Mindset, Skills and Knowledge, According to Harvard Experts: How to Build Better Leaders

“Unfortunately, many organizations lack a strong culture of development.They view the development of leaders as a tactical issue rather than a strategic obligation. On the other hand, companies with a strong development culture invest in middle management to increase their leadership capabilities. These companies provide a way for leaders to rely on greater responsibility and more complex programs, projects, or initiatives.”

The observation was presented in the Harvard Business Review by Hise O. Gibson, Senior Lecturer in Operations and Technology Management at Harvard Business School, and Shawnette Rochelle, executive coach and president of Excellence Unbounded.

By the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, middle executives were where the race stopped, but the concept changed. At least in the United States, experts know that a tight labor market is opening up new opportunities for competent middle managers who show initiative. Companies that fail to demonstrate unequivocally that they value the best employees, develop their skills and help them reach their full potential will probably lose to their competitors.

Gibson and Rochelle define leadership competency as “what a leader can do.” Companies tend to measure competencies based on the technical execution of leader work, but this perspective ignores T-shaped leaders, a fundamental element that helps these professionals reach a higher level.”

Experts explained that in this development model, the vertical line of T represents the depth of experience, and the horizontal line reflects the expansion of experience aimed at preparing individuals for leadership at the corporate level. “The goal is to build technical capabilities in both directions. The T-shaped manager framework has many advantages, but there is one significant flaw. It overlooks the importance of emotional intelligence.

MSK's Leadership Development Framework (English abbreviation for Mentality, Skills, and Knowledge) is an approach based on Day, Harrison, and Halpin's leadership development vision, claiming that “improving the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of leaders will increase their competency.” They added.The MSK pyramid framework takes these principles one step further, providing a way for organizations to apply the following three principles:

Mentality: The basic level of the MSK Leader Development Framework Pyramid focuses on the mentality of leaders, especially on beliefs that guide how to deal with situations and resolve current situations. “In order to assess what leaders can do and build additional capacity, organizations need to create a space where they can gain clarity about the conscious and unconscious beliefs held by leaders. Understanding how to communicate these beliefs and behaviors is fundamental to understanding different perspectives and thinking more broadly.” They said.

Skills: The middle level of the pyramid deals with the skills of a leader. Conventional thinking considers skill simply as a human ability. “In the MSK framework, the skill level strives to answer questions such as: Who is the leader? Emotional intelligence reigns here.” experts added. Leadership development work on technology provides both leaders and organizations with an opportunity to assess whether leaders are flexible, resilient, adaptable, empathetic, and self-aware. The results of these assessments can shape behaviors that increase the capacity of leaders. Investing at this level allows leaders to participate in important conversations and develop direct reports.

Knowledge: The highest level of the framework takes into account the knowledge of the leader. Knowledge includes the skills training, socialization and execution skills of the leader. Some organizations focus on this level at the expense of the previous level, but a change in perspective can have significant results, especially for middle managers. “While the T-shaped model emphasizes technical competence in both vertical and horizontal axes, MSK's leader development framework assumes that leaders are technically competent and will continue to grow. However, investing in mindset and skill level is not a given.These investments allow leaders to make the most of their knowledge on behalf of their organization.” They said.

At this point, Gibson and Rochelle responded to how organizations can turn the MSK framework into concrete actions and made some suggestions on its effectiveness for those who want to invest in leaders.

Cultivate the mentality of leaders. “To explore and nurture the mindset of leaders, organizations need to move from 'speaking' to 'inquiry'. Management conversations teach your direct subordinates what you think. Counseling allows direct subordinates to slow down and gain insight into their mindset. When interacting with direct employees, ask about the beliefs that support the home. Avoid questions that start with “why” because they tend to defend people and suppress conversations. Instead, ask questions that begin with “how” or “what.” For example, “Which assumptions draw conclusions?” Based on the answers, continue to explore answers in places of curiosity, not judgment. Sometimes emotional self-regulation may be necessary.”

Facilitates technology exploration. Organizations should encourage leaders to identify no more than two areas they want to focus on in the area of emotional intelligence. Who are you as a leader through the chosen area? For example, if an individual wants to be more adaptable, the organization may seek opportunities to lead early-stage initiatives that are likely to change frequently. Gibson and Rochelle suggested that during regular evaluations, organizations can ask leaders the following questions:

What are they noticing for themselves?

How did you respond to the development?

How do you use this knowledge while leading your team?

How do you want to respond to the next challenge?

Take advantage of knowledge. The work done at this level is the culmination of the progress of the previous two stages and the execution of technical functions. Leaders with sufficient technical training can always access and provide specific knowledge, but whether that delivery is provided at the time of the organization depends on their mindset and the work done at the skill level.

“If you want to delve deeper into your leader and level of knowledge, ask questions that can link between the three levels.” For example, when a leader reports on a project, the performance reflects progress at the level of knowledge. Then, questions that explore execution skills through the lens of mindset and technology invite them to recognize how growth in the field applies to technological performance.”

“Organizations set the conditions for leaders to reach their full potential. MSK's leadership development framework is designed to act, not to maintain a conceptual realm. Implementation facilitates the necessary transition from 'telling' leaders what to do, to 'inquiring' about thinking that informs decisions. Ultimately, this work will serve as a foundation for the growth of both leaders and organizations.” The author considered.

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