Understanding the traits of a capable leader
For the past five years I have been researching the key qualities needed in a leader.
Fed-up with the constant talk of “authenticity” and “bringing our whole selves to work” which emerged during the pandemic, I set out to discover what people really wanted from their leaders.
The result was my latest book Nobody Believes You: Become a Leader People Will Follow, in which I came to the conclusion that the key attribute of the most successful leaders is credibility.
Credibility itself is, I believe, made up of eight key practices, one of which is capability. You can read more about them all in here where I explain why being authentic isn’t the right focus for leaders in the workplace today.
What does capability look like in a leader?
I define a capable leader as someone who demonstrates their ability to take action, to move forwards and who has confidence in their decisions and their abilities to do this.
It’s someone who is capable of making a good decision and is willing to commit to a path.
To some degree, it’s also about experience too, either in the industry or the role that is being carried out. But I’m interested in the idea of whether you can be a capable leader if you haven’t been one before? If so, how can you demonstrate this?
My research led me to believe there are three things we need to look at when defining capability:
- Whether an individual has knowledge of the industry they operate in, or the organisation, or the role
- Whether they are respectful of those they lead and respected by those they follow
- Whether they are serious about taking action
What happens if you’re not capable?
If people don’t believe you’re capable they will not respect you, which leads to a whole host of problems and chaotic symptoms, such as avoidance, conflict, and challenging relationships. It can also mean advice or counsel is often ignored.
When I was interviewing Steve*, a director in a professional services organisation, we discussed the challenges around the decentralised structure of communication in his organisation. I asked him why it wasn’t working well and, as we chatted, it came down to one thing – the credibility of the communication function, which he was basing on his view of the capability of the team.
“They just aren’t credible because I don’t believe they are capable of doing what we need them to do.” Steve said.
The chaos that stemmed from this lack of capability was having a huge impact on the entire organisation.
We discussed the need to change the structure and bring it together, but Steve’s answer was a firm no, because he didn’t believe the individual leading the team at that time was up to the job.
And, so, the difficult conversations began as we explored development or changes in role for those in the team.
In this case the chaos we see is that of sticking plasters over the problem. The structure was created to offset a lack of capability, but nothing was going to change until that capability was in place.
Demonstrating – and building – capability
If capability is about the three things mentioned earlier – knowledge of the industry or the role, taking action and being respectful – we need to concentrate on building skills in these areas.
Building and demonstrating knowledge or experience of an industry or role: This can be done in different ways. You might not have experience as a CEO, for example, but your deep knowledge of the industry is what makes you the right person for the role. If this is the case, you need to make sure you’re sharing that experience and expertise with those you lead.
Invest in your skills. Take the time to show you’re developing so people see that you are capable. Continuous learning around the role or the industry is important for any leader.
Taking action: We demonstrate our ability to be capable through action. We cannot do it any other way. As we communicate with our teams we can share experiences and examples of our work to demonstrate our knowledge, but the proof is in the doing.
The more you’re seen to be doing something, the more capable you’ll be perceived to be.
Momentum is important here. Be clear about timeframes and expectations with those you lead, so that you’re doing what you say you will do.
Respect: There are several leaders I‘ve worked with whose driving ethos is to serve those around them and, as a result, they respect the team and earn it back. For those who approach leadership with more of a command and control approach – demanding authority based on capability alone – they won’t get the respect they need because they don’t give it back to those they lead.
You don’t automatically get respect because you’re in a leadership position with power over others. Focus on cultivating respect, by making sure you’re giving it to those around you.
You can hear me discuss capability in more detail on this episode of my podcast Redefining Communications with Jenni Field.
To find out more about my research into credibility and my book click here.
Or you can find out how credible you are with our free Credibility Gap Assessment here.
*Names have been changed.
