Competencies

Social Change Wheel

M-LEAD has identified a CORE set of leadership competencies that we believe are important for students to develop in order to enhance their abilities to lead change. The competencies are focused in the four main areas of communication, organizational development, reflection and emotional intelligence.

The Student Leadership Competencies Guidebook (2013) by Dr. Corey Seemiller serves as the framework for our leadership competencies and how we define them. We have focused on 12 competencies from the 60 identified by Dr. Seemiller. Each of our leadership offerings in Student Life has specific competencies that students learn about and develop during that offering.

Visit our opportunities page to sort our offerings by competency.

What Are Competencies?

“Competencies are knowledge, values, abilities, and behaviours that help an individual contribute to or successfully engage in a role or task.” Seemiller, C. (2013) p. XV.

M-LEAD CORE Competencies

Click on each competency to view relevant opportunities!

Communication

Quickly, positively, and smoothly transitioning oneself and / or others in response to a known or unknown change.

Effectively managing group process during a meeting, presentation, or gathering without inputting one’s opinion by directing the flow of the discussion/dialogue, asking prompting questions, and keeping the group on track.

Evaluating feedback from others and implementing appropriate change in an effort to develop one’s own capacity and effectiveness with others.

Organizational Change

The process of doing, creating, or implementing with an individual, group or community.

Cultivating connections with others that contribute positively to the well-being of those involved.

Being able to develop strategies that define the aspirations and direction of an individual, organization, or community and how to use it to guide actions and decisions.

Reflection

The degree to which one understands and is true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character, despite external pressures.

Understanding the importance of making sense of experiences, people, and surroundings by placing “things” into some type of framework that enables people to comprehend, understand, explain, attribute extrapolate and predict.

Enhancing one’s own personality, beliefs, capacities, and interests.

Emotional Intelligence

Demonstrating a deep understanding of others by attempting to experience their thoughts and feelings.

Taking responsibility for one’s own behavior by admitting mistakes, apologizing, rectifying the situation, and accepting the consequences of one’s actions.

Is tolerant of stressful situations and adapts effectively to them; remains persistent under difficult situations and is able to recover from setbacks.

Why Competencies?

Having this set of competencies allows educators in Student Life to use consistent language, measurements and activities across our many units that do leadership education. This also allows our students to select offerings based on what competency or competencies they are looking to develop.

“Because the use of competencies is commonplace in many professional organizations (Ammons-Stephens, Cole, Jenkins-Gibbs, Riehele, & Weare, 2009) and in nearly 75 percent of businesses (Conger & Ready, 2004), focusing on competency development in college will allow students to become familiar with the process and language of competencies prior to entering their career field.” Seemiller, C. (2013) p. XVI.

Search Competencies by Career Field

In 2011, the Top Companies for Leaders Study found that nearly 75% of the 478 major global businesses they studied use competencies (Burns, Smith, & Ulrich, 2012). These include IBM, General Mills, and Proctor & Gamble (The RBL Group, 2012). Competencies are not only used by businesses; they are prevalent in the public sector and nonprofits as well, including the United States Army (2012), the United States Department of State (n.d.), and the YMCA (2010). Seemiller, C. (2018) Enhancing Leadership Competencies for Career Readiness.

Use the Student Leadership Competencies Database to find leadership competencies associated with your future career field.

The University Career Center has Career Guides that highlight curriculum requirements, as well as skills and abilities that may be developed and applied through each course of study.