms, measurement)

• Message development including (clarity, relevance, consistency, repetition, alignment, evidence-based, emotional and rational)

• Communication channels including (town halls, leader communications, intranet, newsletters, social media, face-to-face, multi-channel)

• Executive presence including (credibility, confidence, authenticity, gravitas, communication skills, influence, leadership brand)

• Crisis communication including (transparency, speed, empathy, facts, control narrative, stakeholder confidence, recovery)

10.3 Building Strategic Partnerships

• Partnership types including (strategic alliances, joint ventures, supplier partnerships, academic collaborations, ecosystem participation)

• Partnership rationale including (complementary capabilities, market access, risk sharing, innovation, speed, resources)

• Partnership success factors including (aligned interests, trust, governance, communication, value creation, relationship management, conflict resolution)

• Collaboration skills including (negotiation, influence without authority, cultural sensitivity, relationship building, win-win mindset)

11. Talent Development and Succession Planning

11.1 Strategic Talent Management

• Talent as competitive advantage including (capabilities drive strategy, talent shortage, war for talent, retention, engagement)

• Strategic workforce planning including (future skills, capability gaps, build/buy/borrow, demographics, succession, talent pipeline)

• Talent acquisition including (employer branding, recruitment strategy, cultural fit, competency-based, diversity, onboarding)

• Performance management including (expectations, feedback, development, differentiation, calibration, rewards, retention)

11.2 Leadership Development

• Leadership pipeline including (development at each level, succession bench strength, high-potential identification, acceleration)

• Development approaches including (70-20-10 model experience/relationships/training, stretch assignments, coaching, mentoring, formal programs)

• Competency models including (strategic leadership competencies, assessment, development planning, progress tracking, organizational alignment)

• Leadership experiences including (international assignments, turnaround roles, new ventures, cross-functional, breadth and depth)

• Coaching and mentoring including (executive coaching, peer coaching, reverse mentoring, sponsorship, wisdom transfer, support)

11.3 Succession Planning

• Succession planning importance including (continuity, risk mitigation, development driver, retention, bench strength, organizational resilience)

• Critical positions including (identification, impact assessment, talent review, readiness assessment, development plans, monitoring)

• Succession readiness including (ready now, 1-2 years, 3-5 years, development needs, gap closure, acceleration)

• Succession process including (annual talent reviews, calibration, board involvement, emergency succession, knowledge transfer, communication)

12. Digital Transformation and Technology Strategy

12.1 Digital Disruption and Strategy

• Digital transformation including (technology-enabled, business model reinvention, customer experience, operations, culture, end-to-end)

• Digital trends including (AI/machine learning, automation, IoT, cloud, blockchain, analytics, platforms, ecosystems)

• Disruption threats including (new entrants, business model obsolescence, customer expectation shifts, technology leapfrog, response imperative)

• Digital strategy including (vision, customer-centric, data-driven, agile, innovative, platform thinking, ecosystem participation)

12.2 Leading Digital Transformation

• Transformation roadmap including (vision, assessment, priorities, initiatives, governance, metrics, phased approach, quick wins)

• Digital culture including (experimentation, agility, customer obsession, data-driven, collaboration, innovation, continuous learning)

• Capability building including (digital skills, analytics, agile methods, change management, partnerships, talent acquisition/development)

• Technology governance including (architecture, cybersecurity, data governance, vendor management, investment prioritization, risk management)

12.3 Data and Analytics Strategy

• Data as strategic asset including (competitive advantage, decision-making, customer insights, operational efficiency, innovation enabler)

• Analytics maturity including (descriptive what happened, diagnostic why, predictive what will, prescriptive what to do, progression)

• Analytics applications including (customer analytics, operational analytics, predictive maintenance, supply chain optimization, pricing)

• AI and machine learning including (automation, pattern recognition, personalization, decision support, responsible AI, ethics)

13. Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility

13.1 Sustainable Business Strategy

• Sustainability imperative including (planetary boundaries, stakeholder expectations, regulatory, risk management, opportunity, purpose)

• Triple bottom line including (people, planet, profit, integrated value, stakeholder capitalism, long-term orientation)

• ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) including (investor criteria, rating agencies, disclosure, materiality, performance measurement)

• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including (UN framework, business contribution, alignment, reporting, impact measurement)

• Circular economy including (waste elimination, resource regeneration, design for circularity, business model innovation, systems thinking)

13.2 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

• CSR strategy including (alignment to business strategy, materiality, stakeholder engagement, authenticity, integration, value creation)

• Shared value including (Porter and Kramer, business and society mutual benefit, strategic CSR not philanthropy, competitive advantage)

• Stakeholder engagement including (dialogue, partnerships, collaboration, accountability, transparency, trust building)

• Impact measurement including (metrics, frameworks GRI/SASB, outcomes, reporting, verification, continuous improvement)

13.3 Purpose-Driven Leadership

• Organizational purpose including (why exist beyond profit, societal contribution, meaning, inspiration, motivation, authenticity)

• Purpose articulation including (clarity, communication, authenticity, stakeholder resonance, behavior alignment, culture embedding)

• Purpose and performance including (correlation research, employee engagement, customer loyalty, talent attraction, resilience, long-term value)

• Authentic leadership including (values alignment, integrity, transparency, self-awareness, ethical, trust-building, walk the talk)

14. Strategic Leadership Development Journey

14.1 Self-Awareness and Personal Development

• Self-assessment including (strengths, development areas, leadership style, values, motivations, impact, feedback seeking)

• 360-degree feedback including (multi-rater assessment, blind spots, perceptions, development priorities, action planning)

• Reflection practices including (journaling, meditation, retreats, coaching, learning from experience, continuous self-improvement)

• Personal leadership brand including (reputation, unique value, authenticity, consistency, visibility, networking, thought leadership)

14.2 Building Strategic Leadership Capabilities

• Developmental experiences including (stretch assignments, task forces, strategic projects, international roles, new ventures, breadth)

• Strategic business simulations including (complex decision-making, integration, trade-offs, consequences, team dynamics, learning)

• Action learning including (real problems, team-based, reflection, advisor support, implementation, learning while doing)

• Executive education including (formal programs, thought leadership exposure, peer learning, frameworks, networking, perspective)

14.3 Creating Personal Strategic Plan

• Vision and purpose including (leadership aspiration, impact desired, legacy, values, authenticity, North Star)

• Strategic objectives including (career goals, capability development, network building, thought leadership, contribution, SMART)

• Development plan including (learning goals, experiences, relationships, resources, milestones, accountability, review)

• Network and relationships including (mentors, sponsors, peers, thought leaders, diverse connections, reciprocity, cultivation)