Leadership 12 – Skills Approach
Skills Approach
 Like the Trait Approach, the skills approach focuses on the
leader.
 Examines skills and abilities instead of fixed personality
traits.
 Skills and abilities can be learned therefore leadership can be
learned.
 How is this different than the trait approach?
Three Skill Approach
 Effective leadership is the result of three skills.
1.
Technical
2.
Human
3.
Conceptual
Three Skill Approach – Technical Skill
 Knowledge or ability in a type of work or activity.
 Involves an ability to use tools and techniques.
 Working with things
 Ex. Knowing how to program in a software company.
Three Skill Approach – Technical Skill
 Most important at lower and mid level
management/leadership positions.
 Less important in top level management/leaders.
 Top level leaders have to focus on other tasks and let others
do technical operations.
Three Skill Approach – Human Skill
 Human skill is knowledge about and ability to work with
people.
 Help a leader work with subordinates, peers, and superiors to
achieve common goals.
Three Skills Approach – Human Skill
 Being aware of the perspective of others on issues.
 Involves creating an atmosphere of trust where employees
can feel comfortable and secure.
 Encourage others to become involved in planning.
 Addresses the needs and motivations of others.
 Human skill must be at all levels of a group.
Three Skills Approach – Conceptual Skill
 Ability to work with ideas
 Technical = things
 Human = people
 Conceptual = ideas
Three Skill Approach - Conceptual
 Leader would be comfortable working with ideas which
shape the group’s future.
 Create goals, and visions for the group.
 Can figure out paths to accomplish goals and tackle
challenges.
Three Skills Approach – Conceptual
 Most important at the top level of a group structure.
 When leaders do not have conceptual skill they jeopardize
the entire groups chances at success.
 Not needed at the bottom level of a group.
Abilities by Leadership Level
Top Level
Leader
Mid level
Leader
Bottom Level
Leader
Conceptual
Technical
Human
Technical
Human
Conceptual
Conceptual
Analyzing a Structure
 Analyze the structure of a group or organization that you are
part of.
 How is the organization structured I.E Leader, mid
management, bottom level workers.
 What technical, human and conceptual skills are needed at
each level?
Skills Model
 Developed out of the U.S. military to answer what specific
skills do high performing leaders have?
 Analyzes the relationship between a leader’s knowledge and
skills and the leader’s performance.
 Three main components of the skills model are
 Individual Attributes
 Competencies
 Leadership Outcomes
Individual Attributes – General Cognitive
Ability
 General Cognitive Ability – ability to process info, reason,
think creatively, and memorize.
 These are traits you are born with.
 Increase to early adulthood then decline.
Individual Attributes – Crystalized
Cognitive Ability
 Intellectual ability that is learned over time.
 Attained through experience
 Only increases with age
 Social judgement skills, problem solving skills,
comprehension
Individual Attributes - Motivation
 Leaders must be willing to to take on challenges
 Leaders must be willing to express dominance and take
charge of a group
 Leader must be committed to the social good of the group to
do what is best or right.
Individual Attributes - Personality
 Important personality traits which help develop leadership.
 Open-mindedness, curiosity, determination, tolerance
 Any trait which helps a person deal with challenges.
Competencies
 Problem Solving Skills
 Social Judgement Skills
 Knowledge
Competencies – Problem-Solving Skills
 Problem-solving skills are a leader’s creative ability to solve
new and ill defined organizational problems.
 Defining the problem
 Gather info
 Understand the problem
 Formulate plan
Competencies – Social Judgment Skill
 Perspective taking – understanding the attitudes or point of
view of others
 Social Perceptiveness – How others function? What
motivates them? How will they react?
 Social Performance – ability to make others see things your
way. Persuasion of others, being a mediator in conflict.
Convincing others to follow your lead.
Competencies - Knowledge
 Knowledge is the application of problem-solving skills.
 Ability to know how to tackle a complex problem based on
relating it to similar experience.
 Allows leaders to develop plans based on their expertise in a
given area.
Leadership Outcomes
 Effective Problem Solving – competency in problem solving
leads to a result of good problem solving.
 Good Problem solving involves solutions that are logical,
effective, and unique.
 Performance – Degree to which a leader meets expected
duties.
Career Experiences
 Career experiences moves people from individual attributes
to Competencies.
 Through practice leaders become competent.
 Leadership is learned
Environmental Influences
 Environmental factors are things which are out of the control
of the leader.
 Environmental factors influence possible solutions.
 Aging technology, low skilled team members, lack of money,
may be things which are not controllable.
The Skills Model
Individual Attributes
General Cognitive
Ability
Crystalized
Cognitive Ability
Motivation
Personality
Competencies
Problem Solving
Skills
Social Judgment
Skills
Knowledge
Effective
Leadership