February 20, 2025

Antoni Gaudi and Strategic Leadership

“Antoni Gaudí, one of the most universal figures of Catalan culture and international architecture, devoted more than 40 years to the Temple of the Sagrada Família.”

Strategic work in phases is more effective and intentional. I have learned this lesson throughout my career, and more recently, when I visited La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. We had the good fortune to see our daughter during her semester abroad in Barcelona, and of course, we visited the famous Antoni Gaudi Basilica, La Sagrada Familia. 

Ahead of his time, unique. A man of faith, observer of nature and genius architect, Antoni Gaudí has become a universal figure in modern architecture.

La Sagrada Familia

One of the plaques stated that Gaudi intentionally engineered his construction of the Basilisca to be done over many years in phases because he thought people would be less likely to give up on the project, and would be more invested for a longer time. Gaudi himself devoted over 40 years to La Sagrada Familia and there are still teams working on the Basilica today. I agree with Gaudi’s theory of rolling out big strategic work in phases. 

I work with many clients who say that the day to day of managing personnel issues and the daily operations of their job keep them away from the strategic work they want to do, the long term strategic thinking and ideation. I offer a reframe. Creating two to three priorities that could turn into strategic work will inform how you approach your day to day issues that crop up. 

Steps for Creating Strategic Priorities and Phases:

  • Reflect on the issues that crop up in your day to day operations. Look for patterns and themes. What do you notice? Ask questions. Be curious. Follow the issues upstream to problem find. Talk to people. Research.
  • Pick two or three large themes that emerge from your reflection, questioning, and research. 
  • Think about Gaudi’s approach: Create a 3-5 year plan
    • Work backwards: What do you want the ideal to look like at the end of the 3 year period?
    • What could be the possible barriers?
    • What/Who could be the possible supports? Who can help me with this process? Who do I need to inform? Who can I consult with? Who might co-own this with me?
    • Make a plan for each year beginning with the end and slowly move towards the present. Make sure to include all possible impacts and areas: identify financial impacts, personnel impacts, stakeholders etc.

This is big work and also essential work. Take the time to reflect, notice patterns, and themes. Think long-term. Be strategic, use ideation, and look between the future and the present. Think big and broad and slowly move to the details. Remember to bring stakeholders along in your vision and your plan. This type of thinking and planning will inform the quality of your day to day operations and the intentional choices you make when you are grounded in intentional priorities. It seemed to work for Gaudi. His legacy and vision are living on decades after his death.