LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES| ASSESSING PROSPECTIVE LEADERS|

Competency mapping and developing a succession planning matrix is an exercise that needs to be prioritized even in tough times. As more and more entrepreneurs mushroom every day in the industry, the need for retaining prospective leader becomes a need of the hour. Identifying and assessing potential leaders can be difficult. Creating a leadership pipeline requires you to identify employees at all levels of the organization who have a high potential for future leadership roles, then develop them.

Competency refers to the ability to do something well. If your company uses a competency model for various positions, you want to first ensure that employees have the competencies they need to do their current jobs well. If they are not competent in their current jobs, they generally won’t be considered for higher-level positions in the organization. Of course, future leadership Competencies vary by complexity of job levels, technical skills, behavioral skills, and client requirements. For example, competencies required of a sales representative will be different from those of an engineer.

Not all competencies should carry equal weight in your deliberations. Along with the general competencies for various job roles, you may want to focus on your company’s key competencies. For example, a company like Amazon focuses on great customer experience, thus apart from their team, they also leverage the best outsourcing organizations with the best talent pool for the same. Likewise, Apple focuses on innovation, this would suggest a greater emphasis on creativity, innovation competencies, and radical thinking.

In considering who you want to place in your leadership pipeline, you also want to prioritize indicators of high potential that go beyond basic leadership competencies and job requirements.

Apart from the organization specific competencies, top 6 leadership competencies, that every prospective leader needs to have are:

1. Vision & Strategy – The ability to strategize and aim for a larger vision for the organization is the fundamental sign of a leader. This includes agile business acumen, without which vision of futuristic path is not possible. Does the employee look beyond his specified job responsibilities to better understand the larger business processes of which his work is a part? While getting the job done, is the professional also able to view possibilities of creative solutions and the larger role that the organization can play in the process.
2. Mobilize Team -The ability to drive the team in any environment and optimize the work of the team rather than individual job performance. Inspiring the team by walking the talk and also establishing deeper connections with the team members, reduces unnecessary attrition. This also helps the leader coach -mentor and prepare his next line of leaders. The biggest attribute of being a leader is the capability of creating more leaders in the system rather than followers. Effective delegation -accountability -coaching for the team performance is imperative.
3. Upholding Integrity and respect -At times of crisis or even success, the employee needs to operate with integrity and respect towards stakeholders. The leader is always under informal surveillance by the team -clients -senior leadership, thus upholding all values of the system is of utmost importance. As the captain of the ship, the leaders need to be on self vigil to avoid any gaps concerning integrity and respect. Integrity is being real, honest, and trustworthy. Does the employee take responsibility for errors or tend to blame others when something goes wrong? 
4. Collaboration -The ability to collaborate with Peers -Partners -Stakeholders without biases is another important competence that a leader needs to constantly nurture. Collaborative communication facilitates smooth implementations and also desired outcomes. Working in ambiguity with a cross-functional team with contradictory priorities or opinions is a natural ability that every leader needs to have in this dynamic world of frequent changes and contingencies.
5. Achieve Results -Commitment to delivering results no matter what the challenges and issues in the changing market. Strong need and ability to deliver at all times irrespective of circumstances is a consistent mindset. The ability to see the larger picture, beyond job responsibilities, and work toward improving business processes and results.
6. Promote Innovation & Change -Ability of an individual to go above and beyond the demands of his role and responsibilities for the good of the organization. Demonstrating a mission of bringing in the best of industry practices and also promoting innovative methods of solving issues for automation -profitability is a trait of every successful successor. Supporting under-performers through setting an example, coaching, and encouraging a CAN DO attitude towards change for the better.

To score your pipeline of leaders, apart from assessing them on the above competencies, you could also organize developmental programs to hone their skills. While many e-learning options are already available, a workshop mode in a capsule methodology works well for the best outcomes. For support you could click on the link below –Diagnostic Chemistry Session.

Do you think competency mapping is an important exercise? Do you need to revisit your competencies based on the change in the ecosystem and client priorities? What is your take on leadership development investments? Have you signed off the competency framework and succession planning exercise for your exercise? Do share your thoughts on the same with us. Looking for support on Competency Mapping -behavioral labs or success planning -leadership development, click on the link below:

Talent Mapping Exercise

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