An Introduction to the Virtues of Ethical Leadership Part 5 – The Virtue of Competence

The Virtue of Competence
By Chad Weinstein

This is part 5 in a series on The Virtues of Ethical Leadership.  Find links to earlier parts here.  https://ethinact.com/blog-post-series/

Leaders needs a certain level of knowledge and skills, related both to leadership itself, and to the context in which they are leading.  There are many kinds of knowledge: theoretical, practical, experiential, even the kinds of knowledge that live in our hands and bodies.  No one person is the master of all of them.  Further, maintaining competence is an ongoing endeavor: many skills decay without practice, and the “states of the art” for many areas of expertise are ever-changing.  One response to that expansion of knowledge is specialization.  A great leader need not be the most knowledgeable or specialized expert on the team, but he or she must know who those people are and must be effective at engaging them and at using their guidance.

Competence is more than just knowledge – it includes what we might call “know-how,” the ability to get things done.  This also includes some component of what is called “practical wisdom” (the Greeks called it phronesis), our capacity to apply learning from experience.  Competent people also know how to make decisions, and how to make and execute plans.  Perhaps more than most Virtues, Competence combines with others to inform good action: with Clarity to discern and plan, with Creativity to drive positive change, and with Service to determine how best to help others or to pursue a mission in concert with others.

Finally, effective leaders also have a respect for expertise and ability, and tend to exhibit curiosity born of a desire to become more knowledgeable.  This is the “will” side of Competence – not just knowledge or ability, but also appreciation and respect – and at times, a hunger – for these aspects of Competence.

Sergeant Miguel Lopez (not his real name) was the director of the gun range and a lead firearms instructor for a metropolitan law enforcement agency.  Many people have this role in police departments and sheriff’s offices around the country.  Over the years, Miguel developed a reputation within his own agency, and then in surrounding agencies, for his ability to help a wide range of people to become more effective practical shooters.  This included people who struggled to meet minimum qualifications for their jobs, and those true experts who were open to further improvement.

We spoke with many people to gather a variety of stories to include in this Guide.  Interestingly, multiple people cited Miguel as an example of remarkable Competence.  What they cited was not how fine a shot Sgt. Lopez  was – he was very good, but not truly extraordinary – but that he had developed a striking ability, over years of experience, to identify what each student needed, and give it to them.  Many qualified instructors can diagnose physical problems and help students to correct them.  Miguel went further, helping students with their attitudes and habits, as much as their discrete skills.  Often this was quiet encouragement, occasionally it was a sharp rebuke.  “Some shooters lack confidence, and some are so over-confident that I need to get their attention, or it will get them killed,” he explained.   Miguel has a remarkable ability and a deep desire to help others build a set of competencies.  He has developed this ability over many years, and plans, as he puts it “to keep getting better until I have to stop doing this work.”

The Moderate Expression of Competence

The problems associated with a lack of Competence are obvious, but what does it mean to demonstrate an “excess of Competence?”  Our drive for Competence can become excessive when we continue to strive for theoretical knowledge, at the expense of putting what we already know into action.  We can likewise find ourselves out of alignment when we are unwilling to move forward with the expertise that is available, when that is our best option.  We can even be too picky in our efforts to learn from our experiences.  Thinking about these possibilities underscores a truth about all virtues: that “moderation” is entirely dependent on context.  There are times to wait for more knowledge or outside experts, and times to move forward with the people and knowledge we already have.  We may have tendencies to over- or under-emphasize any virtue, but whether we are doing so is all about the situation at hand.

And, as we continue to see illustrated with each of the virtues, an excessive expression of one virtue is nearly always related to an insufficient expression of others: we may see that we are excessively focused on Competence, a situation that would be revealed by the application of Clarity, or perhaps a stronger reliance on Creativity.

Effective, competent leaders are lifelong learners who respect both theory and practice.  They learn from their experience and the experiences of others, and they can apply their understanding to the situations they face.  These leaders are also willing to share their knowledge and expertise, building the competencies of those around them.

The Features of Competence: Knowledge, Wisdom, Judgement

The features of Competence are both distinctive, and particularly deeply inter-related:

• Knowledge encompasses information and expertise.
• Wisdom represents our ability to use our knowledge, and to apply our experience to our situation.
• Judgement refers to our ability to make sound decisions.

Because of the close connection between these features, we discuss them in a more integrated fashion than we do for the features of other virtues. 

Wisdom and knowledge are especially intricately connected.  It is possible to have knowledge without wisdom: consider the person who is “book-smart, but not street-smart.”   It is much less likely to possess wisdom without knowledge, with one important exception: we show great wisdom by knowing the limits of our own knowledge (This is sometimes called “Socratic wisdom,” for Socrates as described by Plato).  Judgement likewise hinges to some degree on what we know – and to an even greater extent on what we understand and believe.

