Strategy & Decisions
Becoming a Strategic Leader
Scan your context, set priorities, and align resources with direction as you take on strategic leadership.
Standard version
Showing the standard description, objectives, and outcomes. Switch to Federal for the version tailored to federal agencies.
Participants explore strategic leadership choices through common workplace situations. The course shows how to scan context, set priorities, and align resources with direction and apply those decisions on the job.
What you'll learn
- Cultivate the ability to think strategically
- Apply tools for strategic analysis
- Develop skills for leading teams
- Use course methods to scan context, set priorities, and align resources with direction in a workplace scenario.
- Develop a strategic leadership priorities map aligned to a relevant work need.
What you'll be able to do
- Identify a workplace need connected to strategic leadership choices.
- Select an appropriate way to scan context, set priorities, and align resources with direction.
- Explain the reasoning behind that choice and identify its limitations.
- Produce a strategic leadership priorities map that addresses a relevant work need.
- Set review points for a strategic leadership priorities map and identify one adjustment.
Federal leaders are expected to look beyond daily operations and position their organizations for long-term success. This course helps supervisors and managers scan the policy, budget, and mission environment, set clear priorities, and align resources with agency direction. It supports OPM's Achieving Results Executive Core Qualification, with an emphasis on strategic thinking and an operational mindset.
What you'll learn
- Explain the difference between operational management and strategic leadership in an agency setting.
- Analyze internal and external factors, including policy and budget shifts, that affect their organization.
- Apply tools for setting priorities and aligning resources with agency goals.
- Connect strategic decisions to measurable mission outcomes.
- Develop an approach for leading teams toward long-term objectives.
What you'll be able to do
- Anticipate changes that may affect their programs and plan accordingly.
- Set priorities that reflect agency strategy and leadership direction.
- Align team goals and resources with mission outcomes.
- Communicate strategic direction clearly to employees and stakeholders.
- Balance short-term demands with long-term organizational goals.