Strategic Vision In Leadership

On Sunday, I had an interactive session with Group Executives across Heirs Holdings and UBA Group to commend the team on the successes achieved in 2023 and set the agenda for 2024. Here are the 6 points I shared with leaders across our Groups to adopt for success: 1. Vision Alignment: Know your vision – keep that vision in mind, every day and every hour. Carry along your team, it is central to your role to be the lightning rod that conveys and executes that vision. 2. Execution – The Discipline and the Urgency: Execute with the discipline of focus. In managing, let us focus on leading indicators and not on lagging indicators. Identify those vital few areas that will ensure delivery for this year and deliver flawlessly. 3. People: Grow your own – be active in developing people, not always looking outside for hires. Leaders should communicate and give feedback to colleagues. The feedback needs to be prompt, relevant and actionable – stale feedback is wasted feedback. Celebrate the small wins, as well as the big - and tie this back to the vision. But be authentic, do not brag, encourage, and reward. 4. Show Your Sense of Responsibility: Responsibility begins with you. Tell yourself that if you do not act or correct a course that is going wrong, no one else will. 5. Marketing & Communication: Be strategic in your communication, reference your vision, highlight your processes, and honestly and fearlessly champion your success. 6. Rigour Of Decision-Making: Interrogate all aspects of strategy. Seek the wisdom of your peers, listen intently, hear others out, Interrogate orthodoxies and old ways. Once the decision is made, execute, review, learn and reinforce, drive that momentum and urgency. I wish you all a successful 2024. #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #TOEWay

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐭   Taylor Swift isn’t just a musician—she’s a master strategist.   Plenty of artists rely on talent alone. She relies on execution. Many enjoy a few years of success. She’s led the industry for nearly two decades. Most react to change. She drives it.   Her career is a blueprint for sustainable success, packed with lessons every business leader should take on board.   𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭:   𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭. When country music ignored teenage girls, she built a brand around them. She didn’t wait for permission—she created demand.   𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐬. Hidden messages, Easter eggs, and fan theories keep her audience engaged, driving viral conversations. Imagine if your customers marketed your brand for you.   𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Whether it’s country, pop, or indie-folk, every shift in her career is a calculated move, keeping her at the forefront of cultural trends. Reinvention is her advantage.   𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲. Losing control of her early recordings wasn’t a setback—it was an opportunity. Instead of complaining, she re-recorded her catalogue and turned the situation into a billion-dollar success. Ownership equals power.   𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞. While others chase short-term hits, she builds an empire—touring, streaming, and re-releases all working together for long-term impact. It’s about creating multiple revenue streams, not just one-off wins.   Talent might open doors, but strategy keeps you at the top.   𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲? Market leadership isn’t about chasing trends—it’s about creating them. Stay ahead of change, turn obstacles into opportunities, and build a brand that customers don’t just follow, but actively promote.   That’s the mindset every entrepreneur needs: control, foresight, and the ability to pivot when needed. What’s your business doing today to ensure it stays relevant tomorrow?   #Strategy #Entrepreneurship

This is a pivotal time for business leaders to apply strategic foresight and systems thinking. Go beyond tariffs and stock market trends and consider the broader, longer-term impacts: 1. How might a trend toward AI deregulation in product safety affect the AI products my business relies on? 2. In what ways could shifts in immigration policy influence my workforce strategy for maintaining a competitive edge with emerging technologies? How could these policies reshape PhD talent pipelines? 3. How will evolving U.S. geopolitical relationships impact my third-party suppliers and global partnerships? 4. With the increasing influence of techno-politics, what new considerations emerge for my business strategy? Scenario planning is key in moments of change and uncertainty.

I made this leadership mistake for 6 years. It cost me my best employees. When leadership is task-focused, teams stay stuck in execution mode. But when you shift from "do this task" to "achieve this goal," you unlock their true potential. Here’s what happens when you lead with outcomes instead of instructions: They stop following orders and start innovating. Ownership replaces dependency, and results skyrocket. 3 secrets to outcome-focused leadership: 1️⃣ Set crystal-clear goals: Everyone should know exactly what success looks like. 2️⃣ Provide total freedom: Trust your team to figure out how to achieve those goals. 3️⃣ Celebrate every win: Big or small, recognition fuels momentum. The magic is in ownership. When your team owns their outcomes, they don’t just complete tasks, they revolutionize. They write their own success stories and achieve results beyond your expectations. Trust is the foundation of breakthrough results. Give your team space, and watch them soar. How do you empower your team to achieve extraordinary outcomes? #leadership #teamgrowth #innovation

