The leader's dilemma agenda

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to analyze how the best leaders articulate a crucial issue that contains trade‐offs and risk and then blaze a new path for their group or organization. This is the “art” of dilemma management: the ability to address the shifting needs, drivers and opportunities occurring in and around the business, and then actively working to understand, defend and capitalize on them.

Design/methodology/approach

Dilemma analysis has five steps: step 1: map the symptoms in two stages; step 2: identify the core dilemma; step 3: analyze and reframe using eight archetypal dilemmas; step 4: resolve gaps; and step 5: plan and implement.

Findings

The paper reveals that every leader needs to have a dilemma agenda. The agenda should include two categories of leadership dilemmas: direction‐setting and culture‐setting. The direction‐setting agenda defines what is of competitive strategic importance (such as, diversify or grow) while the culture‐setting agenda focuses on the values, mood and energy of the enterprise (such as emphasize a task or relationship focus).

Practical implications

To successfully handle dilemmas, start by redefining what you mean by success itself. In place of “win”, think “understanding,” instead of “profit” think “sustainability”, and so on.

Originality/value

The paper reveals the big payoff for exploring organizational dilemmas is a more complete understanding of both sides of an issue and learning to transcend disabling impasses that are fueled by fear and ignorance.

Citation

Lowy, A. (2008), "The leader's dilemma agenda", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 33-38. https://doi.org/10.1108/10878570810840670