Leadership Effectiveness Developing Leaders with Character and Skill
In the 30 years that Wilson Learning has studied leadership and has helped its clients develop their approaches to leadership effectiveness, we have come to believe that how leaders view their purpose will set the course for their organization's success. For Wilson Learning, the purpose of a leader is to engage others in committing their full energy to the creation of value and success.
Wilson Learning's approach to assessing and developing leaders begins with Leadership Character - those elements of leadership that are enduring and core to how people view the purpose of leadership. While Leadership Character is the foundation of effective leadership, however, alone it is not sufficient. In order to produce tangible results, effective leaders need the skills and knowledge required to execute on those values and principles.
Our perspective, based on both in-depth research and practical experience, is that the skills required to execute effective leadership can be defined as four core roles that each leader must fulfill: the Visionary, the Tactician, the Facilitator, and the Contributor.
All leaders, regardless of level, need to fulfill all four roles. But they do not need to emphasize all four roles at the same depth and to the same extent. The prominence of each role will vary, depending on the leader’s level. At Wilson Learning we have Identified three main levels: performance leader, growth leader, and strategic leader.
Click the titles below to learn more about each level of leadership.
Performance Leadership
Performance LeaderThe Performance Leadership profile is a typical profile of a first-line supervisor or manager. Performance Leadership requires strong Contributor and Tactician skills because of a leader's responsibility for tasks and objectives. These Leaders focus on ensuring that all employees are adding value, and are often expected to have the answers to technical or functionally specific questions.Read about our Performance Leadership Solutions
Growth Leadership
Growth LeaderThe Growth Leadership profile is the most balanced of all three types, representing a typical profile of a mid-level or division manager within a midsize to large organization. Growth Leadership requires moderate to strong skills in all four leadership roles. Growth Leaders are expected to execute strategy, require strong tactical skills, and are often called upon to contribute their unique talents to solving functionally specific problems or making critical decisions.Read about our Growth Leadership Solutions
Strategic Leadership
Strategic LeaderThe Strategic Leadership profile is that of an executive-level leader. The primary roles of the Strategic Leadership profile are Visionary and Facilitator, as these leaders are expected to drive change, create a vision for the organization's future, and develop strategies for achieving that vision. To accomplish this, Strategic Leaders need strong facilitator skills to get diverse functions and employee groups working together toward a shared positive future.Read about our Strategic Leadership Solutions