Top 4 Leadership Competencies
It is fair to say that the scope and significance of the leader's role today have expanded exponentially and continue to evolve with increasing complexity.
Employees want to feel fulfilled, inspired and valued in their roles, so their priorities and expectations now reflect the "new normal," everyday work experience, including remote work. Employees seek authentic connections to their leader in shaping their experience as leaders manage diverse remote or hybrid teams across different time zones and cultures.
Even though there may be changes in work experiences, the foundational skills of effective leadership remain consistent and can be characterized by four core competencies.
This blog will summarize the competencies of Diagnosing, Adapting, Communicating and Advancing for the road ahead.
Diagnosing a situation accurately helps managers lead through ambiguity and complexity by establishing clarity and alignment of an employee's performance needs and expectations.
Adapting competency focuses on the leader's ability to determine the approach that best meets the needs of the individual and the situation and consciously adjusts to a matching leadership style.
Communicating competency involves a leader interacting with others in a way they can understand and accept, which ultimately will be determined by others. Leaders need to be flexible enough to stretch and lean into the leadership style appropriate to the team members' needs. Leaders must recognize that any progress made will be iterative, and there may be unpredictable inevitable setbacks. Leadership is about others. In that case, it will support the leader's ability to connect with each team member personally, build trust and effectively influence their team members' performance and engagement.
When leaders utilize the Advancing competency, they consistently meet people where they are instead of where they were or have the potential to be. This is a vital leadership skill because nothing remains the same, and things will improve, resulting in the team's development.
In conclusion, to be a successful leader in today's complex and evolving environment, leaders' ability to Diagnose, Adapt, Communicate and Advance equips them with the skills necessary to evolve and lead for the road ahead.
