Different Domains of Leadership and Skills Needed in Each

Written by Carter McNamara | Edited by Rory Hart
Sections of this topic
    The text "skills" written on a black background

    We often generalize leadership and skills to be the same traits needed all the time and everywhere by all leaders. Is leadership really that simple? Let’s look at different domains of leadership and the different skills that are needed in each.

    Leading Yourself

    To effectively lead yourself, useful skills are, for example:

    • physical fitness
    • decision-making and problem-solving
    • critical thinking
    • setting personal goals
    • prioritizing
    • time and stress management
    • self-coaching
    • emotional intelligence
    • motivating yourself
    • work-life balance

    Here are many resources about leading yourself.

    Leading Others Individuals

    To effectively lead others, you need to effectively lead yourself and have additional skills, for example:

    • Coaching
    • Counseling (basic)
    • Feedback
    • Listening
    • Questioning
    • Understanding body language
    • Delegating
    • Directing

    Here are many resources about leading others.

    Leading Groups/Teams

    To effectively lead groups or teams, you need skills to lead others and have additional skills, for example:

    • Agenda design
    • Facilitation
    • Consensus building
    • Group decision-making and problem-solving
    • Meeting management

    Here are many resources about leading groups and teams.

    Leading Organizations

    To effectively lead organizations, you need skills to lead yourself, other individuals, and teams, along with skills, for example:

    • Strategic planning
    • Business planning
    • Organizational development and change
    • At least one organizational performance model, for example, Balanced Scorecard or strategic management

    Here are many resources about leading organizations.

    So when identifying necessary skills in leadership, it’s not enough to imagine a long list of wondrous traits. Leadership is much more situational than that.

    What do you think?

    —————————————————————————-
    Carter McNamara, MBA, Ph.D. – Authenticity Consulting, LLC – 800-971-2250
    Read my weekly blogs: Boards, Consulting and OD, Nonprofits, and Strategic Planning.

    Carter McNamara