Growth
A recent conversation about the difference between skills and competencies got me thinking about how we grow and develop.
I’m working on a thesis stating, “Organizations that focus on growth mindset, structured growth paths, and external energy will see growth in individual competencies and organizational resiliency.” Simply put, helping people know they can grow and improve in anything they want to do, provides a tier-based model for skill improvement and supporting growth with external energy through coaching. This strategy will allow team members to improve, and as team members improve, the team or organization becomes capable of new and improved things.
In our leadership institute, we’ve identified seven competencies needed to lead people well. The seven are Know-Self, Know-Others, Manage Self, Manage Relationships, Develop People, Build Teams, and Solve Problems. A leader needs the competency of people development to lead well. No matter the skill, IQ, or EQ a team member has, they must improve their function or ability to achieve organizational goals. So, the competency is People Development, but developing people comprises many different skills. Coaching is a skill for people development, and coaching is leading a thought-provoking conversation that helps someone get from where they are to where they want to be.
So as a leader, we need to ask ourselves what competencies our people need to excel in to accomplish our goals. After looking at the competencies, identify two or three skills that will help them grow the competency. Create a couple of skill steps and help them grow.
In 36 hours of training, spread out over nine months, we saw 40 church leaders grow an average of 14% across the seven identified leadership competencies. This was measured using a combination of two self-assessments and a series of 360 evaluations from leaders, peers, and subordinates.
It’s still unclear what the optimal training investment is for individuals. Still, the data shows that a growth mindset, identified competencies, step-based skills, and external energy through coaching can help our people grow and improve.