Talking Point: How to be an effective strategic leader
Updated: Sep 8
Coralie Hooper has clear views on what makes an effective strategic leader.
Having worked alongside countless senior individuals and teams over her 30-plus year career, technical competence ‘is a given’ she says.
‘But leading a group of others – those people who do it well, the underlying thing is it's never about them. It’s always about the others they are leading and interacting with.’
Understanding what makes an effective strategic leader is a key part of Coralie’s role – not just as a member of Partners for Leadership’s executive team, but also in her work as a Consultant with Telos Partners, which helps deliver our two-year strategic leadership development experience.
It’s why she’s passionate about the support P4L provides – both for leaders on the path to the top and for those who might be new in role but are seeking the time and space to step back, reflect and reset.
Naturally, her views on how to become an effective leader dovetail neatly with P4L's expansive approach, which includes six overnight leadership retreats at Cumberland Lodge and two years' one-to-one support of a board-level Critical Friend.
The three layers of effective leadership
‘To my mind, effective strategic leadership development starts with leading self,’ Coralie explains.
‘It’s knowing who you are, knowing your strengths and weaknesses – your values and ethics. It’s about bringing the best of yourself to what you're doing.’
The next layer of effective leadership is being able to lead others, Coralie says.
‘Leading others is about recognising we're all different and so are our needs. As a leader, it means being able to adjust for that, but also being able to influence and make decisions to guide others so they are building the next generation of leaders themselves.’
And the third layer?
‘The next layer is being able to lead an organisation – so having the strategic skills and business acumen you need,’ Coralie explains.
‘It’s being able to see broadly across a business and understand the environment you’re working in – the political, geographical, legal and market aspects. And it’s bringing that together to enable the whole organisation to understand what it means for them.
‘It’s Tim Spiker’s ‘inwardly sound / others focused’ leadership approach.’
What leadership is – and what it isn’t
'Leadership isn't anything big. Leadership is about taking care of the small things, noticing the small things and doing the right thing for the right person'
As well as having been a leader herself, Coralie has dedicated many years to developing senior leaders around the globe.
Has she noticed any traits that the most effective leaders share?
‘The leaders I see going on to have the longer-term success are those who come into the room not necessarily believing they're going to be the most successful or effective leader,’ she reveals.
‘They often have that element of humility and – I know some people dislike this term – imposter syndrome.’
And this isn’t a ‘bad’ thing because, as Coralie says: ‘It’s a real responsibility to be a leader. So when they look at other leaders who inspire them, seeing someone who is actually a human, who understands the pressures and what makes people tick, is a real asset.’
At P4L, our peer-led leadership development experience helps participants start to see this for themselves.
‘Because leadership isn't anything big,’ Coralie says. ‘Leadership is about taking care of the small things, noticing the small things and doing the right thing for the right person.
‘It's about having really high standards of yourself and everyone else, but in a way that you encourage people to get there.
‘Leadership is not about blame and who's done it wrong. It's about asking: ‘What can we learn from this?’. It’s having that growth mindset and being able to see opportunity – that’s the important thing.’
Becoming a leader who others want to follow
'The word 'authentic' is over-used, but people will only follow someone who knows themselves, who is true to themselves and who will make difficult decisions because it will be done in the right way'
She concludes: ‘I think there’s a leader in all of us somewhere, but that leadership will never look the same.
‘There are some people who will lead from a place of quietness, because it’s not about saying: ‘I am the leader’. It’s about people saying: ‘You're who I want to follow’.
'So in terms of leadership development and how we support participants at P4L, it’s helping people to discover their own leadership style.
‘The word ‘authentic’ is overused, but people will only follow someone who knows themselves, who is true to themselves and who will make difficult decisions because it will be done in the right way.’
Next steps for strategic leaders
To hear more insights from Coralie, watch her 'Focus on Strategic Leadership' podcast with Telos Partners’ Adam Campbell here.
Want to know how Partners for Leadership enables participants to transition from operational excellence to strategic leadership expertise? Read about the support we offer on our Programme Experience page.
Get in touch to discuss joining our next cohorts – starting at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park on 23-24 February, 8-9 June and 21-22 September 2027.
