Leadership Capabilities vs Competencies: Know the Difference

1. Why this distinction matters in real organisations
2. Competencies versus leadership capabilities
1. What are competencies?
2. What are leadership capabilities?
3. Leadership capabilities vs competencies: The difference at a glance
1. Scope and intent
2. Context sensitivity
3. Evidence and assessment
4. Where organisations commonly fail
1. Mistake 1: Using a competency list as a leadership system
2. Mistake 2: Treating capability as training content
3. Mistake 3: Ignoring operating rhythm and team dynamics
5. How to create a usable leadership capability framework
1.  Step 1: Start with outcomes, not adjectives
2.  Step 2: Define capabilities by leadership level
3.  Step 3: Add behavioural indicators and evidence standards
4.  Step 4: Integrate coaching and practice loops
6. Linking leadership capabilities to succession planning and leadership pipelines
1. Capability driven succession checklist
7. Making leadership capabilities visible through collaboration and team effectiveness
8. A practical example: Competency view vs capability view
1. Scenario: Leading a cross functional transformation
9. When to use competencies, capabilities, or both
1. Use competencies when you need skills precision
2. Use leadership capabilities when you need performance at scale
3. Use both when you want a complete system
10. Accelerating capability growth with a 30 day sprint
1. FAQs
1. 1) What is the simplest way to explain capabilities vs competencies?
2. 2) Can someone have strong competencies but weak leadership capabilities?
3. 3) How can leadership capabilities be measured objectively?
4. 4) Where do executive leadership coaching and executive coaching leadership fit?
1. Conclusion
Leadership Capabilities vs Competencies: Know the Difference

Leadership Capabilities vs Competencies: Know the Difference

  • Stuart Andrews

  • 9 minute read

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