Leadership is about organizing people and processes toward accomplishing a goal. This is done through coaching, mentoring, and motivating others towards a vision, commitments, and goals. Effective leaders foster an inclusive and positive environment.

Leaders consistently act and think with personal integrity, as well as with concern for, and sensitivity to, the fundamental values and ethics of the people receiving support/families, the agency/organization/sector and the profession.

It includes the capacity for sound ethical judgement in a diverse and ethically complex environment, and in the face of ongoing pressures and constraints to continually promote excellence.

Growth Levels
Emerging

Authentic leader

  • Is self aware of own leadership style and values
  • Shows awareness of, and commitment to fundamental values and goals for the profession
  • Provides clear direction
  • Encourages ideas and contributions from others
  • Is aware when mistakes are made and takes personal responsibility to correct them
  • Ensures consistency between words and actions
  • Genuinely cares about people, which is made abundantly clear in their leadership style
  • Uses a person-centered approach in the provision of services, and respects and facilitates self-determination, supports informed decision making
  • Demonstrates evidence of character traits such as honesty, transparency, fairness, and respect
  • Shows tact, sensitivity to personal/professional boundaries and to personal differences
  • Mission-driven and thinks long-term
  • Takes every opportunity to integrate an organization’s core values into all communication and action
Evolving

Participatory leader

  • Seeks full understanding of facts and interests of all concerned when confronted with ethical issues and dilemmas and reflects upon all options in search of optimum solutions (ethical judgement)
  • Seeks input of others and values differing views
  • Actively facilitates the resolution of conflict
  • Establishes group norms
  • Fosters belonging and promotes diversity in team makeup
  • Celebrates accomplishments
  • Is an effective coach by providing specific feedback
  • Models an understanding of the relevance of fundamental values and ethics of the profession to everyday work, and consistently attempts to apply them
  • Acts in support of an open and safe workplace atmosphere in which everyone feels encouraged to safely raise, discuss, and address ethical issues
  • Openly acknowledges own errors of judgement without being prompted by others
Leading

Inspirational leader

  • Effectively resources the team by identifying and accessing opportunities
  • Questions and challenges the discrepancies and practices that do not align with the professional ethics of the workplace
  • Recognizes employee potential
  • Coaches discussions and explores fundamental values of the profession as it relates to the role
  • Encourages others to consistently adhere to the values and holds people accountable to the mission and ethical practices
  • Pivots to accomplish goals in an evolving environment
  • Promotes ownership and responsibility at all levels
  • Develops high performing teams
  • Supports team members in learning from each other, being self-directed, and being responsible for their own assessment and learning
  • Addresses performance issues in a timely way by speaking with others openly and directly, and holding them accountable for taking action for improvement
Influencing

Transformational leader

  • Ambassador for valued social roles in the community and supports people to have meaningful roles in society
  • Acts in accord with values and ethics even when significant cost or risk is associated with doing so
  • Uses diplomacy when actively and intensely challenging directives that do not align with professional values and ethics
  • Recognizes and amplifies people who uphold person/family/agency values and acts ethically
  • Champions a vision and leads others to buy into their mission, goals, strategy, and priorities, creating the optimum climate for achievement
  • Role model for transformational change
  • Takes calculated risk to bring forth meaningful change
  • Combines clarity of purpose with personal conviction and a sense of determination to position self as a credible leader
  • Generates excitement, enthusiasm, and commitment in people by translating the vision, mission and values into terms that are relevant to the work being performed
  • Positions self as a charismatic leader
  • Takes action to reinforce the vision and ensure processes and practices are aligned accordingly (e.g., rewards behaviour aligned with the vision)
  • Creates an environment in which all systems and processes support high levels of performance and are used to motivate employees to achieve goals
  • Sponsors and reviews long-term learning needs, career paths, and succession plans for organizational leaders