New Water Policy and Practice Volume 1, Number 2 - Spring 2015 | Page 18
Understanding Six Water Leadership Roles
Table 4: Key leader competencies and leadership strategies typically associated with the
cross-boundary team leader role
Leader Competencies
Leadership Strategies
•
The ability to accurately interpret what is happening
within a team (e.g., what is stifling performance).
•
The ability to understand the ‘big picture’ from a
systemic perspective, and how the team’s work
contributes to higher order goals and is affected by
external factors. This includes understanding ‘cause and
effect’ relationships, and being able to identify
opportunities to effect change.
Frequently monitoring the performance of a
team, diagnosing what the team needs at a
particular point in time and taking action to
ensure this need is met. This includes
constructively confronting and resolving issues
associated with inadequate performance by
team members.
•
•
•
The ability to manage issues related to the team’s tasks
(e.g., clarifying objectives and roles, building action
plans, and establishing performance monitoring
systems).
Creating an environment (culture) where team
members feel comfortable openly discussing
any issue related to the team’s success (e.g.,
how the team could improve its performance).
•
•
The capacity to manage the team’s internal
relationships (e.g., managing conflict between team
members and accommodating individual needs).
Recruiting team members who are highly
motivated to achieve the team’s vision. Ideally,
the shared vision of the team would reflect the
personal values of the team members.
•
The ability to manage factors outside the team that
affect its performance (e.g., engaging in advocacy,
secure additional funding, and garnering political
support).
•
•
The capacity to inspire and motivate others by
demonstrating competence, setting a positive example,
and frequently using transformational leadership
behaviours such as displaying energy, enthusiasm,
confidence and persistence, coaching and mentoring,
and providing encouragement.
Managing the membership of the team over
time. For example, ensuring that the members
have the necessary knowledge and skills, and
are capable of collectively playing roles within
the team that relate to thinking, doing,
challenging, supporting and leading (Honey
2007).
•
Clarifying the team’s vision, objectives and
priorities, as well as the roles and
responsibilities of team members.
•
Coordinating the team’s activities, including
acquiring and aligning resources to help the
team meet its objectives.
•
Fostering innovation, creativity and
constructive conflict (e.g., healthy debates) to
identify better ways of achieving objectives.
This includes matching people to tasks in order
to access people’s intrinsic motivation.
•
Frequently monitoring the team’s environment
to identify trends, opportunities and threats.
For example, they are aware of broad trends
affecting the water industry.
•
Looking for opportunities to deliver and
celebrate tangible outcomes in the short term
when working on challenging, long term
projects.
•
Strong communication and interpersonal skills (e.g.,
active listening, providing constructive feedback,
facilitation, managing emotions, negotiation, conflict
management and demonstrating empathy).
•
An understanding of the technical (or detailed) issues
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