Most organisations struggle not because of poor strategy — but because their internal elements aren’t aligned. That’s where the McKinsey 7S Model still delivers value in 2025 and it’s one of my go to models for ensuring alignment across the business. ☑ It identifies 7 elements that must work in harmony: ↳ Strategy – your plan for advantage ↳ Structure – how teams are organized ↳ Systems – how work gets done ↳ Shared Values – your cultural foundation ↳ Style – leadership approach ↳ Staff – your people ↳ Skills – your core capabilities Example: Microsoft in 2025 → Strategy: “AI-first productivity” across all products → Structure: Cross-functional AI innovation hubs → Shared Values: Responsible AI and inclusivity → Staff: Upskilling globally in AI literacy When these 7 elements align, strategy turns into execution. Strategic alignment isn’t a one-time project — it’s a living system that keeps your organisation coherent and competitive. Ps. if you like content like this, please follow me

Systems Thinking (& Strategic Thinking) Toolkit 7 Approaches to Consider (among many others) Have you ever solved a problem—only to have it resurface later in a slightly different form? If this sounds familiar, you might be dealing with symptoms rather than root causes. The solution? Combine Systems Thinking with Strategic Foresight. Here's how to use these powerful approaches together to drive sustainable business success: 1. Zooming In and Out Great strategic thinkers master the art of perspective. Zooming in helps you address immediate details and urgent tasks, but zooming out allows you to see the larger system at play, ensuring your short-term actions align with long-term goals. 2. Consider Different Perspectives Every stakeholder sees the business differently. By intentionally shifting perspectives—from customers to employees, from suppliers to competitors—you’ll uncover blind spots and identify innovative solutions. Effective strategy demands seeing your organization through multiple lenses. 3. Look for Patterns Systems thinkers excel at pattern recognition. Patterns reveal deep-seated systemic issues rather than isolated events. Identifying patterns gives you insight into underlying forces that repeatedly impact your business, enabling proactive solutions instead of reactive fixes. 4. Use Foresight, Not Forecasting Forecasting assumes a linear future—predictable and consistent. But the world today demands adaptability. Foresight equips leaders with the capability to envision multiple possible futures, preparing businesses for various scenarios and increasing resilience in the face of uncertainty. 5. Move Forward with Small, Iterative Actions Grand plans are attractive but often fail when the unexpected happens. Adopting iterative, agile actions lets you test solutions, learn, adjust quickly, and evolve your strategy based on real-time feedback and emerging trends. 6. Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) Use visual diagrams to map how different parts of your system interact, highlighting feedback loops and root causes. This clarity allows you to strategically identify where small shifts can lead to large, sustainable impacts. 7. Backcasting Define your ideal future clearly (your North Star), then systematically work backward to determine necessary actions. Backcasting ensures every decision you make today aligns with—and brings you closer to—your desired future outcomes. Bringing it All Together By combining systems thinking with strategic foresight, businesses gain clarity, agility, and resilience. Instead of repeatedly tackling symptoms, leaders address root causes, anticipate shifts, and adapt proactively. What’s one recurring challenge in your business—and how might a systems and foresight perspective transform your approach? #systemsthinking #strategicthinking #leadingwithstrategy #strategy

During my first year as Director of Product, I killed the product leader in me to become a business executive. (This is the most unconventional story you'll read today) The story I'm about to share has been the key inflection moment of my product career. I once said NO to a great product feature strategy. The product leader within me was dying to say yes because all relevant evidence backed the strategy. The product thinking was excellent. Then, why did I say no? Because I was in board meetings where we saw: ↳ Our runway was tight ↳ Market dynamics were shifting and the company had to prepare ↳ Some M&A discussions were brewing I realized that at this point, I could not be a PM. I had to be a business executive. It was no longer about building the best product (which every PM wants to do) but about ensuring both the product and the business stand the test of time. Most product leaders struggle to make this transition during key moments. It creates massive friction between teams and within teams. Here are 3 things I recommend doing consistently to succeed as a Product Exec: ✅ Set the new context for your team: - share business constraints openly - explain strategic trade-offs - make P&L discussions normal ✅ Help your product team to level up so they can articulate: - Product Impact ↔ Business Sustainability - Technical Debt ↔ Financial Runway (or ROI) ✅ Build your commercial orientation - Understand long-term financing implications - Learn to read market signals - Create joint metrics with Sales and Marketing - Connect product initiatives with P&L I'm not proposing that you abandon product thinking when you enter product leadership, but instead add business thinking to your roster. ——— 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #productmanagement #productgrowth #womeninproduct #leadership

