The 5 Key Elements of An Effective Boss - Part III

Element # 3: Competence

Competence can be described as the ability to do something well. A person who is skilled at performing certain task(s), a profession, or occupation is considered competent. Needless to say, competence plays a huge role in a boss’ level of effectiveness. His/her performance affects not only the lives and performance of their staff, it also impacts the organization’s well-being.

Competence comes in two basic types: people competence and occupational competence. As its name implies, people competence encompasses the virtues and qualities discussed in Element 1 and Element 2. Said elements are part of what are commonly called the soft skills. A boss with people competence is at least partially effective because they are adept at developing productive relationships required to achieve the work that supports the company’s mission.

Occupational competence, sometimes referred to as the hard skills, enables a boss to master the technical or functional parts of their job. An IT Manager, for instance, who has strong experience and expertise in the field of IT is occupationally competent. 

Both types of competence are equally important. Imagine a boss blessed with impressive people competence, but weak in occupational competence. They would be highly ineffective for a multitude of reasons. For starters, they would lack the required subject matter proficiency to assist their staff. On the flip side, a boss imbued with occupational competence but bereft of people competence would likely come across as cold, unfeeling, and impersonal. Their difficulty or unwillingness to build rapport with their team would catalyze a variety of ills such as low morale, performance and disengagement.

Additional competence behaviors, attitudes, and practices of an effective boss include:

People Competence

• An effective boss is keenly aware their team is a reflection of them.
• Strong influencing skills that commission achievements even in the most bureaucratic and toxic organizations. His or her skilled approach fosters cooperation, wins admiration, and often disarms entrenched resistance.
• Political prowess. An effective boss seeks to understand, rather than judge, the realities of their organization’s politics. Regardless of obstacles, they find a way to get the job done.
• S/he is driven by an absurdly fundamental and exhaustively documented, yet often ignored, business truth. If the company’s most prized assets (their employees) are well treated, they will far outperform neglected employees. This begets greater efficiency and revenue every time!
• Diversity is embraced as a natural state and law of nature. An effective boss is honored that their team is comprised of unique people with diverse backgrounds, qualities, and skills. Diversity is prized as a strength. It makes life and work more fun and interesting.
• Support over evaluation. Effective bosses align their expectations with an employee’s level of knowledge and experience. Tools are given and experience is grown before expectations are raised. Too many bosses have devolved into one dimensional evaluators and taskmasters who fixate on real or perceived weakness before strength. This misguided attitude and behavior triggers distrust, disengagement, and at least some level of dysfunction.
• Timely feedback. How can errors be addressed and prevented if the person who commits them is unaware? On the other hand, how can positive performance be reinforced if recognition is not provided?
• Shared leadership. Effective bosses cannot be present all of the time. How their team performs in their absence speaks volumes. Empowering employees to take leadership responsibilities and controlled risks help them grow. Successful succession planning depends on this.

Occupational Competence

• An effective boss actively trains, coaches, and develops their people.
• A setting of high occupational standards and the guidance to achieve them is a given.
• Conscientious communication. Practices and tools are adopted to share important information and subject matter expertise in a timely manner. Every team member is obligated to discuss, question, train, and explain information with one another.
• So called “dumb questions” are never considered dumb because no one can be expected to know everything.
• New employees get the support they need for accelerated acclimation and productivity.
• Coming clean about limitations. As mentioned, no one can possibly know everything and that includes even the most effective bosses. Instead of hiding real or perceived weaknesses out of fear of appearing imperfect, employees feel secure when they acknowledge their deficiencies. A culture of trust makes this possible. An effective boss is equally open and human enough to admit their own areas in need of improvement.
• First time mistakes are treated as opportunities to learn, not punish. Blame games are considered offensive and counterproductive.
• Development equals action. Before team competence slips in the face of continuous change, new technologies and practices are learned and adopted.
• Employee development is considered a key requirement and a competitive business advantage. It is NEVER regarded as a “nice-to-do-when-there’s-time type of activity.”
• Individual development plans (IDPs) are instituted and reviewed regularly. Everyone is accountable for meeting their IDP’s requirements, as they are an integral part of their roles and responsibilities.
• Context. The effective boss ensures their team’s understanding of the relevance and importance of their work. Knowing how they help drive the organization’s success motivates employees by giving them a greater sense of purpose. The question ‘why?’ is accepted as a request for information and not a brash challenge.

So far, I have discussed and described the first three elements of an effective boss as Unconditional Virtue, Two Voices, and Competence. Part IV will cover the 4th Element: Courage.