Welcome to this CLF PD platform post on the importance of leading in the specialism and how it contributes to effective leadership. The sections below will progressively immerse you deeper into the different areas and guide you to reflect on your current practice and any areas for development.
Introduction
Leaders must be lifelong learners and continually Develop skills and knowledge to further their expertise within the specialism. Strong self-awareness is a key element of personal and professional development as you can't change something you don't acknowledge. Leaders must critically engage with research and evidence within their specialism and be 'evidence-informed' rather than passively 'evidence-led'. Having a healthy Personal Learning Network (PLN) is vital and leaders must proactively develop a broad yet balanced network that positively inputs into their thinking and decision-making.
Effective leaders do not conflate task effectiveness with their levels of involvement and instead seek to Lead through others. Delegation is key to building capacity within an organisation but it must be systematically applied and not result in abandonment. A gradual release of responsibility ensures that followers gain experience, develop skills and maintain access to supervision and advice. Issues with delegation typically point back to levels of clarity, ineffective communication or insufficient capacity.
Over time, leaders must Consistently deliver successful outcomes by leveraging the gains in skills and knowledge referenced above and the increase in capacity generated by leading through others. Sustained success is systematic and so leaders must strive to develop effective systems, processes and habits which remove inconsistency and provide clear models of effective practice for others.
Key Takeaways
Reflective Questions
