Leadership Competencies

The leadership competencies defined by the Charles H. Polk School of Leadership and Professional Development reflect a review of current literature on leadership, social sciences, and business; competency lists developed by government, non-profit, and for-profit organizations; and analyses of the impact of societal changes on organizations and their challenges for leadership in the future.

Leading Self with Character. Before leaders can lead others they must first learn to lead themselves. Leaders draw on a personal source of energy and cornerstone of strength to guide their choices and actions in meeting the challenges of today. Qualities of character and habits of mind ground leaders as they strive to achieve both their personal goals and the goals of their organization. Leading self with character includes emotional intelligence, authenticity, integrity, courage, sense of purpose, resilience, health and well-being, and lifelong learning.

Leading Others and Connecting through Communication. Leadership is a dynamic process within a web of relationships which requires understanding others and engaging them for collective good. Leaders build relational connections with others by communicating skillfully, sensing social realities, and embracing diversity. Leaders build bridges. They value and engage others. Leaders work to develop others' capacity, build connections and teams, and allocate decision making.

Leading for Results with Resource Acumen. Leaders shape the environment of the enterprise through design and stewardship of the organization's resources. Leaders create a culture in which members achieve meaningful results. Leaders operate with a systems perspective, design dynamic systems, achieve results, capitalize on use of resources, and serve customers and stakeholders.

Leading in a Climate of Change. Leaders create cultures and open environments which thrive in living systems with continuous and discontinuous change. Leaders hold a future vision, maintain a positive orientation, expand people's capacity for change, cultivate environmental awareness, and embrace ambiguity and paradox.

Leading across Boundaries and Building Coalitions. Leaders operate on the edge of and across boundaries, often in areas in which they have no direct authority. Leaders recognize the system in which their own organization operates and work to recognize and establish appropriate boundaries, which may include permeability. To accomplish the goal of leading across boundaries, leaders establish partnerships and alliances, build collaborative relationships, practice political savvy and the use of power, foster networks, and create relationships across our globalized world.