Create your path with wisdom and strategy.

Pillar #5 of the Integral Leadership Wheel: The Integral Leader Creates the Path with Wisdom and Strategy. This means that once the vision is defined, the integral leader can design — together with their team — the appropriate plan to align strategies, objectives, and actions needed to achieve what has been set.

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For me, the eagle is one of the best examples of what it means to be a strategist. At around 40 years old, it knows it must undergo transformation to thrive. It retreats, sheds its feathers and talons, and reinvents itself. Then, it takes flight again — renewed, stronger, and prepared to soar to its highest potential, now with greater maturity, experience, and wisdom.

I'm often asked how a leader should develop their strategic ability. One of my key recommendations is to partner with another strategic leader — whether internal or external — empowering that person to support the development of strategies needed for growth and expansion. For this to happen, the leader must possess the virtue of humility, paired with inner confidence and clarity. It takes courage to step aside at times and allow others to contribute their gifts and talents. But doing so adds immense value and impact to the execution and results for both the team and the organization.

For any organization to achieve its long-term goals — and therefore grow and transform — it needs a strategic leader who understands the broader organizational, social, economic, governmental, local, and global environments. This doesn’t mean the leader must be an expert in all areas, but they must have a global perspective and be supported by advisors and experts in each domain.

A strategic leader is a planner who makes decisions aligned with the organization’s structure, context, and processes — always with a vision for exponential growth. But for their plans to succeed, the leader must ground their actions in five key areas:

1. Clearly define the major goals.

2. Effectively communicate those goals and engage all members of the organization.

3. Ensure the implementation of those goals.

4. Empower people to carry them out.

5. Evaluate how those goals can have greater impact, be reinforced or refined — and then repeat the process.

According to Worden (2020), “Without effective strategic leadership, the chances of an organization reaching higher performance levels in a competitive environment are reduced.”

On the other hand, when you lead with purpose, possibilities are limitless. Consider the case of Indra Nooyi, a visionary woman who arrived in the U.S. from India with just $500 in her pocket — and became one of the world’s most powerful businesswomen, according to Fortune magazine. Indra served as CEO of PepsiCo for 12 years — more than double the average tenure — and under her leadership, the company’s sales grew by 80%. She also championed the company’s eco-friendly transition, reducing environmental impact and increasing sustainability. All of this was achieved through a model grounded in discipline, focus, and strategic foresight — charting a path to place her among the top five CEOs in PepsiCo’s history.

In Summary:

To be an effective strategist, it’s essential to design a roadmap that will take you to your desired future. Leaders must understand their own strategic level:

• If it’s high, they can co-create the right plan with their team and/or key external advisors.

• If not, they should clearly share their vision and trust the strategic minds within their organization — or seek outside expert talent that can help them succeed.

An integral leader knows their purpose, who they are, and is aware of their gifts and talents. They have a clear vision for the future. They are inspired and inspire others. Despite challenges, effort, or sacrifice, they remain energetic and passionate about what they believe in. They recognize their abilities and surround themselves with talented people who complement them in reaching their goals.

Do you know your strategic profile?If not, and you'd like to discover it, write to me at katy@katylizardo.com — we offer tools to help you clearly identify your level as a strategic leader.

And remember: your possibilities are as vast as the horizon.Open your mind and heart. Take flight to your highest level — from the inside out.

Thank you for being here!