NEA
Leadership
Competencies
Guide
NEA Leadership Competencies Guide
Table of Contents
NEA Vision, Mission, and Values5
Setting the context for leadership competencies 6
Leadership competency framework explained 6
Essential elements
Ideas for using leadership competencies 8
National (NEA Headquarters)
State and local affiliates
Constituent Groups
Individual members
Leadership Competencies12
Advocacy
Business
Communication
Governance and Leadership
Leading Our Professions
Organizing
The single biggest way to impact
an organization is to focus on
leadership development. There is
almost no limit to the potential of
an organization that recruits good
people, raises them up as leaders,
and continually develops them.
­John C. Maxwell
4
Vision, Mission and Values
Adopted at the 2006 NEA Representative Assembly
The National Education Association
We, the members of the National Education Association of the United States, are the voice of education professionals.
Our work is fundamental to the nation, and we accept the profound trust placed in us.
Our Vision
Our vision is a great public school for every student.
Our Mission
Our mission is to advocate for education professionals and to unite our members and the nation to fulfill the
promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world.
Our Core Values
These principles guide our work and define our mission:
Equal Opportunity. We believe public education is the gateway to
opportunity. All students have the human and civil right to a quality
public education that develops their potential, independence,
and character.
Professionalism. We believe that the expertise and judgment of
education professionals are critical to student success. We maintain
the highest professional standards, and we expect the status,
compensation, and respect due all professionals.
A Just Society. We believe public education is vital to building
respect for the worth, dignity, and equality of every individual in
our diverse society.
Partnership. We believe partnerships with parents, families,
communities, and other stakeholders are essential to quality public
education and student success.
Democracy. We believe public education is the cornerstone of our
republic. Public education provides individuals with the skills to be
involved, informed, and engaged in our representative democracy.
Collective Action. We believe individuals are strengthened
when they work together for the common good. As education
professionals, we improve both our professional status and the
quality of public education when we unite and advocate collectively.
5
Setting the context for Leadership Competencies The NEA Leadership Competency
Framework Explained
The National Education Association recognizes that today’s
education leaders are making, and will face, some of the
toughest decisions in the history of our Association and public
education. They must be mobilized, unified and equipped with
the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to meet these new
challenges. Consequently, NEA has come together like never
before to develop a more unified and interdisciplinary approach
to leadership development. The NEA believes that investing in
the development of great leaders is a powerful investment.
NEA has defined, for the first time ever, what it means to be a “NEA
leader” through the development of a series of six leadership competency domains. While NEA continues to invest in specialized
leadership development opportunities for specific membership categories and roles, these leadership competencies are intended for the
benefit of all current and upcoming leaders, regardless of role, level,
or experience. The competencies are designed to prepare NEA
members to lead relevant and thriving education associations and
become world-class education leaders.
Nearly every aspect of the Association plays some role in
leadership development, making it even more important to have
a common vision and understanding of what we are collectively
working toward.
Over the course of the 2012-13 year, NEA engaged leaders across
the Association to discuss the current and desired future state of
NEA leadership development. NEA also established a leadership
development advisory team, consisting of member and staff-leaders
to review member input and ideas and to develop a common vision
for what NEA leaders should know and be able to do. It is out of this
work that the NEA’s leadership competencies were born.
NEA leadership development was, until recently, viewed as
being part of individual programs or as a conference or event,
but that view is quickly changing within the organization.
Leadership development at NEA is now evolving to have its own
language and standards, its own following and brand. More and
more, leadership development is being defined as a journey, not
as episodic events. More importantly, the definition of leadership
is expanding and changing. Leadership is no longer necessarily
defined by an elected role or position, but by key characteristics,
actions and influence used to lead within and beyond the
Association. The catalyst for this change is a new set of NEA
leadership competencies.
6
The leadership development competency framework reflects the
NEA strategic framework and was developed through multiple
leader and member engagements, interviews, focus groups, and a
review of benchmark models in union, public sector and corporate
environments. These competencies define for our association what
leaders should know and be able to do in the areas of professional
practice, organizing, advocacy, communications, business, as well as
governance and leadership.
The framework has the following essential elements
• Six Competency Domains: the core functions of the a
ssociation. Each competency has a definition that explains/defines the essence (overarching purpose, goal and objective) of
the competency
• Key themes: under each competency there are multiple themes
that convey the topic areas that the competency addresses
• Proficiency progression (labels adapted from language shared by
the AFL-CIO): progressions convey a brief profile of the leader
and their capabilities. They include Foundational (leading of the
self), Mobilizing & Power-Building (leading the organization) and
Agenda-Driving (leading others).
