Facilitation as a Core Leadership Competency

Today’s leaders need to manage constant change. There are urgent problems and issues we need to solve in our organizations. Managers are expected to facilitate collaborative processes that elicit ownership by generating active participation and empowering people to take charge. One of the most important sets of skills for leaders are facilitation skills. These are the “process” skills we use to guide and direct key parts of our organizing work with groups of people. Whether it’s a meeting (big or small) or a training session, someone has to shape and guide the process of working together so that you build consensus, engage your staff and accomplish your goals. While a group of people might set the agenda and figure out the goals, one person needs to concentrate on how you are going to move through your agenda and meet those goals effectively. This is the person we call the “facilitator.”