Summary:

John Ryan writes that leading people and strategic planning are the top two skills needed for management in the next five years, according to a survey, conducted by The Center for Creative Leadership, of more than 2,000 leaders from 15 companies in the U.S., India, and Singapore. The ability to leading people is essentially being able to direct, motivate, and engage your colleagues. Just because an individual is talented in an area, for example sales, does not necessarily mean they are effective leaders.

Strategic planning is translating vision into realistic business strategies.  Ryan writes that once you have a strategy, the next step is to share it with everyone in the organization. Finally, arrange for colleagues to develop their own expertise in strategic planning.

Article Quote:

“There’s no question we can build greater skill at leading people and strategic planning in ourselves and our organizations. But making it happen requires a sense of urgency—and knowing that the leadership gap will only widen if we stand by waiting for it to correct itself.”

Linkhttp://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/dec2009/ca20091214_346828_page_2.htm

The ability to effectively lead people is a skill that many, but not all, within an organization can develop. Investing in leadership and strategic planning education for employees will create an advantage over competitors. Too often, these skills are not developed and when we see strategies fail, it’s not always because they were bad ideas, but because the strategy wasn’t communicated and implemented well.

For more on strategic planning, seehttp://www.performancesolutionstech.com/category/strategicplanning/