• Behaviors: how leaders demonstrate the competency at
increasing levels of proficiency
4
Key
1- Competency Title
2- Definition
3- Theme
4- Progression
5- Behavior
Competency Theme
Level 1: Foundational
Acts strategically
to support the
association’s value
proposition
Level 2: Mobilizing &
Power Building
• Understands the value of membership in the
past and how it may need to change to meet
new challenges
• Builds support for the value of membership • Uses the financial resources of the organizaby tying directly into member needs and
tion wisely and strategically to demonstrate
creating new business models that provide
association relevance and the value of
added benefits
membership
Manages budget
development and
business policy
• Understands business, planning, and budgeting processes
steward3 Promotes
ship and financial
integrity of the
organization
• Understands fiduciary requirements and demonstrates integrity in financial transactions
Manages risk
Utilizes data and analyzes trends to inform
decision making
• Understands risk profile
of the organization and
recognizes early warning signs
• Recognizes implications of union, financial,
and education trends on
organizational sustainability and decision
making
Level 3: Agenda Driving
• Develops a culture that appreciates the
importance of fiscal responsibility; and
ensures business policies reflect financial
best practices
• Uses strategic planning and the development of outcome based goals/metrics to
create budgets, develop infrastructure, and
increase investments, thereby ensuring longterm sustainability of organization
• Accomplishes the goals of the association • Increases association resources and infraby strengthening its fiscal health
structure to accomplish strategic objectives
• Increases others understanding of risk
mitigation and implements applicable
processes and policies
• Manages association brand and risk
through effective oversight
• Builds support for strategic objectives
through member awareness of trends
and data analysis
• Utilizes business/organizational trends and
data analysis to make decisions that maximize goals, plans, and strategies for growth
5
BUSINESS
1
Builds the brand and
accomplishes the goals of the
association through effective
financial
management and understanding of
fiduciary responsibilities.
2
7
Ideas for Using the Leadership Competencies:
National, Affiliate, and Individuals
The competencies are a vehicle to support continuous learning and
are intended to be broadly applicable across the organization for
NEA, affiliates and individual members. The competencies are a
very robust and are not meant to be completed over the course of
a single event or a single year. The competencies support the notion
that leadership development is a journey, not an event. The competencies serve as a guide and a tool to show what association leaders
know and are able to do over the course of their careers in order to
lead thriving and relevant organizations. Below are some activities
that may be considered across the entire Association.
Ideas for National Headquarters
• Through www.NEAAcademy.org, create a Leadership
Management System as a hub for leadership content and
talent that will provide NEA and affiliates the opportunity to pool
and share their leadership development content, courses, and
trainings in a single system.
• Use the LMS to identify any offerings (state, local or national) that
align with and support the leadership competencies.
• Enable individual members to utilize the leadership management
system as a means to develop their own individualized learning
pathways and to create leadership portfolios based
on their trainings, skills, areas of expertise and activism.
• Identify, develop and deliver content, online or face-to-face
(e.g. National Leadership Summits) that reinforces and
supports the leadership competencies
8
Ideas for State and Local Affiliates
• Endorse, adopt or customize the leadership competencies
for use as a tool to enhance for state or local leadership
development efforts. Help bring about a greater alignment of
goals across the entire Association.
• Identify affiliate leadership trainings that can be shared with
NEA to support the competency framework and leadership
management system.
• Recommend to NEA excellent books, resources,
training/trainers whose content supports the competencies
• Infuse key leadership competencies, themes and behaviors into
the development and delivery of state and local content
Ideas for Constituent Groups
(e.g. Councils and Caucuses)
• Endorse or adopt the leadership competencies for use as a
tool to enhance any leadership development efforts being
offered. Help bring about a greater alignment of goals across
the enterprise.
• Recommend to NEA, excellent books, resources,
training/trainers whose content supports the competencies.
• Collaborate with NEA to make state or local leadership development training and/or trainers and expertise available nationally.
9
Ideas for Individual Members
• Assess your leadership proficiency across the competencies
• Seek out leadership opportunities within your profession that
exemplify the competencies
• Develop a plan for your leadership development
• Identify knowledge, skills and attributes (abilities) needed for a
particular leadership role or assignment. Consider questions such
as:
- What leadership strengths can I build on through
the competencies?
- What leadership challenges can I improve through the
competencies?
10
• Develop a leadership development portfolio/transcript to track
your progress
• Register or sign up to access resources and programs through
the leadership management system
Leadership
Competencies
11
Competency Level 1: Foundational
Theme
Leverages • Identifies and discusses fundamenadvocacy practice
tals of advocacy practice and theory
within the community
Engages • Researches advocacy issues to better
community
understand content and share key
around issues
messages with community
supporting
student learning
Interprets and acts • Understands social justice initiatives
on social justice
from review of research and discussinitiatives
es the impact on education practice,
policy, and the profession
Level 2: Mobilizing &
Power Building
Level 3: Agenda Driving
• Engages in power mapping and
implements high impact and culturally competent advocacy plans and
strategies
• Ensures advocacy practices (e.g.,
synergistic partner relationships) are
well integrated into the strategic plan
and contribute to association’s goals
• Creates and implements an advocacy • Organizes a collaborative mobilizaengagement plan that supports
tion plan around shared interests of
student learning and leading the
union, educational communities, and
professions
legislative bodies
• Designs advocacy plans and strategies formulated from social justice
research that impacts educational
practices, policies, and profession
• Analyzes and strengthens alliances
with a diverse set of stakeholders to
implement, support, evaluate and
communicate social justice initiatives
Leads public • Understands and reports on national, • Develops credentials and experience • Engages and persuades all stakeeducation policy
state and local public education
in advocacy and collaborates to draft
holders around shared interests
reform
policy and reforms
national, state and local public eduin national, state, and local public
education policy and reforms
cation policy and reforms
Acts as a • Participates in basic campaign
political
actions, including canvassing,
advocate
petition signing and e-mail
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• Equips members to become more
effective advocates by getting them
involved in the political process (at
the level that makes sense for them)
and providing valuable education,
information and research
• Takes a leadership role in
association, civic organization, PAC,
campaign; and/or runs for office
ADVOCACY
Advances the cause of
public education through
social justice and how it
benefits our students and
members’ professional
needs and rights.
