JS Tip 416: Leadership and Competence

From the Leadership Workshops: The Leadership Parts

The third of four parts. 

Last week, we suggested leadership has three parts:

  1. Character
  2. Competence
  3. Action

We talked about character.

Today, we’ll talk about competence.

Competence is the ability to do the job.

What abilities—what skill sets—do leaders need?

We suggest three:

People Skills. The ability to work with people. The ability to listen. To consider. To communicate. To congratulate. To engage on the personal and the group level.

Planning Skills. The ability to set and achieve goals. To see where the organization is, to see where the organization should be, and to create a plan to get the organization from where it is to where it should be.

Technical Skills. The ability to do the job. In banking, an understanding of credit. In engineering, an understanding of design. In water service, an understanding of mains and pressures.

    Competence affects credibility, and credibility affects leadership. Self assess. What are your strengths? Where do you need work? Create an improvement plan. 

    If you agree, let us know. 

    If you disagree, let us know. 

    If you have questions or suggestions, let us know. 

    We love this stuff.

    Next week, we’ll talk about the third of the leadership elements: Action.

    Mark Brooks