1. Tribal Leadership:
Tribal Strategy
Si Alhir
salhir@gmail.com
http://salhir.wordpress.com
202-596-8202
Tribal Leadership
1 Copyright (c) 2010 Sinan Si Alhir. All rights reserved.

2. Tribes, Tribal Leaders, and
Tribal Strategy
~ Tribes and Culture
~ Tribes naturally move one cultural stage at a time on a
scale of one-to-five
~ Culture emerges from language (theme), behavior (mood),
and relationship structures
~ Tribal Leaders and Tribal Leadership
~ Tribal leaders upgrade tribes through cultural stages using
leverage points
~ Tribal leadership involves nudging language and fostering
relationships
Tribal Leadership
2 Copyright (c) 2010 Sinan Si Alhir. All rights reserved.

3. Tribal Leaders and Tribal Strategy
~ Tribal Leaders
~ Finding and leveraging commitment to shared core values
~ Aligning on a noble cause
~ Establishing triadic relationships
~ Building a history-making strategy
Outcomes
Assets Will
Sufficient Behaviors
for the Accomplish
Outcomes? Outcomes?
Noble
Cause
Core
Values
Assets Behaviors
Enough
Assets for
Behaviors?
Tribal Leadership
3 Copyright (c) 2010 Sinan Si Alhir. All rights reserved.

4. Tribal Leaders and Tribal Strategy
~ Tribal Strategy (versus a Personal Strategy)
~ Set by the tribal leader and takes everything into account
~ People can join in only if they are at stages 3, 4, or 5
~ Three separate and interlocking discussions that flow from
core values and noble cause
~ Three questions, which the tribe must answer “yes” to before
the strategy can be successfully implemented
Outcomes
Assets Will
Sufficient Behaviors
for the Accomplish
Outcomes? Outcomes?
Noble
Cause
Core
Values
Assets Behaviors
Enough
Assets for
Behaviors?
Tribal Leadership
4 Copyright (c) 2010 Sinan Si Alhir. All rights reserved.

5. Core Values, Noble Cause, and Outcomes
~ Core Values and Noble Cause
~ Core Values: Fuels, “stands in”, and timeless
~ Noble Cause: Direction, what the tribe “shoots for”, and far-
reaching (yearnings and aspirations)
~ A tribal leader engages a tribe in an exploratory process
~What the tribe stands for (values)
~What it lives for (noble cause)
~ Outcomes (“What do we want”)
~ A conversation about what we want
~ Should be big, specific, measurable, and set in time
~ A tribal leader should ensure outcomes are in line with the
tribe’s core values and noble cause
Tribal Leadership
5 Copyright (c) 2010 Sinan Si Alhir. All rights reserved.

6. Assets and Behaviors
~ Assets (“What do we have”)
~ A conversation about what we have
~ Should be heavy, varied, and specific so that they
overwhelm the outcome
~ Test Question #1: Assets Sufficient for the Outcomes?
~ Behaviors (“What we will do”)
~ A conversation about what we will do
~ Should be general, consistent, and forwarding so that when
accomplished they become assets
~ Test Question#2: Enough Assets for Behaviors?
~ Test Question #3: Will Behaviors Accomplish Outcomes?
Tribal Leadership
6 Copyright (c) 2010 Sinan Si Alhir. All rights reserved.

7. Strategy at Scale
~ Strategy works at every scale
~ Behaviors flow down to outcomes at the next level
~ Strategies cascade up
~ Strategies
~ Coordinated and network together
~ Interlock and form interdependent partnerships
~ Foster mutual accountability
Tribal Leadership
7 Copyright (c) 2010 Sinan Si Alhir. All rights reserved.

8. Thank You
Si Alhir
salhir@gmail.com
http://salhir.wordpress.com
202-596-8202
Tribal Leadership
8 Copyright (c) 2010 Sinan Si Alhir. All rights reserved.

9. Tribal Leadership:
Leveraging Natural Groups to
Build a Thriving Organization
http://www.culturesync.net
Ten-year, 24,000 person, organizational research study
Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright
Tribal Leadership
9 Copyright (c) 2010 Sinan Si Alhir. All rights reserved.