8 Core Competencies Leaders Need

to Sustain Performance
by Dr. Terry Jackson | Sep 21, 2017 | Leadership Skills | 8 comments
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Two words that we hear often are leadership and sustainability.

Organizations and government need those who can successfully lead others and
sustain success. When choosing a leader for public or private sector work, we
must look for certain criteria or core competencies.
These competencies will serve as the foundation and metric to ensure leaders
can create environments that are productive and sustainable.
There are eight core competencies every leader should possess:
1. Communication
All leaders must be able to listen to others, process information, and
communicate effectively.
Within the Communication core competency, listening to others enables leaders
to encourage the sharing of information and ideas, as well as concerns. Listening
openly to others without interrupting them is one of the keys to becoming more
effective.
Processing information is crucial to being a good leader. It is vital to be able to
get to the point, weigh the pros and cons, and evaluate short and long range
consequences of decisions. It helps leaders develop logical and clear
conclusions.
The final component of the communication core competency is a leader must
communicate effectively.
Leaders must express themselves clearly in writing and speaking. They must be
thorough, concise, and consistently straightforward when sharing information and
their vision with others.
2. Leadership
Successful leaders instill trust, provide direction, and delegate responsibility.
Ultimately, leadership is about producing the desired results. Building and
instilling trust enables a leader to show they can be trusted to keep promises and
confidences. It also shows that they are honest and ethical.
Leaders provide direction by establishing clear expectations and developing a
manageable workload to accomplish those expectations.
A leader must be able to delegate responsibility. Leaders delegate jobs to the
appropriate people. Leaders empower others to work and solve problems on
their own.
3. Adaptability
Adaptability is the ability to adjust to circumstances and think creatively.
Adjusting to circumstances involves the ability to adjust to people’s diverse work
styles and to varying environments. Competent leaders know how to deal with
setbacks constructively, and they anticipate change.
Thinking creatively brings an imaginative approach to the job. Creative thinking
leaders inspire innovation, risk-taking, and creative problem-solving.
4. Building Relationships
Building a personal relationship may be the most crucial component of being a
leader.
It means being considerate of others’ feelings. Leaders must also show freedom
from unfair biases and be tactful when giving criticism. Leaders must remain
composed under stress.
The next component to Building Relationships is ensuring team success. Team
success is crucial in the workplace as “no man is an island.” Within team
success, leaders must resolve conflicts fairly and in a spirit of cooperation.

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Leaders must build a consensus and lead teams with appropriate goals.
5. Task Management
Task Management involves working efficiently and competently.
Working efficiently means a leader makes use of current technology and wise
use of outside resources. The leaders avoid procrastination and sets priorities.
Working competently means the leader has mastered the fundamentals of the
job. This leader can apply new methods and new information as appropriate for
new tasks.
6. Production
Leaders take action and achieve results.
An effective leader knows when the time is right to initiate action. Leaders handle
problems assertively and make timely as well as firm decisions.
Leaders take action so they can achieve results. Leaders must know how to
overcome obstacles for achievement and set high standards that positively
impact the organization.
7. Developing Others
Leaders develop leaders. Two important areas in the development of others are
cultivating individual talent and successfully motivating others.
Leaders who are successful at cultivating talent are effective at coaching and
making training available. These leaders also provide objective performance
feedback on a timely basis.
As a leader, one must be able to give recognition to people who produce
excellent work and give extra effort.
The leader also has an enthusiastic attitude that positively affects others.
8. Personal Mastery
The leader who masters themselves seeks improvement and displays personal
commitment.
This leader learns positive lessons from mistakes, accepts constructive criticism,
and pursues resources to improve and develop professionally. They do not set
imits on personal potential.
A high level of commitment is needed by leaders to be successful. This leader
maintains a high level of energy, perseverance, and remains positive.
These eight core competencies provide a systemic approach to personal
leadership development. Effective leaders are committed to developing these
competencies in themselves on an ongoing basis.
How Can Leaders Sustain Performance?
If you have ideas that you feel like sharing that might be helpful to readers, share
them in the comments section below. Thanks!