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Running Head: Competencies of Effective Leaders

Competencies of Effective Leaders

LaToya Waddy

University of Phoenix

Facilitating Change

AET - 560

Dr. Christine Nortz

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Competencies of Effective Leaders

Some may argue leaders are born and some argue leaders are made; many believe both

are true. A true leader is vital to an organization especially when the organization is experiencing

change. Not every leader has the competencies to lead an organization when change is enforced.

These leaders are sometimes called change leaders. Change leaders must encourage their

organizations to learn, innovate, experiment, and question, preparing their organizations for

change by constantly seeking new perspectives, and encouraging participation throughout

the organization (Dumas & Beinecke 2018). Change leaders must have qualities to guide

and spearhead an organization. Effective leaders energize an organization for change, build

commitment to new directions, and then put into place a process that will translate such

commitment into action. (Spector, 1989, 2013). Competencies essential to effective leadership

of organizations include certain dispositions and characteristics, effective communication

practices, leadership skill sets, and performance actions.

Competencies:

Effective leaders have a supervisory ability, and they are intelligent, have a need for

achievement, decisive, self-assured and take initiative (Ghiselli, 1971; Gilley, McMillan, &

Gilley, 2009). Effective leaders are open-minded and value diversity. They are highly ethical

and are visionary.

Effective leaders must know how to communicate both verbally and non-verbally.

Change within an organization is inevitable, therefore effective communication is necessary

throughout the process. Leading change requires the use of a diverse set of communication
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Competencies of Effective Leaders

techniques to deliver appropriate messages, solicit feedback, create readiness for change along

with a sense of urgency, and motivate recipients to act (Gilley, A., Gilley, J., & McMillan,

2009). It is necessary for leaders to provide feedback and coaching to “develop future change

leaders” (Spector, 2013).

Skills vital to the success of effective leaders are the ability to motivate, communicate,

and build teams (Dumas & Beinecke 2018). Gilley, A., Gilley, J., & McMillan (2009) contend

that motivating others requires skilled managers who can organize and provide a motivating

environment: communicate effectively, address employees' questions, generate creative ideas,

prioritize ideas, direct personnel practices, plan employees' actions, commit employees to action,

and provide follow-up to overcome motivational problems.

Effective leaders must be action driven. They want to see results and will develop a team

to reach desired results. They not only have the vision of the company and where it is headed,

but they also encourage and promote their employees. They implement stretch goals. Spector

(2013) suggests given high-performance goals—coupled with the requisite levels of autonomy

and resources—employees will adopt the behaviors required to meet those goals.

Conclusion

The task of leading a team poses many skills necessary for success. Leadership shapes the past,

present, and future of organizations. Organizations implementing change need leaders to reduce

harmful aggression or resistance against change. Effective leaders may create emotional bonds

among employees and the company to further decrease backlash. A competent leader will

commit to the purpose and goals of the organization while coaching and mentoring others.
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Competencies of Effective Leaders

References

Colette Dumas, Richard H. Beinecke,(2018) "Change Leadership in the 21st century",

Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 31Issue: 4, pp.867-876,

https://doi-org.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/10.1108/JOCM-02-2017-0042

Gilley, A., Gilley, J. W., & McMillan, H. S. (2009). Organizational Change: Motivation,

Communication, and Leadership Effectiveness. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 21(4),

75-94. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-

com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/218517376?accountid=35812

Gilley, A., McMillan, H. S., & Gilley, J. W. (2009). Organizational Change and Characteristics

of Leadership Effectiveness. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 16(1), 38–47.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051809334191

Spector, B. (2013). Implementing organizational change: Theory into practice (3rd ed.). Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.