Mastering The Four Leadership Skill Zones To Elevate Your Leadership

A few recommendations to consider

Leadership is not a skill. Having worked in multiple leadership development roles, I came to this realization as a result of many requests to help people develop their leadership skills. The typical scenario went something like this – 
 
“Tim, I just got feedback from my boss. She said I need to work on my leadership skills, and I should come talk to you for ideas. Can you help?”
 
“Sure,” I’d say. “Could you tell me a little more about the feedback you received and what you’d like to work on?”
 

From this point, I would get a wide variety of responses such as communication, executive presence, time management, strategic acumen, and a variety of others. There was a great deal of inconsistency across individuals and in many instances, between the supervisor and their associate.
 
This led me to two critical insights about leadership development. First, it is imperative to begin with leadership alignment before pursuing leadership development. Second, leadership by itself is not a skill. Technically, it is a meta-skill. Practically speaking, it is a collection of skills across a broad spectrum that I have classified as the four leadership skill zones.
 
Zone 1 focuses on one’s technical skills. This includes domain expertise, company and industry knowledge, and deep familiarity with competitors. Technical expertise is often the foundational aspect of leadership that unlocks the door to broader leadership responsibilities. As this shift occurs, it is important to let go of some of your functional domain expertise and elevate your leadership expertise. You also need to expand your financial acumen as your leadership responsibilities grow.
 
Zone 2 represents interpersonal skills. This includes collaboration, conflict management, diversity and inclusion, and emotional intelligence. These represent your ability to work with others, work across boundaries, and value differences.
 
Zone 3 skills are personal excellence skills such as executive presence, project management, time management, communication, and public speaking. These represent how you show up as a leader and how you accomplish tasks. Is your workspace organized? Do you get projects done on time? How well do you convey key information?
 
Zone 4 includes complex process skills such as strategic acumen, problem-solving, decision making, change management, systems thinking, and motivating and developing others. These tend to be developed over time and through experience.
 
What makes leadership so complex is that the mix of skills that constitutes great leadership may vary by role and organization. In my experience, they may also vary individually across leaders.  You must understand and meet expectations across a wide range of stakeholders. What does great leadership mean within your organization? What does it mean to your boss? What does it mean to those you lead?
 
Alignment explains why someone labeled an average leader at one company can be a star at another. Skills don’t necessarily change; expectations do. It also explains why some leaders are misguided in their development efforts. In some cases, they simply are not developing the right set of skills for what is expected of them.
 
Mastering the four skill zones cannot be achieved by engaging in one or two leadership development activities annually. Results are achieved through regular effort. By regular, you should be engaging in leadership development at least weekly.
 
You may be thinking that with all the deadlines and expectations on your time that such a timeframe is unrealistic but hear me out on this. Not all leadership development requires sitting through a multi-hour class. The reality is that opportunities for leadership development are all around. You just need to know where to look and how to get the most learning from everyday activities.
 
Adults learn best by doing. You may be thinking to yourself that you must be an expert then because you are doing a lot. Most leaders I work with have no shortage of activities.
 
For learning to stick, there are two often overlooked elements needed: feedback and reflection. Most leaders I have worked with spend countless hours on activities but fall short on getting feedback, reflecting on it, and incorporating new insights into future activities. This simple adjustment in how you approach activities can have significant positive impact on your ongoing development.
 
There are countless ways to master the four leadership skill zones and elevate your leadership. You need to find a mix of activities that are right for you. Here are a few recommendations to consider:
 

 
For optimal results, take an active and engaged role in your leadership development. Make sure you have a clear understanding from multiple stakeholders of what it means to be a great leader. From there, know how you are showing up as a leader and which skill zone areas to develop further. Keep in mind that this may likely evolve. Look for activities you can include in your regular routine, and be sure to incorporate time for action, feedback, and reflection. 

Timothy J. Tobin, author of Peak Leadership Fitness: Elevating Your Leadership Game, a learning and leadership development professional committed to helping individuals and organizations reach their greatest potential. He is currently Vice President, Franchisee onboarding and Learning at Choice Hotels International, where he oversees the hotel opening processes and learning strategy and programs for all franchisees. He was previously Vice President of global leadership development at Marriott, and held leadership roles at Baker Tilly (formerly Beers + Cutler) and Booz Allen Hamilton, where he designed and implemented a variety of talent management solutions. A frequent leadership speaker, he has served as an adjunct professor for more than 20 years at the University of Maryland, Catholic University, Trinity University, and George Washington University. Connect Tim Tobin Follow @tobinleadership Visit https://www.td.org/books/peak-leadership-fitness