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Leadership Core Competencies

“Rough waters are truer tests of leadership. In calm water every ship has a good captain.”

Swedish proverb

Source USDA.Gov

The 28 Leadership Core Competencies are divided into five levels. Definitions are listed below organized by the leadership levels:

Managing Self

1. Integrity/Honesty: Behaves in an honest, fair, and ethical manner. Shows consistency in words and actions. Models high standards of ethics.

2. Interpersonal Skills: Treats others with courtesy, sensitivity, and respect. Considers and responds appropriately to the needs and feelings of different people in different situations.

3. Continual Learning: Assesses and recognizes own strengths and weaknesses; pursues self-development.

4. Resilience: Deals effectively with pressure; remains optimistic and persistent, even under adversity. Recovers quickly from setbacks.

5. Oral Communication: Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed.

6. Written Communication: Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

7. Flexibility: Is open to change and new information; rapidly adapts to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles.

8. Problem Solving: Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations.

Managing Projects

9. Team Building: Inspires and fosters team commitment, spirit, pride, and trust. Facilitates cooperation and motivates team members to accomplish group goals.

10. Customer Service: Anticipates and meets the needs of both internal and external customers. Delivers high-quality products and services; is committed to continuous improvement.

11. Technical Credibility: Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise.

12. Accountability: Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost effective results. Determines objectives, sets priorities, and delegates work. Accepts responsibility for mistakes. Complies with established control systems and rules.

13. Decisiveness: Makes well-informed, effective, and timely decisions, even when data are limited or solutions produce unpleasant consequences; perceives the impact and implications of decisions.

14. Influencing / Negotiating: Persuades others; builds consensus through give and take; gains cooperation from others to obtain information and accomplish goals.

15. Brainstorming: The spontaneous contribution of ideas from all members of the group this also felicitates group buy-in.

Managing People

16. Human Capital Management: Builds and manages workforce based on organizational goals, budget considerations, and staffing needs. Ensures employees are appropriately recruited, selected, appraised, and rewarded; takes action to address performance problems. Manages a multi-sector workforce and a variety of work situations.

17. Leveraging Diversity: Fosters an inclusive workplace where diversity and individual differences are valued and leveraged to achieve the vision and mission of the organization.

18. Conflict Management: Encourages creative tension and differences of opinions. Anticipates and takes steps to prevent counter-productive confrontations. Manages and resolves conflicts and disagreements in a constructive manner.

19. Public Service Motivation: Shows a commitment to serve the public. Ensures that actions meet public needs; aligns organizational objectives and practices with public interests.

20. Developing Others: Develops the ability of others to perform and contribute to the organization by providing ongoing feedback and by providing opportunities to learn through formal and informal methods.

21. Develop a Comprehensive On-Boarding Process for New Employees: The process of integrating a new employee with a company and its culture, as well as getting a new hire the tools and information needed to become a productive member of the team.

Managing Programs

22. Technology Management: Keeps up-to-date on technological developments. Makes effective use of technology to achieve results. Ensures access to, and security of, technology systems.

23. Financial Management: Understands the organization’s financial processes. Prepares, justifies, and administers the program budget. Oversees procurement and contracting to achieve desired results. Monitors expenditures and uses cost-benefit thinking to set priorities.

24. Creativity/Innovation: Develops new insights into situations; questions conventional approaches; encourages new ideas and innovations; designs and implements new or cutting edge programs/processes.

25. Partnering: Develops networks and builds alliances; collaborates across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals.

26. Political Savvy: Identifies the internal and external politics that impact the work of the organization. Perceives organizational and political reality and acts accordingly.

Leading Organizations

27. External Awareness: Understands and keeps up-to-date on local, national, and international policies and trends that affect the organization and shape stakeholders’ views; is aware of the organization’s impact on the external environment.

28. Vision: Takes a long-term view and builds a shared vision with others; acts as a catalyst for organization change. Influences others to translate vision into action.

29. Strategic Thinking: Formulates objectives and priorities, and implements plans consistent with the long-term interest of the organization in a global environment, Capitalizes on opportunities and manages risks.

30. Entrepreneurship: Positions the organization for future success by identifying new opportunities; builds the organization by developing or improving products or services. Takes calculated risks to accomplish organizational objectives.

Additional Reading

Building Leadership Competence: A Competency-Based Approach to Building Leadership Ability by Dr. Wesley E. Donahue

Points of Reflection

“Not everyone is born a great leader, but anyone can foster core leadership competencies for themselves and become actionable, effective leaders.”

Ravinder Tulsiani

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

John Quincy Adams