Editor’s note: This is the final installment of our monthly series on the “Big Six.” For previous columns, go to emergencybestpractices.com.
Welcome to the capstone column in our series on what it takes to be an ideal leader/manager. We began by noting that decades of leadership research has narrowed a much longer list to six competencies that predict effective leadership in a wide variety of settings (the 20 percent of competence that accounts for 80 percent of performance).
But unless you are the CEO of a very diverse conglomerate, there is also a seventh, more particular, competency that is necessary to be an effective leader: technical/functional expertise. Having a specialized expertise not only generates personal power for a leader but also provides the content and professional/business context for a legitimate leadership agenda.
Here’s an example of how our six competencies combine with expertise to produce exceptional leadership: Decades ago, Sam Walton had the dream “to give ordinary folks the chance to buy the same things as rich people.” Walton’s vision did not materialize in a vacuum—he was formally educated in business and decided early on to focus on a career in retail, specifically general merchandise. It was this knowledge of retail business that informed Walton’s vision and eventually led to the world’s largest discount retailer, Walmart.
If we were to rate Walton on our six essential competencies, he’d do well on all: He was a driven, passionate leader who knew how to communicate to all levels in his organization. He was a famous organizer—and indeed Walmart is still one of the most efficient organizations on the planet. Walton built a network of vendors and partners that allowed him to rapidly expand his business. But his original dream emerged inside of his special retail expertise and was then given life through his exceptional leadership.
It is this seventh competency that creates the context for most leaders to form an agenda.
How to establish an agenda
Your first step in building a complete agenda is establishing the organizational mission. This statement of purpose is built around a core expertise. Take, for example, one medical device company’s mission: improving the quality of patient care through the cost-effective monitoring of vital signs and fluid-delivery systems. This assumes expertise in health care, instrumentation and manufacturing.
To further differentiate your organization, you should add a set of values to your mission. Research reveals that excellent organizations differentiate themselves through quality, innovation and service. And they typically select one of these values to provide even greater identity and distinction. For example, if you are a manufacturer (like our medical instruments company), you must differentiate yourself through a quality product, but you could provide further separation through wonderful customer service or continuous innovation.
The third component of your strategic agenda is a compelling vision. This is a creative statement of a preferred future for the organization. When John F. Kennedy challenged NASA to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade, he was expressing his dream for an agency with the mission of space exploration—but with a compelling benchmark of success.
In sum, a complete leadership agenda includes mission, values and vision that must be derived in an industry context.
Defining technical competency
With more than 27,000 different position descriptions listed in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, it isn’t possible to identify explicit developmental options for a generic technical/functional expertise competency. Every technical specialty requires different ability, knowledge and skill, and each individual comes with a unique learning style.
That said, to learn a functional specialty, you must first make sure to choose an area of expertise/career that truly excites you, then recognize the limits to your abilities. (You may love to play basketball, but at 6’2” you’ll have to live with being a point guard.) Next, you need to identify the specific knowledge and skills necessary to being successful. (And remember, you don’t need to have been the star player on your basketball team to be a great coach—what’s important is that you played with heart and passion, and that you have the context and credibility of the experience.)
To personally validate this exploration of the Big Six, imagine several of the very best leaders you have ever known (leaders who generate superior results and who are respected, likable and passionate about what they do). Most likely you experienced them as inspirational, efficient and effective.
To arrive at that point, they probably started with a specific area of expertise that motivated them and then, through native talent and learning, acquired competence in the Big Six. These competencies provide the necessary foundation for prospecting, recruiting, selecting, training, appraising and promoting leaders.
The Big Six are your guide to selecting the people who will lead your agency—and the EMS profession—through the challenges of the decades to come.
Bruce Griffiths is the president of Organization Systems International in San Diego. His company helps select and develop leaders for such clients as the U.S. Coast Guard, Nike, Disneyand Dow Corning, among many others.
