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Are Different Skills Required For Senior Executives?

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A few weeks ago we were asked to analyze a competency model that had been created by a client. The assumption of their model was that as leaders move up to higher levels in the organization, some competencies become more important. For example, in their model they proposed that a lower-level manager should focus on the following:

  • Driving for Results

Top executives, on the other hand, should focus on:

  • Strategic Perspective

As you think about this, it makes sense at one level that the top executives should be more focused on strategy and that lower-level managers should pay attention to delivering results. But as we thought about the excellent senior executives we have met, we observe they are all very focused on delivering results and many of the best lower-level managers are very clear about both strategy and vision. Does this tiered approach for competency models make sense? Are some competencies less important for leaders depending on their level in the organization?  Or can you measure all necessary competencies and then expect differing levels of performance on these competencies as people rise on the leadership scale?

Rather than theorize about these questions, we prefer to take a data-driven approach that we first shared on Harvard Business Review. We compiled a data-set in which we asked 332,860 bosses, peers and subordinates to indicate which competencies if done well, would have the greatest impact on a leader’s ability to be successful in their current position. Each respondent would choose the top four competencies out of a list of 16.

We then compared the results for managers at different levels. The table below shows the percentage of competencies receiving a vote as one of the four most important competencies.  The competencies are sorted by most to the least important competency in each column. Because each respondent was able to vote for 4 competencies the total for each column comes to 400%.

An analysis of this table suggests several conclusions. First, every competency is considered important to different respondents. A competency becomes more or less important depending on the job, the situation and individual needs. There are a variety of factors that influence the importance of a competency in addition to a person’s level in the organization.

Second, there is a remarkable consistency in the data about the perceived importance of these competencies for the four levels of the organization we measured.  The same seven competencies that were selected as most important for a person at one level of the organization were also selected for someone at a higher or lower level. These are as follows:

Third, every organizational level shows the need for a balance of competencies.  Instead of each level being focused on a cluster or category of competencies (such as interpersonal skills, drive for results or personal capabilities), every level showed the need for balance.  The top five competencies needed for every level in the organization included interpersonal skills, the need for character and integrity, and the need for a focus on results and certain personal capabilities such as problem-solving. This reinforces the conclusion that while levels may differ in emphasis on specific competencies;  there will not be dramatic contrasts in the results overall.

Fourth, while the required differences for each level were not broad or numerous, the data suggest that candidates need to emphasize one or two different competencies as they move to a senior level.  If you begin with the supervisory group as the “base case,” the top seven competencies above are the exact seven chosen as most important for the middle management level of the organization. Middle managers have the exact set of seven, with only a slight change of order as “problem-solving” moves ahead of everything else. Senior management then has the exact same set of seven competencies as most important, but “Communicating Powerfully and Prolifically” moves to the number two spot.  For the top executives of the firm, we see a new competency move into the #5 rank order position, “Developing Strategic Perspective.”  As you can see on the chart above, this competency was less important for a supervisor but becomes more important at each successive level of growth.

Fifth, the other nine competencies we have extensive data for, while important, were chosen only half as frequently as these seven.

The bottom line is this:  from analyzing this data we conclude that while there is some logic to having a distinctive competency model for every level in an organization, this appears to not be necessary.  As long as you are measuring “Developing Strategic Perspective” you simply need to expect top executives to get higher scores on that competency.

Other factors that influence importance include job, personal capacities, assignments and organizational needs that make some competencies more important than others for some individuals at various points in time.

Each person needs to ask which competencies are most critical for you right now.  Which competencies if accomplished extremely well would have the greatest impact on your ability to be successful in your current job? Developing skills in these important competencies can help leaders to be more successful in their current jobs, which in turn, speeds the opportunity for their level and role to increase.

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