Leadership Competencies

In today’s fast-paced and dynamic business environment, the role of a manager extends beyond technical expertise. While technical abilities are undoubtedly crucial, it is equally important for managers to develop strong leadership competencies. Recent research by the Centre for Creative Leadership found that 70% of employees’ job satisfaction is directly influenced by the quality of their relationship with their immediate supervisor. A survey by McKinsey & Company in March this year bolsters this view, revealing that “strong managers can truly revolutionise the way employees show up to work, how they perform, and how the organisation performs as a whole.”

The importance of leadership competencies extends to all aspects of the employee experience, including:

• Communication: Effective leaders foster open dialogue, actively listen to their team members’ perspectives, and encourage collaboration among team members. Leaders with enhanced
• Emotional Intelligence will also flex and adapt their communication style to create greater levels of trust and psychological safety with their teams.
• Performance Management: Effective leaders understand the importance of setting clear goals, providing regular feedback, and offering coaching and development opportunities, to help their employees reach their full potential. This fosters a culture of excellence and continuous improvement, leading to enhanced productivity and individual growth.
• Conflict Management: Leaders with strong conflict management competencies can address conflicts promptly, facilitate open dialogue, and find mutually beneficial resolutions. This promotes a harmonious work environment, enhances team cohesion, and prevents conflicts from escalating and impacting overall team performance.
• Change Management: Change is constant in today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) business landscape, and managers must navigate it successfully. Leadership competencies enable managers to guide their teams through periods of change, providing clear communication, addressing concerns, and inspiring resilience.

With the backdrop of an ever-changing business landscape, resilience is a vital leadership competency, enabling them to adapt, bounce back from setbacks and inspire their teams during challenging times. A survey by Harvard Business Review found that 92% of CEOs believe that resilience is a key factor in determining a leader’s long-term success.

Here at Think People, we recognise that investing in leadership development can create competitive advantage for businesses. Our ENGAGE Leadership and Management Programme, accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) explores these themes over the course of 5 months. The programme is suitable for new and experienced first line and middle managers from all organisational sizes and sectors and is available on both a face-to-face basis at Think People offices in Belfast and virtually. Further information on the programme and our upcoming dates can be found HERE.