Leadership Competency Development for Sri Lanka’s Future:
Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne is currently a Director at ANCL and previously served as Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education in Sri Lanka (2010–2015). He introduced the K-SAM Graduates Model, revolutionizing higher education. With extensive public and private sector experience, he holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, a master's in economics from the University of Kagawa, Japan, and a Ph.D. in Management from the University of Keio, Tokyo. His leadership at the National Institute of Education (NIE) focused on comprehensive reforms in curriculum, teacher development, and assessments. Dr. Sunil Nawaratne is a founding member of www.vivonta.lk, with extensive hands-on experience in coaching organizations to achieve sustainable competitive advantage.
Executive-Summary
Developing Sri Lanka's leadership requires a strategic focus on building key leadership competencies across all sectors. This plan compares two definitions of leadership and leadership style, followed by transforming ten essential leadership qualities into leadership competencies. Each competency is aligned with a relevant leadership theory, with tailored practices for Sri Lankan leaders to excel in these areas. A self-measuring tool for each competency is also provided. The goal is to ensure that leaders across political, business, and community sectors are equipped to drive the country's development. Leadership plays a pivotal role in ensuring Sri Lanka's prosperity, with visionary thinking, integrity, accountability, empathy, and collaboration as core pillars. This national plan addresses the practical steps and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for leadership growth to support Sri Lanka’s future success.
Leadership and Leadership Style: Definitions and Comparison
Leadership can be defined as the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives. According to Northouse (2019), leadership involves influencing a group of individuals toward achieving a common goal. Similarly, Hersey, Blanchard, and Johnson (2012) describe leadership as the ability to motivate others to act toward achieving goals.
Leadership style, on the other hand, refers to the consistent behavior patterns that leaders use while interacting with followers. Lewin, Lippitt, and White (1939) identify three primary leadership styles: autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire, each affecting followers differently. Bass (1990) further distinguishes between transactional and transformational leadership styles, with transformational leaders inspiring higher levels of motivation and performance.
Leadership Example in Strategic Planning and Execution:
A CEO of a plantation company in Sri Lanka demonstrates leadership by setting a long-term vision to double the company’s production within five years. By aligning the company’s goals with sustainable practices and modernizing its processes, the CEO ensures that teams are motivated and well-resourced to achieve this vision.
Leadership Style Example in Strategic Planning and Execution:
A participative leader in a tech startup involves their team in the decision-making process during a product launch. By gathering input from employees, customers, and stakeholders, the leader fosters collaboration, ensuring that everyone is aligned with the strategic goals, resulting in a more successful execution of the plan.
Transforming Leadership Qualities into Competencies
The connection between leadership qualities, theories, competencies, and KPIs forms a structured framework for leadership development. Qualities define desired traits, theories guide their application, competencies translate them into measurable actions, and KPIs track progress. This integrated approach ensures continuous improvement and effective self-evaluation of leadership performance.
- Visionary Thinking
Competency: Strategic Vision Development
Leadership Theory: Transformational Leadership (Bass, 1990)
Practice: Regularly articulate long-term goals aligned with national development priorities.
KPI: Percentage of strategic goals achieved within specified timeframes. - Integrity and Transparency
Competency: Ethical Leadership
Leadership Theory: Authentic Leadership (Avolio & Gardner, 2005)
Practice: Implement transparent decision-making processes and conduct regular ethical audits.
KPI: Number of reported ethical violations. - Decisiveness and Accountability
Competency: Decision-Making Accountability
Leadership Theory: Situational Leadership (Hersey & Blanchard, 1969)
Practice: Create a feedback mechanism to review decision outcomes and personal accountability.
KPI: Number of decisions reviewed and reported on. - Empathy and Inclusiveness
Competency: Inclusive Leadership
Leadership Theory: Servant Leadership (Greenleaf, 1977)
Practice: Engage marginalized groups in policy discussions and decision-making.
KPI: Number of inclusive policies implemented. - Effective Communication
Competency: Communication and Influence
Leadership Theory: Charismatic Leadership (House, 1977)
Practice: Regularly communicate policies and vision effectively to all stakeholders.
KPI: Public approval ratings of communication efforts. - Innovative and Forward-Looking
Competency: Innovation Leadership
Leadership Theory: Adaptive Leadership (Heifetz, 1994)
Practice: Foster a culture of innovation by encouraging experimentation and new ideas.
KPI: Number of new initiatives or innovative practices introduced. - Resilience and Adaptability
Competency: Crisis Management
Leadership Theory: Resilience Theory (Coutu, 2002)
Practice: Develop protocols for adapting leadership style during crises.
KPI: Time taken to respond to crises. - Strong Economic Understanding
Competency: Economic Leadership
Leadership Theory: Transactional Leadership (Burns, 1978)
Practice: Analyze and apply economic data to inform decisions.
KPI: Economic growth rate under leadership. - Collaboration and Team Building
Competency: Collaborative Leadership
Leadership Theory: Distributed Leadership (Spillane, 2005)
Practice: Build diverse teams and foster collaboration across sectors.
KPI: Number of successful cross-sector collaborations. - Commitment to Education and Skills Development
Competency: Educational Leadership
Leadership Theory: Transformational Leadership (Bass, 1990)
Practice: Implement education reforms and promote skills development initiatives.
KPI: Number of education initiatives successfully launched.
Conclusion
Sri Lanka’s development hinges on visionary and capable leadership that embodies core competencies essential for national growth. By transforming leadership qualities into measurable competencies and aligning them with established leadership theories, the nation can cultivate leaders who are visionary, ethical, innovative, and collaborative. This national plan provides a structured framework for leadership development and offers practical tools for leaders to self-assess their progress. With these competencies in place, Sri Lankan leaders can effectively guide the country toward a prosperous future.
References
Avolio, B.J. and Gardner, W.L. (2005) 'Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership', The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), pp. 315-338.
Bass, B.M. (1990) Bass & Stogdill's handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications. 3rd edn. New York: Free Press.
Burns, J.M. (1978) Leadership. New York: Harper & Row.
Coutu, D.L. (2002) 'How resilience works', Harvard Business Review, 80(5), pp. 46-55.
Greenleaf, R.K. (1977) Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. New York: Paulist Press.
Heifetz, R.A. (1994) Leadership without easy answers. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K.H. (1969) 'Life cycle theory of leadership', Training and Development Journal, 23(5), pp. 26-34.
House, R.J. (1977) 'A 1976 theory of charismatic leadership', in Hunt, J.G. and Larson, L.L. (eds) Leadership: The cutting edge. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, pp. 189-207.
Lewin, K., Lippitt, R. and White, R.K. (1939) 'Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created social climates', Journal of Social Psychology, 10(2), pp. 271-299.
Northouse, P.G. (2019) Leadership: Theory and practice. 8th edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Spillane, J.P. (2005) 'Distributed leadership', The Educational Forum, 69(2), pp. 143-150.
This article was developed by Lalin I De Silva
Lalin I De Silva, former Senior Planter, Agricultural Advisor / Consultant, Secretary General of The Ceylon Planters Society, Editor of The Ceylon Planters Society Bulletin, Value Chain Journalist of www.vivota.lk and freelance journalist.
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