23-10-2024 Tuesday Musings : Effective leadership hinges on two key components: A compelling vision and the ability to communicate that vision clearly. A vision acts as a guiding star, presenting an aspirational future that drives a team’s actions and decisions. It should inspire and motivate team members to strive for a goal that transcends their current reality. For example, In the hospitality Industry if you're leading a your hotel team, one part of your vision might be to create an unforgettable guest experience that sets your establishment apart in a competitive market. This vision is not merely about providing excellent service; it’s about cultivating a culture of warmth and hospitality that leaves a lasting impression on every guest. Once the vision is established, effective communication becomes crucial. It’s important to share this vision in a way that resonates with your team, ensuring everyone understands their role in achieving it. Hosting team meetings where you articulate the vision through storytelling can be powerful. Share relatable anecdotes about guests who have had transformative experiences at your hotel, emphasizing the importance of each team member's contribution to those moments. By merging a clear, inspiring vision with effective communication, you foster a motivated team committed to turning that vision into reality. This approach not only provides direction but also instills purpose and collaboration among team members, ultimately enhancing the overall guest experience and driving the success of the hospitality business. #leadership #communication #growth #vision #compellingvision #seewhatothersdontsee #transformyourteam

Grab a Notebook. This One’s for Leaders. In the ever-changing world of hospitality, where trends shift overnight and guest expectations evolve in real-time, clarity isn’t optional—it’s the secret sauce. So here’s a leadership challenge I’ve used—and I want you to try it too. Grab a simple notebook. Open to a blank page. Now, write out exactly what you want in your future as a hospitality leader. Not generic statements like “I want to run a successful hotel” or “I want my team to be happy.” I’m talking details: • What kind of experiences do you want your guests to rave about? • What kind of culture do you want your team to thrive in? • How do you want your property to look, feel, smell, sound? • What’s your legacy in hospitality? Don’t miss a detail. Picture the bustling lobby, the impeccable service flow, the warm smiles, the sustainable practices, the revenue goals, the awards, the glowing reviews. Now, break it down. • Decades: What’s the vision for 20 years from now? • Years: What growth and impact do you aim for in the next 5? • Months: What game-changing projects will you launch in the next 6? • Weeks: What are the small wins that build momentum? • Days: What actions will move the needle today? Every morning, I want you to write down 3 levers you can move today to create that vision. • Call that supplier to negotiate a sustainable contract. • Walk the floor and truly listen to your frontline team. • Design a surprise-and-delight moment for your guests. Just 3 levers. And here’s the twist: Once you’ve written them down, forget the goals. Stop obsessing over KPIs, ADRs, RevPARs, guest feedback scores. Execute. Move the levers. Every. Single. Day. Because leadership in hospitality isn’t about waiting for the perfect guest review, the right occupancy rate, or the ideal revenue numbers. It’s about creating that future through daily action—one thoughtful interaction, one system improvement, one spark of inspiration at a time. You’ll look up a year from now and see a property transformed. A team that’s engaged. Guests who feel the difference. A future you wrote about in your notebook—now a reality. I’ve seen this work in my own journey. The best leaders in hospitality aren’t just visionaries—they’re builders of moments. They don’t just talk about “guest-centric culture”—they live it every day. So here’s my challenge to you, hospitality leaders: 1. Grab that notebook. 2. Write your future in vivid, precise detail. 3. Break it down into decades, years, months, weeks, and days. 4. Identify the 3 levers you’ll move today. 5. Forget the outcome. 6. Execute. If you’re ready to build the future of hospitality, drop a “Let’s Go!” in the comments. Because the world doesn’t need more talk. It needs action. And remember—guests may forget the numbers, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. #HospitalityLeadership #VisionToReality #DailyAction #GuestExperience #LeadershipMindset #HospitalityInnovation

Most artists don’t fail because their music isn’t good enough, they fail because they’re mispositioned from the start. It’s a subtle problem that often begins early: an artist goes viral, a label rushes in, and everyone is caught up in the excitement. But within months, the momentum fades. The music is polished but doesn’t resonate. The visuals look great but lack meaning. Suddenly, there’s pressure to “reinvent,” even though the artist never had the chance to fully express their true identity. This scenario is common. Talented artists with strong music still struggle, not because of their sound, but because their positioning was off. Positioning is frequently misunderstood as branding, but it’s really about clarity. Branding is the outward expression and identity; positioning is the strategic foundation and clarity about who the artist is, who they serve, and how they fit uniquely into the industry over the long term. It means understanding who the artist is, who their music is for, and how their career should evolve, not just over the next few months, but over several years. You can’t extract this from a viral moment or replicate it from another artist’s campaign. Positioning takes time, it requires deep conversations before any marketing push, a genuine understanding of the artist’s story, and a commitment to protect their identity, especially when there’s pressure to scale too quickly. The music industry often prioritizes quick wins over long-term alignment. But the artists who endure, the ones who make a real impact are those who were truly understood before they were marketed. That kind of understanding isn’t built on trends; it’s built on time, trust, and discernment. #AandR #MusicIndustry #ArtistDevelopment #Positioning