Effective leaders exhibit four meta-competencies of leadership. These are (1) being emotionally intelligent, (2) being achievement focused, (3) being strategic, and (4) being inspiring. In this article, we explore the research behind these meta-competencies and how they influence leadership effectiveness.
The four meta-competencies were developed using a combination of Hogan personality assessment data and 360 assessment data.ย Peter Berry, managing director ofย Peter Berry Consultancyย (PBC), an authorised distributor of Hoganโs assessments in Australia and New Zealand, presented the competencies research onย The Science of Personality. Peter has previously spoken aboutย 360 leadership assessmentsย on the podcast.
Measuring and Improving Leadership
Leadershipย may well be the most important resource for any enterprise. Think about leadership this way: What is the impact of a good leader building performance, engagement, retention, and business results? Conversely, what is the impact of a bad leader destroying those things?
โThe light-bulb moment was realising that leadershipย can be improved,โ Peter said. โIt starts with self-awareness, then it goes to self-management, and eventually to self-mastery.โ
To thoroughly evaluate and improve leadership, Hogan personality data andย Hogan 360ย data are combined. Personality has to do with reputation, and 360 relates to behaviour. โJoining the two tools enriches the whole leadership and coaching program,โ Peter said. โOne without the other is only half the jigsaw.โ
The Four Meta-competencies of Leadership
The PBC database houses more than 30,000 data points from 360s across the globe. Of those 360s, 1,300 are from CEOs. PBC analysed the characteristics of leaders who scored at the 75th percentile and aboveโthe best of the worldโs senior leadership. What distinguished that group from other leaders? Emotional intelligence, achievement focus, strategic skills, and motivational skills.
โWe also found that there was another competency, which was like the price of admission, the foundation or building block,โ Peter said. โItโs conscientiousness.โ
Leaders need a certain degree of conscientiousness, dependability, and reliabilityย at all organisational levels. Even a CEO must report to the board accurately.
Correlated data from 360s and personality assessments consistently led to the same four meta-competencies for effective leadership.
Emotional Intelligence, or EQ
Emotional intelligence (EQ) helps to define career success. โOur research using the 360 data showed that high EQ leaders are calm and even-tempered. They are self-aware around their improvement opportunities. They manage their emotions maturely. They have excellent people skills. They know how to make people feel valued. They are friendly, warm, and thoughtful,โ Peter said.
In terms ofย the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI), emotional intelligence relates to the scales of Adjustment, Interpersonal Sensitivity, and Prudence. Adjustment describes resilience and how a person responds to stress. Itโs intrapersonal. Interpersonal Sensitivity relates to building relationships and social skill. And Prudence connects to integrityโbuilding trust through reliability and consistency.
Altogether, these three scales contribute to both the emotional and social competencies necessary for high EQ. โHigh EQ people drive employee experience, engagement, and high-performing teams,โ Peter said.
Achievement Focus
Delivering results and accomplishing goals are another key meta-competency for effective leaders. Being achievement focused means having a clear business plan with measurable goals that are clearly and frequently communicated to the team.
โWeโre all here to produce outcomes that benefit customers or communities or society,โ Peter said. He described the achievement-focused leaderโs cadence of strategic planning and operational tasks. Vision sharing and team building should occur approximately quarterly. The rest of the leaderโs time should be devoted to tactical excellence in team performance. โHaving a clear line of sight with that relentless focus on results and outcomes is just crucial for a high-performing team,โ Peter said.
Strategic Skills
As leaders rise through managerial levels, their time tends to become less operational and more strategic. They work lessย inย the business and moreย onย the business. โManagerial competencies are your baseline, but youโve learned to add some really sophisticated leadership skills on top,โ Peter said.
Being strategicย means thinking about long-term opportunities, being visionary, setting stretch goals, and driving innovation. A strategic leader is constantly looking for improvement opportunities while remaining able to pivot. Peter described strategic leaders as able to bring their view of the next three to five years into the one-year business plan. They recognise what it will take to become a competitive industry leader. They combine big-picture thinking with a deep understanding of the organisationโs purpose and values.
Motivational Skills
The ability to motivate and inspire the workforce is the hallmark of an effective leader. โTheyโre consciously focused on morale and employee engagement, being positive role models, building strong collaborative relationships, and demonstrating strong leadership skills,โ Peter said.
Being inspiring has many positive outcomes. One is that the employee experience is high, typically measuring in the top quartile compared to competitors. Another is that employee retention remains high. Finally, engagement is also high, meaning that productivity is high.
The ability to inspire is related to the HPI scale Ambition, as well as to HPI Interpersonal Sensitivity. Data from 360s show that high Interpersonal Sensitivity is essential in making others feel valued, motivated, and engaged and in building a positive work environment. โThat combination [of scales] is just awesome in driving the culture of winning,โ Peter observed.
360s and Leadership Development
The most prevalent global coaching trends focus on executive presence, emotional intelligence, strategy and vision, and influencing skills. Those are the same capabilities that leaders need to advance through the four meta-competencies of effective leadership.
Leadership development helps to build team effectiveness to deliver strategic outcomes and a culture of employee engagement. Individual development comes from having a targeted development plan rooted in the motivation to improve.ย The Hogan assessments and the Hogan 360ย together can reveal nuanced insights about leadership strengths and challenges.
โThe best leaders are the best learners,โ Peter said. โWe encourage people to have a curious mindset. Feedback is the breakfast of champions.โ
Listen to this conversation in full on episode 99 ofย The Science of Personality. Never miss an episode by following us anywhere you get podcasts. Cheers, everybody!
*This post originally appeared onย Hogan Assessments