Background: SWE’s Leadership Competency Model was created and launched in 2010 to serve as the backbone of SWE’s leadership development programming for current and future SWE leaders.
Purpose: SWE’s Leadership Competency Model identifies the critical knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) that a SWE leader should strive to learn. The competencies they learn and hone will serve them well as leaders within SWE and in their careers.
Who: Leadership at SWE includes the following positions:
- Committee Members
- Committee Leaders
- Coordinators
- Affinity Group Leaders
- Senators
- Senate Leadership
- Board of Trustees
- Board of Directors
SWE’s Leadership Competency Model, as it currently stands, consists of six competencies.
- Strategic planning through the development of effective strategies. Sees the big picture and understands how to determine organizational objectives and set priorities.
- Manage finances to meet organizational needs.
- Apply effective management skills (e.g., problem-solving, interpersonal skills, delegation, and supervision).
- Professional knowledge and skills by being aware of industry changes, developments, and emerging issues affecting women in STEM.
- Apply effective communication and interpersonal skills through actively listening to the needs of colleagues, sharing relevant information and expectations, and treating colleagues with respect.
- Plan, prepare, and deliver effective presentation with appropriate supporting materials.
- Conflict resolution and management by skillfully settling differences positively and constructively.
- Leverages diversity and differences by leading and supporting an inclusive environment.
- Seeks new perspectives to achieve the vision and mission of SWE.
- Influencing others through coalition building, inviting new perspectives, and clearly articulating the goals of SWE.
- Identifies strategies for career development, self-awareness, and self-knowledge
- Demonstrates clear and effective communication skills
- Seeks specific character attributes of a career coach, mentor, and/or sponsor for personal/professional gain.
- Exhibits ability in becoming or mastering unique attributes of a career coach, mentor, and/or sponsor.
- Values differences, experiences, and perspectives.
- Promotes a sense of belonging and respect.
- Demonstrates inclusive leadership through influence and model behavior.
- Fosters supports and drives diversity and inclusion best practices.
- Developing and empowering others.
- Visioning by taking the long view of the organization, building a shared vision for SWE members’ role, acting as a catalyst for organizational change, and inspiring others to succeed within SWE.
- Maintain a high standard of professionalism and ethics.
- Be an advocate for the role of women in STEM.
- Inform, persuade, and inspire others.
- Knowledgeable of change management strategies and processes.
- Leverages diversity and differences by leading and supporting an inclusive environment.
- The pursuit of lifelong learning through mastering new knowledge, embracing new ideas, and sharing new ideas.
- Self-reflection and assessment through recognizing strengths and weaknesses, seek feedback from others, and learns from failure.
- Tolerates ambiguity by taking priority changes and unforeseen developments in stride and leads with a firm sense of purpose in an environment of uncertainty.
- Flexibility by being open to change and new information/perspectives.
Resources
- Leadership Competency Guide: Use this guide to help set the direction for developing leadership characteristics and attributes. The intent is to improve skills and motivate change that enhances already strong leadership skillsets and provides a framework for growth areas.
- Create your Leadership Vision and Mission Statement
- Engineering Competency Model
- Leadership Competency Assessment and Development Plan – Complete the assessment and receive a score and a corresponding proficiency level rating for each leadership competency.
- After completing the assessment, find professional development to meet your learning needs in the Advance Learning Center.
