Great leaders possess specific strengths outside of their technical knowledge of the job they do.

As a rule leaders tend to gain their positions through demonstration of exceptional skills in the operational side of their roles together with an enthusiastic and optimistic attitude and relevant experience. Operational expertise and experience are relatively easy to measure and as such dominate the decision making process of leader selection.

But what about the rest?

Most people would agree they would like their leaders to be competent, knowledgeable, visionary, progressive and decisive with excellent interpersonal skills, innovative and open to new ideas.

How about a propensity for self improvement, a desire to lead, an outgoing personality, a reasonable level of self acceptance, a balance of analytical and intuitive skills, a balance of diplomacy and frankness and a balance between assertiveness and helpfulness. There is an endless list of traits we would like our leaders and upcoming leaders to possess.

Here are 10 Leadership competencies you can be measuring and developing in your leaders…

Communication

Promotes & presents clear vision & initiatives. Speaks up regarding concerns, listens effectively, provides timely and helpful information, and takes responsibility to confirm communications are received.

Energising People

Motivates others to achieve goals, articulates a common vision, engages team members, relates openly, and empowers others to achieve.

Learning Agility

Gains knowledge from experiences, successes, and mistakes, and applies that knowledge to new situations or responsibilities.

Problem Solving

Perceptive and logical when identifying problems, finds the source or cause of problems, and thinks through potential difficulties of the solution steps.

Resilience and Perseverance

Persists in the face of adversity, obstacles, or setbacks including effectively managing a crisis and quickly adapting to change.

Achievement Orientation

Consistently achieves objectives, accepts difficult challenges, seizes opportunities, and has a high level of energy and enthusiasm.

Impact and Influence

Influence others to achieve goals, enlists their cooperation, appeals to their interests, builds trust, and negotiates mutually beneficial and sustainable agreements.

Innovation

Experiments with different ways to improve processes, efficiency, and/or effectiveness while maintaining focus on the desired objective or result.

Leading People

Takes responsibility to achieve the organization’s mission, provides clear direction, promotes team participation and cooperation, and accepts decision-making authority.

Problem Solving

Creates effective strategies and long-term plans to seize opportunities, anticipate issues and risks, draws from previous experiences, explores industry information, and collaborates with the right Individuals.

The Harrison Assessment Leadership Behavioural Competency framework measures people’s individual skills and areas for development against 10 essential Leadership Competencies in an objective way.

Each competency is made up of a series of essential traits, desirable traits and traits to avoid. Development candidates complete a short, online SmartQuestionnaire^TM. Responses are then mapped against each of the Harrison Leadership Competencies which can then highlights areas of strength and areas for development both for an individual and for a team.

As well as the Leadership Behavioural Competency other standard, pre-defined behavioural competencies are available. Bespoke behavioural competencies can be developed according to the requirements of your organisation and built around your own set of required traits and behaviours.

You can download a sample Behavioural Competency report here.

If you would like to find out more about the Harrison Leadership Behavioural Competency, other pre-defined competencies, or indeed about creating a bespoke competency, please call us on 07768 922244, email pat@quadrant1.com or leave us your details and we will contact you.