Strategic Focus - Competency

Definition: Strategic focus is the ability to analyze complex challenges, determine the best approach to achieving organizational goals, and proactively address risks that impact operations. It involves scanning internal and external environments, formulating corporate-level strategies, and aligning projects with the company's vision, mission, and values to ensure long-term success. Effective strategic focus mobilizes leadership to implement change, coordinate cross-functional teams, and leverage SWOT analysis to refine decision-making and drive sustainable growth.

Organizational Skills

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

360-Feedback 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)
Survey 13 (4-point scale; numbers; floating anchors)
Survey 14 (4-point scale; N/A)

Self-Comments: Do you have to complete a self-assessment or performance appraisal? If so, the
self-comments here may help.

Performance Assessments that include Strategic Focus:
Assessment 1 (5-point scale; IDP Comments)
Assessment 2 (3-point scale with Comments)
Assessment 3 (Manager Assessment; 360-Feedback)
Assessment 4 (3-point scale; Rating Limits)
Assessment 5 (3-point scale; Rating Limits)
Assessment 6 (5-point scale with Comments)
Assessment 7 (Comment Boxes Only; IDP)
Assessment 8 (Comment Boxes Only)
Assessment 9 (3-point scale with Letter Grade)
Assessment 10 (360-Feedback; Bonus/Merit Pay)
Assessment 11 (Core Values & Job Competencies)
Assessment 12 (4-point scale; 6 Comment Boxes)

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

Strategic Analysis focuses on evaluating external and internal factors to identify competitive advantages, assess risks, and support data-driven decision-making. This dimension highlights analyzing industry trends, conducting competitor assessments, leveraging strategic tools (e.g., value chain analysis), identifying weaknesses, and understanding potential threats. It prioritizes assessment and intelligence-gathering, ensuring that organizations make well-informed, evidence-based strategic choices.

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

Strategic Thinking

Strategic Thinking emphasizes developing innovative approaches, refining strategies, and determining the best course of action to achieve organizational goals. This dimension centers on resource optimization, improving efficiency, aligning strategies with financial objectives, understanding company positioning, and maintaining long-term focus. It prioritizes vision and planning, ensuring leaders proactively shape the future direction of their organization.

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

Awareness

Awareness focuses on identifying key strategic factors, risks, and opportunities that shape the organization's ability to compete and grow. This dimension highlights recognizing competitive strengths, analyzing market positioning, assessing operational bottlenecks, and understanding external influences that affect success. It prioritizes insight and strategic recognition, ensuring leaders proactively identify areas for improvement and innovation.

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

Scanning/Monitoring

Scanning/Monitoring emphasizes actively tracking performance metrics, market trends, and organizational developments to support continuous strategy refinement. This dimension centers on monitoring financial objectives, adjusting plans based on new information, overseeing progress toward milestones, and scanning external and internal environments for opportunities. It prioritizes evaluation and adaptability, ensuring the organization remains responsive to changing dynamics while sustaining strategic momentum.

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

Vision/Mission/Values Statements

Vision/Mission/Values Statements focuses on defining the organization's foundational principles, purpose, and long-term aspirations. This dimension highlights articulating the company's mission, setting strategic objectives, ensuring alignment with business goals, inspiring employees to adopt the vision, and forming partnerships that align with core values. It prioritizes identity and alignment, ensuring that teams operate under a shared vision and strategic framework.

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

Creating a Strategy

Creating a Strategy emphasizes developing actionable plans to achieve competitive advantage, operational success, and adaptability in a changing environment. This dimension centers on formulating business strategies, improving performance, pursuing innovation, assessing resource allocation, and responding to external market shifts. It prioritizes execution and competitive positioning, ensuring the company maintains growth and effectiveness while adapting to industry demands.

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

Implementation focuses on translating strategic goals into action, ensuring that plans are effectively executed, and aligning teams and resources toward success. This dimension highlights communicating objectives, coordinating execution with stakeholders, setting deadlines, evaluating progress, and proactively addressing issues to ensure strategy is carried out smoothly. It prioritizes execution and operational alignment, ensuring that the strategic vision is put into practice.

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

Change

Change focuses on proactively adjusting strategies, staying ahead of industry shifts, and modifying plans to respond to evolving business environments. This dimension highlights anticipating market disruptions, making quick strategic decisions, aligning teams to new priorities, and maintaining flexibility in execution. It prioritizes agility and responsiveness, ensuring that companies remain competitive by continuously refining their approach.

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

Leadership

Leadership emphasizes crafting, shaping, and sustaining strategies that drive the organization forward, while influencing others to stay committed to long-term goals. This dimension centers on making strategic decisions, optimizing investments, maintaining focus on key priorities, mobilizing change, and ensuring adherence to performance targets. It prioritizes vision and influence, ensuring that leadership steers the organization in the right direction while making strategic choices that lead to competitive advantages.

Exhibits a strategic orientation to identify and capitalize on opportunities to advance the organization.
Effective in strategy formulation and execution.
Makes strategic decisions to optimize the returns on capital investments.
Makes decisions that yield more competitive advantages.
Focuses efforts on specific marketing strategies.
Crafts and executes strategies to advance the company.
Strategically focuses efforts to improve operational efficiencies.
Mobilizes change through executive leadership to implement corporate strategies.
Ensures adherence to the strategy to sustain achievement of targeted levels of organizational performance.
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.
Keeps the team focused on established goals and objectives.
Shows leadership by saying "no" when necessary to effectively execute business strategy and meet long-term objectives.

SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis emphasizes evaluating an organization's internal and external environment to guide strategic decision-making. This dimension centers on identifying strengths and weaknesses within the company, assessing opportunities and threats in the marketplace, developing structured planning models, and using analytical frameworks to determine the best course of action. It prioritizes assessment and strategy formulation, ensuring that organizations base their strategic moves on data-driven insights.

Creates a SWOT matrix to help analyze data.
Undertakes a SWOT analysis to determine the best strategy to move forward.
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.

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