1. Leadership Competencies
A reference point for
development
& evaluation
Margie Jantti, University of Wollongong Australia and Nick Greenhalgh, Career Innovations

2. For many years best practice principles have driven leadership development
ABEF
Promoting a leadership system that generates desired competencies
Attracting, recruiting and deploying people
Evaluating and developing individuals
Investors In People
Learning and development is planned to achieve the organisation’s objectives
…capabilities...needed to lead, manage & develop people are clearly defined and understood

3. Translated into: Career development discussions
Lots of development opportunities
Leadership training support
Professional cadet program
Personal and professional attributes aligned with our values and Ideal Culture

4. Over the last 4-5 years it was difficult to fill leadership positions
But ……
Over the last 4-5 years it was difficult to fill leadership positions

5. The leadership imperative
Ageing workforce
Leadership drain
Limited appetite
Equipping existing leaders with needed skills

6. STEP 1

7. Leadership Success Profiles
Who:
Library Executive
Team leaders and managers
Drawn from a pool of 67 competencies from the Lominger Leadership Architect ®
FYI For your Improvement: A guide for development and coaching. Michael M. Lombardo & Robert Eichinger, 2009.

8. Success Profiles - competencies
Library executive
Team leaders & managers
Perspective
Managing Vision & Mission
Political Savvy
Strategic Agility
Business Acumen
Self Knowledge
Developing Others
Comfort Around Top Management
Negotiating
Building Effective Teams
Performance Management*
*(confronting direct reports)
Organising
Drive for Results
Intellectual Horsepower
Organisational Agility
Innovation management
Managing Vision & Mission

10. Confronting direct reports (level of difficulty – high)
Defined:
Most organisations are running leaner today. With rapid change and team-based efforts increasing, problem performers can’t be hidden as they may have been in the past. Overcoming your reluctance to deal with them is key to your unit’s performance and your career as well. Managers who excel at confronting direct reports are timely, consistent, focus on performance gaps and help the person succeed. But if the efforts fails, taking timely but compassionate action to separate the person from the organisation is the true test of management courage.
From: FYI For your Improvement: A guide for development and coaching. Michael M. Lombardo & Robert Eichinger, 2009.

11. Confronting direct reports
Unskilled:
Not comfortable in giving negative messages
Lets problems fester hoping they will go away
May give people too many chances
Skilled:
Deals with problem direct reports firmly and in a timely manner
Doesn’t allow problems to fester
Reviews performance and holds timely discussions

12. STEP 2

13. Career interviews
Discussed career aims, level of ambition, barriers to achievement.
The results were revealing:
Considerable appetite and potential for leadership

14. Barriers to achievement included:
But ……
Barriers to achievement included:
Large gap between team leader and executive team – simply didn’t know how to bridge the competency gap
Fear of failure
Carrot wasn’t seen to be big enough, e.g. flexible work conditions, remuneration

15. STEP 3

16. Evaluation - I Self and peer assessment against the competencies
Scale:
5 towering strength
1 serious issue
DK don’t know
Gap: more than 1.1 considered significant
Feedback to participants

17. Sample assessment scores
Scale:
5 towering strength
1 serious issue
DK don’t know
Gap: more than 1.1 considered significant

18. STEP 4

19. Coaching – conversations for action
One on one
Agreement on development goals
Clarity and focus
Authentic; dealing with real issues
Plus
Coaching workshops for the leadership cohort

20. Competencies integration
HR policies and guides, position descriptions
Annual performance planners
Job enrichment portfolios
Induction and probation
More authentic discussions about leadership development and evidence of success

21. Evaluation II 3600 feedback Against all 67 Lominger competencies
Detailed report
One on one debrief with consultant
Commitment to sharing results with peers and manager

23. Evaluation III - what did we achieve?
Significantly improved confidence
Authentic focus on performance gaps and steps in place to close them
Considered, constructive career plans
Greater preparedness to address performance issues
Turnaround in ‘underperformers’

24. What else have we achieved?
Professional cadets secured team leader and manager roles
Improved alignment of skills and talent – playing to strengths
We know what we are looking for – improved clarity

25. Voice Project* Survey Results*

26. External validation
Development of competencies for roles at all levels in the Library has provided a more robust platform from which to clarify:
Description of role and performance expectations
Career progression opportunities and how to work towards these
Accountability to deliver as an individual within the team
From: IIP feedback report, 2010

27. Still potential for disappointment – despite efforts undertaken
Practicalities
Significant investment – but better ROI than a ‘leadership workshop’
Scheduling time
Disaffection by those not initially targeted for coaching
Sustaining over time
Still potential for disappointment – despite efforts undertaken

28. Sustaining efforts 70% planned and systematic OTJ experiences
The 70/20/10 rule
70% planned and systematic OTJ experiences
20% development from feedback, reflection, coaching etc
10% training courses, research, reading
Strategic projects
Internal coaching network
Leadership development framework

29. To conclude: From: Fear of failure It takes a long time
Emotions, biases
Its just not worth it
To:
I can do this
It can be accelerated
Lets deal with the facts
I am being invested in

30. Leadership Competencies
Questions or comments?
Margie Jantti, University of Wollongong Australia and Nick Greenhalgh, Career Innovations