A leadership capability framework outlines the capabilities required of leaders to achieve business objectives and creates a common language around effective leadership. It allows organizations to assess leadership potential, manage ongoing capabilities, and align leadership development with business strategy. Developing a framework involves refining business priorities, conducting a capability audit of current leaders, deciding the key capabilities needed, and defining both hard and soft capabilities. The framework guides talent selection, development, and ensures the organization has leaders who can achieve strategic goals.

1. Leadership
Capability
Framework
Why you should use one
when developing leaders

2. What is it?
A leadership capability framework outlines the capabilities
required of leaders to achieve key business objectives. It
creates a common language around what ‘good’ and effective
leadership looks like in an organisation.
Leadership capability frameworks allow you to assess
leadership potential, manage ongoing leadership capabilities
and give strategic weight to L&D.

3. Why are they important?
It’s important to have a leadership capability framework for 3
key reasons.
External changes can
bring new skills to the
forefront and outdate
others.
The job market can flip
easily between a job
seeker and employer
market, meaning talent
can be scarce at any
time.
A lack of available
talent or misinformed
talent can force ill-
prepared or unwilling
contributors into
positions they can’t
handle.

5. Why use a framework?
A leadership framework allows you to evaluate talent for
promotion and development using markers of skills and
proficiency.
Without one, you could fall into the trap of highly subjective
selection processes or promoting high-achieving individuals
that don’t always have great people management skills right
out of the gate.

6. Business growth
You’ll always have managers in your organisation, particularly
in leadership teams. But if you want them to truly step up to the
leadership plate, you need to measure and track capabilities.
Having a variety of leaders who excel in a few key capabilities
is the fastest path to business growth.

7. Utilising L&D
Aligning L&D with a leadership capability framework differs
from L&D that isn’t informed by business strategy in that it is
owned by business leaders who decide what is crucial.
This allows L&D to become a self-motivated process that isn’t
just about advancing knowledge but building capabilities at
scale to ensure your workforce can perform in strategic
business areas.

8. FYI
Capabilities represent the alignment between people,
resources and processes. They aren’t easily replicable but are
found within nearly every leading and disruptive company.
Strong leadership capability frameworks are broad but in-
depth, clear and comprehensive, unique to your organisation,
and promote successful skill development.

9. Other Business
Staples

10. Capability Frameworks
This is a separate but complementary entity. It’s normally
broken down by job role or job family, defining what knowledge,
skills and abilities are fundamentally important to a role.
Conversely, a leadership capability framework serves almost the
same purpose for management roles. Ultimately, you should
implement both in your organisation to help guide L&D
programs.

11. Role Descriptions
These usually provide information for job seekers to evaluate
their skills against expectations and decide if they’re interested
in applying.
On the other hand, the purpose of a leadership capability
framework is to create a shared picture of success and effective
performance. It establishes a baseline and gives guidance for
aspiring and existing leaders.

12. Developing A
Leadership Capability
Framework

13. 1) Refine Business Priorities
If you don’t know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it,
then you can’t have the how. Reflecting on successes and
failures are equally important. If you can figure out what
drives success, you’ll be better able to define the leadership
capabilities you need.

14. 2) Conduct A Capability Audit
This entails assessing your current workforce against your
business goals. Identify the characteristics that are critical
for leaders. Understanding how and why people are
promoted to or hired for leadership positions in your
organisations will help paint a full picture.

16. 3) Decide Key Leadership Capabilities
This step is where you define the core capabilities leaders
need to drive business outcomes. Some basic capabilities
that research has shown great leaders display include ethics
and standards, growth nurturing, cultural intelligence,
thought leadership, and results delivery.

18. Hard vs Soft
Defining core competencies through both hard capabilities
(change management, stakeholder engagement) and soft
capabilities (communication, nurturing potential) gives your
entire organisation an achievable, not just aspirational,
measure of effective leadership.

19. You can learn more about this
topic by checking out the full
article:
https://acornlms.com/enterprise-learning-
management/leadership-capability-framework