Competency: Strategic Focus

Definition: Strategic Focus is the ability to analyze the business environment, think strategically and identify issues. To create a strategy, implement it, and lead the department/organization in adopting the changes necessary.

Organizational Skills

Business Acumen
Strategic Focus
Strategic Insight
Entrepreneurship
Company
Organizational Fluency
Fiscal Management
Planning
Vision
Global Perspective

Surveys Measuring Strategic Focus:
Survey 1 (4-point scale; Competency Comments)
Survey 2 (4-point scale; Competency Comments)
Survey 3 (5-point scale; Competency Comments)
Survey 4 (5-point scale; radio buttons)
Survey 5 (4-point scale; words)
Survey 6 (4-point scale; words)
Survey 7 (5-point scale; competency comments; N/A)
Survey 8 (3-point scale; Agree/Disagree words; N/A)
Survey 9 (3-point scale; Strength/Development; N/A)
Survey 10 (Comment boxes only)
Survey 11 (Single rating per competency)
Survey 12 (Slide-bar scale)

What is Strategic Focus?

Strategic Focus involves analyzing the current environment and thinking strategically about the best way to achieve desired goals. It requires scanning/monitoring the situation to develop an awareness of what is working, or not working. Next, a strategy needs developed and implemented.

What questionnaire items on a 360-degree assessment would measure strategic focus?

The questionnaire items below will measure strategic focus. These questions are grouped into different parts of strategic focus. When creating a 360-degree or other performance assessment, try to select one or two items from each group.

Strategic Analysis

Sustains or achieves a competitive advantage for the organization by analyzing the best practices and lessons learned from other organizations.
Looks for opportunities to enhance contributions to the bottom line.
Analyzes the environment to develop strategies to achieve competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Is effective in using strategic tools such as value chain analysis, business environment analysis, and competitor analysis.
Addresses complex and ambiguous problems.
Considers risks and rewards when making key decisions.
Incorporates data to support strategic decision making.
Leads teams responsible for analyzing competitive weaknesses within the organization.
Analyzes the organization's competitive advantages and threats.
Considers the implications of decisions made and possible effects on the organization.

Strategic Thinking

Understands & contributes to development of strategic goals.
Develops strategies to effectively use company resources and exploit potential opportunities.
Develops a strategic focus on internal factors to improve efficiency or conserve limited resources.
Understands how to achieve strategic financial objectives.
Determines the best approach to achieving desired goals.
Uses strategic thinking to make better strategic decisions.
Determines what actions are needed to maintain broad strategy for the department/organization.
Understands the organization's competitive advantages and threats.
Understands the position of the [Company] in the current market place and industry.

Awareness

Identifies and focuses resources on strategic growth opportunities.
Identifies areas where return on investment can be improved.
Identifies the role of each department in meeting the strategic goals.
Identifies ways in which the company is better able to meet the customers' needs than rivals.
Identifies and understands competitors in the marketplace.
Identifies strengths that competitors would have trouble imitating.
Identifies business strategies to strengthen competitive capabilities.
Identifies bottlenecks in the production process and develops strategies to correct these issues.
Identifies sources for developing a global competitive advantage for the company.
Maintains a strategic focus on external factors impacting the success of the company.
Identifies and addresses strategic risks impacting operations.

Scanning/Monitoring

Monitors performance of each market within the Area, utilizing reports to ensure sales growth, cost management, and profitability targets are met.
Creates measures of performance and profitability to assess financial objectives.
Makes plans to handle unforeseen events that could impact the achievement of strategic goals.
Understands the importance of developing strategic capabilities.
Scans both the internal and external environment to identify strategic opportunities to improve the organization.
Recognizes the need for strategically developing unique capabilities.
Assigns individuals the responsibility of keeping track of progress toward achieving milestones.
Scans the environment for opportunities to exploit.
Monitors company performance and makes adjustments to the strategic plan as needed.
Acts upon relevant information affecting the organization.

Vision/Mission/Values Statements

Aligns projects to the strategic goals of the company.
Develops a strategic vision for the future.
Creates values statement to ensure all employees are working under the same guiding principles.
Lets employees know how their roles contribute toward the achievement of strategic company objectives.
Ensures that the department's goals are strategically aligned with the company's goals.
Sets strategic objectives to be achieved.
Understands how to grow the business and increase customers.
Pursues strategic alliances with valued partners.
Develops an organizational strategy for each functional area within the mission statement.
Inspires employees to adopt the strategic plan.
Creates a mission statement describing the purpose for the organization.
Creates a vision for the organization based on how the organization should appear in the future.

