What Does Leadership Mean in Competency-Based Learning?

Leadership in Competency-Based Learning

The implementation of a competency-based learning program requires many moving parts. From needs-based analyses and subject matter experts to course development and implementation, strong leadership is needed in order to ensure that all stages of learning program development are completed successfully, and any complications are swiftly addressed along the way. Read on to learn more about what leadership in competency-based learning entails.

What is leadership?

Leadership is a process that involves learning about how to develop specific skills and attributes that will be most helpful to you when leading the implementation of a competency-based learning program. Strong leadership—which is required from all stages of implementation—will ensure that this process is guided effectively and that all objectives and deliverables are achieved. An effective leader will ensure that the:

• Implementation process unfolds smoothly
• Team implementing the program works cohesively and remains motivated and engaged
• Overall competency-based learning program implementation achieves its objectives and deliverables

Learning about leadership as a key component of a competency-based learning program directly involves:

• How you will learn about leading
• How you will configure your own personal skills and experience into effective leadership
• What you will learn about your own motivations to lead

Who is a leader?

Defining leadership is challenging because everyone has a different idea of what effective leadership is. What you consider a critical leadership competency might drastically differ from another person’s idea entirely. Effective leadership also often changes depending on the situation.

Management and leadership are often confused, even though both are different concepts. Management involves producing consistency and order through regulation of an organization’s financial planning and human resources. Leadership, meanwhile, more directly engages vision and inspiration to achieve organization goals. In short, elements of leadership involve management, but leaders are not always managers.

At this point, you might be asking: what are some of the key leadership attributes needed to become an effective leader of a competency-based learning program? Various Leadership Studies theorists advocate for the development of attributes they believe enact effective leadership, including:

• Inspiring motivation
• Managing tasks
• Teams and individuals
• Practicing appropriate decision making

Being an authentic leader is especially critical considering the high levels of power and responsibility many leaders possess.

Why is leadership important for competency-based learning programs?

One of the main achievements of effective leadership is the ability to steer an organization through crisis or emergency situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leadership of competency-based learning program implementation might be considered important as a form of risk management. Keep in mind, though, that effective leadership in organizational culture is also necessary to deal with small and ongoing changes and uncertainties. Because competency-based learning program implementation naturally entails a high degree of change and transition at an organization, effective leadership can achieve calm in the middle of a storm.

Effective leadership of competency-based learning program implementation works to:

• Inspire and motivate individuals about the program’s changes
• Strengthen or shape organizational culture and identity relating to the program
• Drive the financial performance of a program

Overall, effective leadership is important because it can help power the team behind competency-based learning program implementation, which in turn achieves results related to competency-based learning.

What does leadership achieve for competency-based learning program implementation?

Organizational performance has been historically measured in results-based, financial terms. This means that it is critical to draw a connection between effective leadership of competency-based learning program implementation, the financial benefits of that program (or the return on investment—ROI) and the overall financial performance of an organization.

For example, by implementing a competency-based learning program, an organization saves money because consistent, updated health and safety training leads to learners avoiding accidents while on the job.

Remember, effective leadership is required in all stages of developing a competency-based learning program, and everyone has their own idea of what effective leadership means. If an organization’s goals and vision are being met in a competency-based learning program, then it’s likely that there are strong signs of effective leadership!

This is the first article in a three-part series covering Chapter 8 of our Skilling Up textbook. To access other articles in this series, please navigate below.

Article 2 - How to Develop Effective Leadership in Competency-Based Learning

Article 3 - Key Steps to Implementing Competency-Based Learning

Ready to revolutionize your organization's learning experience? Download our latest eBook now to uncover the secrets behind successful LMS implementation and create engaging content that inspires your learners.

Download the Free Ebook