Leadership LEAD Beta
Guiding and influencing individuals or teams to align actions with strategic goals and drive positive outcomes.
SFIA 9 is in development
- SFIA 9 planned for publication October 2024
- This is subject to change before publication.
Guidance notes
Leadership in SFIA represents a progression from self-management to shaping organisational strategy. It involves:
- demonstrating personal responsibility
- taking ownership of work and development
- guiding and influencing others
- contributing to team capabilities
- aligning actions with organisational objectives
- inspiring and driving positive change.
Effective leadership encompasses self-awareness, influence, understanding and inspiring and motivating others. It also involves strategic thinking, risk management and the capacity to align actions with long-term objectives.
As professionals advance, their leadership evolves from managing personal responsibilities to guiding teams and eventually shaping organisational strategy. Over time, they move beyond influencing teams to driving strategic outcomes, aligning policies with organisational goals, and managing risks on a broader scale. At higher levels, leadership plays a critical role in shaping organisational culture, driving innovation, and enhancing the organisation's ability to navigate complex challenges and seize opportunities.
Level 1 - Follow
- Proactively increases their understanding of their work tasks and responsibilities.
Level 2 - Assist
- Takes ownership to develop their work experience.
Level 3 - Apply
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Provides basic guidance and support to less experienced team members as needed.
Level 4 - Enable
- Leads, supports or guides team members.
- Develops solutions for complex work activities related to assignments.
- Demonstrates an understanding of risk factors in their work.
- Contributes specialist expertise to requirements definition in support of proposals.
Level 5 - Ensure, advise
- Provides leadership at an operational level.
- Implements and executes policies aligned to strategic plans.
- Assesses and evaluates risk.
- Takes all requirements into account when considering proposals.
Level 6 - Initiate, influence
- Provides leadership at an organisational level.
- Contributes to the development and implementation of policy and strategy.
- Understands and communicates industry developments, and the role and impact of technology.
- Manages and mitigates organisational risk.
- Balances the requirements of proposals with the broader needs of the organisation.
Level 7 - Set strategy, inspire, mobilise
- Leads strategic management.
- Applies the highest level of leadership to the formulation and implementation of strategy.
- Communicates the potential impact of emerging practices and technologies on organisations and individuals and assesses the risks of using or not using such practices and technologies.
- Establishes governance to address business risk.
- Ensures proposals align with the strategic direction of the organisation.