Definitions of Leadership Competencies
“A competency is defined as a set of skills, knowledge, attributes and behaviors that are observable and measurable. It is the ability to perform activities to the standards required in employment, using an appropriate mix of knowledge, skill and attitude. All three aspects must be present if someone is to be effective in the workplace. To improve competence, you need to increase not only your knowledge, but also your understanding of how the knowledge can be applied, and your skill in applying it.” U.S. Army, G-1 Human Resources.
“Leadership competencies are leadership skills and behaviors that contribute to superior performance.” SHRM
Two important things to know about leadership competencies
They are not constant but dynamic. They change as future business trends and strategy change. Good leaders need to know their external environment well so that they can predict/foretell changes in their industry, competition, political and policy trends, technological trends, etc, that will require their company to have different leadership competencies to be able to compete and win in that future environment.
Context determines the right leadership competencies. While some leadership competencies are essential to all firms, an organization should also define what leadership attributes are distinctive to the particular organization to create competitive advantage.