Why Leadership Competencies Must Evolve as You Advance

Often employees are so excited to be chosen for a promotion they eagerly accept the new role without considering all its accompanying requirements and responsibilities. They assume they wouldn’t have been promoted if they weren’t able to get the job done and trust they can handle their new position because somebody thinks they’re ready. Sometimes they’re right, but other times they soon find themselves struggling.

I’ve seen this before in coaching: A highly successful employee gets promoted and then she ends up irritating everyone because she doesn’t realize how she should be relating to others in her new role.

For example, I once worked with a newly promoted project manager who had an adversarial relationship with the company’s maintenance department when an effective project manager should work in cooperation with their maintenance department. He saw it as, “I’m just pushing for results.” But, I say, “at what cost?” He was creating so much noise in his relationships that he was no longer effective.

It’s Not Just What You Do, But Also How You Do It

It’s not good enough for a leader to deliver results; it’s not just the “what” you do. “How” you get there matters, too.

I always ask people in leadership development programs “why would anyone what to work for you or with you?” If people don’t want to work for you or with you, you’re not going to be an effective leader.

Layering Leadership Competencies

Working well with the maintenance department is just one competency a good project manager should possess. Generally speaking, a “competency” is a skill or behavior that describes excellent performance. Different roles require different sets of competencies and as you move up through the ranks of leadership in an organization, you need to layer on more and more competencies if you hope to succeed.

So, continuing with the example of people-based competencies, at the supervisor or manager level those competencies involve getting things done through people. But when you move up to the executive level, you layer those soft skills with strategic competencies. Then your job becomes getting things done through people with a vision and an eye on the future.

That’s when you start layering competencies such as being able to deal with ambiguity, creativity and innovation management, and how to bring ideas to market. You still need to be able to motivate people, but in this case, you need to be able to motivate people who are as smart and strong as you are. So, you also need negotiating skills, political savvy, strategic agility and political astuteness -- both inside and outside your organization. You also need the ability to create a vision and a purpose, and drive them forward by getting people to join you in the pursuit.

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Success Labs is a full-service, strategic organizational and leadership development company located in Baton Rouge, La. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.