I’m struck by companies who want better results but don’t have a plan to grow their leaders.
I created the Leadership Gap as a cohort course for leaders to improve their effectiveness. To me, there are three areas for a leader to develop:
- The Leader as Individual
- The Leader as Technician
- The Leader as Strategist
11 Crucial Competencies for the Technician to Develop:
Accountability: Makes good companies great and great companies unstoppable. It sits at the cornerstone of trust and integrity, ensuring people take responsibility for their actions and decisions and fostering a culture of reliability and commitment.
Conflict Resolution / Negotiation: Everything is a negotiation in business from selecting strategic priorities to resolving conflict within teams. Mastering this competency is vital for maintaining harmony, resolving disagreements constructively, and ensuring diverse viewpoints contribute to organizational success.
Execution/Time Management/Productivity: Time is the atomic unit of productivity. Therefore, time management and effective execution are linked. It’s not about doing the next thing, it’s about doing the right next thing to deliver results.
Decision-making/Problem-Solving: These competencies allow leaders to navigate complex situations with innovative solutions, driving the organization forward through effective choices. I could argue that this is the most important leadership competency.
Coaching: Essential for team development, this competency helps cultivate talent, encourage growth, and inspire peak performance.
Relationship Building: We don’t do life alone. There is no such thing as a “self-made” man. Building and maintaining a robust professional network is crucial for leveraging internal and external resources and opportunities.
Project Management: This surprises most people, but it might be the most useful in driving strategic priorities forward. Leaders ensure the successful completion of initiatives by effectively organizing resources, timelines, and teams.
Communication: Clear and effective communication is fundamental to leadership, ensuring messages are conveyed and understood correctly. This competency is the limiting factor to where a person can rise in an organization. Poor communication is a career crusher.
Emotional Intelligence: Understanding and managing emotions and empathizing with others leads to healthier workplace relationships. To love your people, you must know them and how you impact them at work.
Positive Mindset / Resilience: A positive, growth mindset turns problems into opportunities in work clothes. A positive attitude can motivate teams, foster a supportive work environment, and encourage resilience.
Running Meetings: I measure leadership effectiveness by how many minutes a leader can put back into their day. Focused meetings save time and resources while ensuring clear communication and decision-making.
What did I miss?
Leave a Reply