Creating a Strategy

Creates plans to develop and promote organizational and area strengths, as well as to address weaknesses.
Able to formulate strategy at the corporate level.
Determines the best strategy for achieving elevated levels of performance.
Gives adequate consideration to the time and resources available.
Develops a corporate strategy to establish business operations in different locations.
Develops strategies that are practical and can be feasibly implemented within a reasonable period of time.
Creates a strategy to achieve departmental objectives.
Creates innovative strategies.
Ensures the department has a viable strategy for moving forward.
Develops strategies to seek new opportunities.
Develops strategies to increase efficiency and reduce environmental impacts.
Creates strategic objectives to increase revenue and profit margins.
Creates a strategy to pursue and maintain a competitive advantage in business.
Develops a strategic plan for adapting the organization to better respond to external changes in the marketplace.
Develops a strategic plan to focus on strategic issues.
Uses the organization's goals to guide (or influence) the development of goals within the department.
Determines a strategy for advancing the department.
Creates effective and strategic plans to address issues facing the department/organization.

Implementation

Communicates goals and objectives to employees.
Able to decline a poor strategy by proposing alternate strategies.
Makes sure employees understand the strategy and goals.
Effectively translates strategy into operational decisions.
Makes sure the objectives are clearly communicated and understood.
Coordinates the implementation of the strategy with stakeholders.
Strategically positions resources to meet the needs of branch locations.
Successfully implements a strategic plan.
Reinforces the strategic messaging in various teams, meetings, seminars and workshops.
Implements and executes the company's strategy for advancing production capabilities.
Strategically deploys resources to areas of the greatest need.
Evaluates and reviews the implementation of the strategic plan to ensure achievement of the objectives.
Strategically positions resources to meet the needs of field based employees.
Turns strategic priorities into action plans.
Creates deadlines for various components of the strategy.
Makes sure that all departments/teams are contributing toward the success of the strategy.
Communicates the company's strategic goals and decisions to teams and departments.
Executes strategies to benefit the organization.
Executes strategies to benefit the department.
Proactively addresses problems and issues.
Able to strategically respond to unforeseen issues.
Able to communicate a broad picture, overall view, of the organization.
Communicates goals and objectives to others.

Change

Avoids complacency and strives to be ahead of changes in the business environment.
Maintains strategic focus by regularly reviewing the strategic plan and taking corrective actions as needed to stay on track.
Detects changes in the environment and updates the strategic plan to address new opportunities or threats.
Maintains a strategic focus to sustain competitiveness in changing business environments.
Exploits resources and capabilities strategically to increase production and responsiveness.
Modifies strategic decisions depending on changes in the business environment.
Makes quick and creative decisions to adjust the strategy to meet the demands of changing situations.
Aligns cross-functional teams to the strategic plan.
Makes strategic changes to stay ahead of changes in the business environment.
Supports changes being recommended from senior management.
Makes strategic decisions that take into account a dynamic situation.
Remains vigilant of changes to the business environment and recommends new strategies as needed.

Leadership

Ensures adherence to the strategy to sustain achievement of targeted levels of organizational performance.
Effective in strategy formulation and execution.
Makes strategic decisions to optimize the returns on capital investments.
Crafts and executes strategies to advance the company.
Exhibits a strategic orientation to identify and capitalize on opportunities to advance the organization.
Strategically focuses efforts to improve operational efficiencies.
Makes decisions that yield more competitive advantages.
Focuses efforts on specific marketing strategies.
Mobilizes change through executive leadership to implement corporate strategies.
Shows leadership by saying "no" when necessary to effectively execute business strategy and meet long-term objectives.
Keeps the team focused on established goals and objectives.
Maintains focus on doing the best quality work even if it requires saying "no" to unnecessary, or unrelated, projects.
Says "no" to strategies that will detract from the organization's objectives.

SWOT Analysis

Creates a SWOT matrix to help analyze data.
Develops high-level strategic planning models to identify opportunities to improve the company.
Able to identify internal strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities and threats that impact the company.
Undertakes a SWOT analysis to determine the best strategy to move forward.

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