A leader’s technical knowledge and relevant expertise are obvious assets.  They can also present some problems, as when the leader fails to seek input from others, or chooses to “go it alone” rather than engaging others in decision-making.  When we know we are not experts in an area, engaging others comes naturally.  When we feel we are experts, our own knowledge can be a stumbling block to effective leadership.  Further, in some areas of expertise, our knowledge can get stale more quickly than we realize, especially if our roles shift from “doers” to “managers,” and the state-of-the-art progresses while we are busy managing.  Thus, sometimes the most valuable knowledge a leader can demonstrate is knowing the specific expertise of her teammates, and when to seek their input.  That knowledge, in turn, also reflects a kind of wisdom.

Leadership requires its own, distinctive set of skills and knowledge, as well.  Leaders must communicate effectively, beginning with listening.  They must be willing and able to have challenging conversations, and they must know when to bring joy to their teams and organizations, as well.  Leaders sometimes must set direction, and sometimes must help others to move in the same direction.  Even the processes of leading one’s self and of attending to one’s leadership development – for example, learning and using the Virtues of Ethical Leadership – represent a kind of knowledge that is a distinctive feature of the Virtue of Competence.

Wisdom allows us to discern what is important about a situation.  More than subject matter expertise alone, leaders should exhibit practical wisdom (the Greeks called this “phronesis”) – the capacity to learn from experience, and to apply that learning to a situation.  This practical understanding is of course closely related to knowledge; in fact, it might be described as knowledge of a sort: knowledge that is gained by reflecting on experience.  We develop practical wisdom not merely from our experience, but also by paying attention, reflecting, and then applying that reflection appropriately.  Friends and mentors are invaluable assets in the pursuit of wisdom, as well.  By working with others, we see things from differing perspectives, and even address our own blind spots.

People also depend on leaders to exhibit good judgement – the capacity for making sound decisions based on reasonable reflection.  Decision-making involves both process and content.  The process varies by decision, from highly structured to open and intuitive.  Knowing the right decision process for a given situation, and knowing how to use that process, represent specific competencies honed over time.  Good judgement sometimes takes discipline, even Courage, as well.  It always benefits from practical wisdom and knowledge.

Effective leaders develop a habit of returning to organizational mission and values as bases for decision-making. A shared mission and common values form a recognized basis for decision-making, and can promote consistency as well as effectiveness over time.  As we will see, shared mission and values are both expressions and products of clarity.  They are also remarkable drivers of wisdom and judgement.

Another practice that can bolster the judgement of leaders is the thoughtful implementation of performance standards across an organization.  Such standards should explicitly support the mission or values of the organization, or be linked to some related imperative such as legal or regulatory compliance.  Leaders are wise to wonder whether a given level of performance is “good enough.”  They are often required to prioritize maintenance and improvement efforts based on available time and resources.  Having recognized standards against which to measure performance enables leaders to make sound decisions, and to share the logic of those decisions with their teams, peers, and supervisors.  This, in turn, helps other leaders to develop their own wisdom and to calibrate their judgement.

Develop Knowledge:

• Set learning goals for yourself – e.g., monthly or quarterly – to expand your expertise or knowledge.
• Be broadly curious: history, biography, and fiction can teach us so much about ourselves, others, and the world around us.
• Spend time each week keeping up on the state of the art.
• Teach others. There is no better way to learn.

Develop Wisdom:

• Think about your work in terms of the pursuit of mastery. How can you continue to learn and grow?   What does your experience teach you?
• Become adept at reflecting and learning from your experiences. Engage others in both formal and informal after-action reviews to learn from your performance of specific tasks and actions.  (See the Appendix for more on after-action reviews).
• Show the courage to learn from your mistakes as well as your successes, and the generosity to share that painful learning with others.

Develop Judgement:

• Focus on purpose and values as key decision criteria.
• Establish sound performance standards where appropriate. Apply existing standards to assess and guide the work of your teams.
• Learn proven decision-making processes relevant to your work.
• Seek assistance in decision-making, and mentorship to sustain and grow one’s leadership capabilities.
• Develop the habit of pausing to consider problems or issues from multiple perspectives.

These techniques, and many others, are discussed in the next section of this Guide, Using the Virtues to Grow as a Leader.

Summary of Competence

Competence is a critical virtue for leadership, but not necessarily in the ways that are most obvious.  Very often, people are promoted to leadership roles because of their track record of technical knowledge or skill, only to find that the competencies required be a good leader are different from those that got them in a formal position of leadership.  Those who recognize this transition can shift their attention to expanding the competencies that will make them successful in leadership roles.

Finally, regardless of formal roles, effective leaders never stop developing the Virtue of Competence.  We can always learn from our experiences, both pleasant and painful.  We can always hone our abilities to connect with others and to understand how we can best serve, support, and/or supervise others.  If we are willing to pay attention to our decision-making and to reflect on the outcomes of our decisions, we can continue to improve our judgement along with our wisdom and knowledge.

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