Strategic leadership competencies is distinct from the general notion of leadership. Strategic leadership is about leadership activities at higher levels of a firm. Strategic leaders require strategic thinking skills. There is considerable agreement on the nature of strategic thinking. It is about thinking creatively about strategic options and alternative ways to compete. However, not much has been discussed on what it takes to become a strategic thinker. In addition, the strategic leadership role often requires that leaders negotiate and manage internal politics. Strategizing is not always a simple and rational process. Strategic leaders also often find themselves having to initiate change to adapt to the lessons learned about discontinuities in the environment. This paper proposes that strategic leaders need to have a certain personality predisposition and develop 3 key competencies to be effective in their role. These competencies are strategic thinking, managing politics and change management. 

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the nature of strategic leader competencies and the learning methodologies that should be used to develop them. Design/methodology/approach A review of the literature on strategizing was done to formulate a model of strategic leadership competencies. This paper also draws from various work on learning to propose how strategic leadership competencies program should be designed. Findings The literature highlights the importance of incorporating deliberate practice, experience density, reflective learning and mentoring into strategic leadership development programs. Research limitations/implications This is a conceptual work that draws from secondary material. Further empirical examination can help validate the ideas proposed here. Practical implications This paper provides a better understanding of how developing strategic leadership competencies are distinct from other leadership programs. It also provides practitioners with an understanding on how to design their strategic leadership development programs. Originality/value This paper adds a new dimension to the discourse on strategic leadership development programs by bringing together learning theories from sports education and managerial learning.

This article examines the job crafting strategies senior academic women use to progress in their careers. The study was exploratory and inductive and used in-depth interviews to gather data from 43 senior academic women in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis in combination with reflective discussions. Cognitive crafting emerged as the most critical job crafting strategy impacting women’s career progression. While some women chose to be more strategic, others focused on doing meaningful work and considered career progression a natural outcome rather than an end in itself. This study extends the job crafting literature by highlighting how contextual and cognitive factors impact women’s academic career progression. Understanding similarities and differences across cultures and identifying how academic women can prosper can inform programs that effectively promote women’s careers at tertiary institutions.