Core Leader Competencies
This chart identifies the core leader competencies and their subsets.

Posted Sunday, December 3, 2006

Competencies provide a clear and consistent way of conveying expectations for Army leaders. Current and future leaders want to know what to do to succeed in their leadership responsibilities. The core leader competencies apply across all levels of the organization, across leader positions, and throughout careers. Competencies are demonstrated through behaviors that can be readily observed and assessed by a spectrum of leaders and followers: superiors, subordinates, peers, and mentors. This makes them a good basis for leader development and focused multi-source assessment and feedback. The chart below identifies the core leader competencies and their subsets.

Leader competencies improve over extended periods. Leaders acquire the basic competencies at the direct leadership level. As the leader moves to organizational and strategic level positions, the competencies provide the basis for leading through change. Leaders continuously refine and extend the ability to perform these competencies proficiently and learn to apply them to increasingly complex situations.

These competencies are developed, sustained, and improved by performing one’s assigned tasks and missions. Leaders do not wait until combat deployments to develop their leader competencies. They use every peacetime training opportunity to assess and improve their ability to lead Soldiers. Civilian leaders also use every opportunity to improve.

To improve their proficiency, Army leaders can take advantage of chances to learn and gain experience in the leader competencies. They should look for new learning opportunities, ask questions, seek training opportunities, and request performance critiques. This lifelong approach to learning ensures leaders remain viable as a professional corps.

Source: FM 6-22, Army Leadership (Competent, Confident and Agile) October 2006