Competency Level 1: Foundational
Theme
Level 2: Mobilizing &
Power Building
Level 3: Agenda Driving
Acts strategically • Understands the value of memberto support the
ship in the past and how it may need
association’s value
to change to meet new challenges
proposition
• Builds support for the value of
• Uses the financial resources of the
membership by tying directly into
organization wisely and strategically
member needs and creating new
to demonstrate association relebusiness models that provide added
vance and the value of membership
benefits
Manages budget • Understands business, planning, and
development and
budgeting processes
business policy
• Develops a culture that appreciates the importance of fiscal
responsibility; and ensures business policies reflect financial best
practices
Promotes stew- • Understands fiduciary requirements
and demonstrates integrity in finanardship and financial integrity of
cial transactions
the organization
• Accomplishes the goals of the as- • Increases association resources and
infrastructure to accomplish strategic
sociation by strengthening its fiscal
objectives
health
• Uses strategic planning and the development of outcome based goals/
metrics to create budgets, develop
infrastructure, and increase investments, thereby ensuring long-term
sustainability of organization
Manages risk • Understands risk profile
of the organization and
recognizes early warning signs
• Increases others understanding
of risk mitigation and implements
applicable processes and policies
• Manages association brand and risk
through effective oversight
Utilizes data and • Recognizes implications of union,
analyzes trends to
financial, and education trends on
inform decision
organizational sustainability and
making
decision making
• Builds support for strategic objectives through member awareness
of trends and data analysis
• Utilizes business/organizational
trends and data analysis to make
decisions that maximize goals, plans,
and strategies for growth
BUSINESS
Builds the brand and
accomplishes the goals
of the association through
effective financial management and understanding
of fiduciary responsibilities.
13
Competency Level 1: Foundational
Theme
Level 2: Mobilizing &
Power Building
Level 3: Agenda Driving
• Develops and implements
communications plans with
consistent and purposeful messages that consider the unique
needs of different constituencies
• Executes the communications
plan in a persuasive and strategic
manner to promote the goals of
the association
Uses current media, • Understands the communication
technology and
value of current media,
social networks to
technology and social networks
communicate
• Develops and implements
strategic and integrated
engagement plans, that utilize a
variety of media, technology and
social networks
• Evaluates and adjusts
communications plans for
maximum effectiveness
Develops • Understands the various
communication
approaches and styles needed
approach and style
to communicate with diverse
to fit appropriate
audiences
audience
• Tailors communications to appeal
to different audiences; adjusts the
purpose, substance and style
• Implements a differentiated communication strategy that rallies a
diverse set of stakeholders
Develops a • Understands the fundamentals of
communications strategy
two-way strategic
communications
plan
Acts as an • Demonstrates effective
effective speaker
presentation skills when speaking
to a variety of audiences
• Delivers engaging and persuasive • Acts as a powerful and passionate
presentations that motivate
speaker who can influence
audiences to take action
agendas and actions
Acts as a • Connects association messages
compelling
with audience
advocate for the
organization
• Builds coalitions by forging powerful emotional connections with
audiences
• Unites disparate audiences around
a common message
• Selects and guides credible
messengers to inspire action
• Advances our association message
using empowered messengers
Identifies • Recognizes the importance of
appropriate
aligning the appropriate messenmessenger(s)
ger(s) with the message
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COMMUNICATION
Builds an integrated
communications strategy
that drives the goals of our
professions.
Competency Level 1: Foundational
Theme
Level 2: Mobilizing &
Power Building
Level 3: Agenda Driving
Effectively • Understands the roles and respon• Builds teamwork and consensus
• Executes plans, policies, and strateexecutes
sibilities of core team leadership
gies to accomplish the short and long
among leaders on governance activigovernance and
ties and strategic objectives
positions as well as the specific duties
term objectives of the association
leadership
and legal obligations conferred
responsibilities
on governance
Establishes and • Establishes purposeful
maintains
relationships to foster
collaborative,
collaboration
effective
relationships
• Builds and maintains productive
internal and external alliances
• Leverages internal and
external relationships to
accomplish strategic objectives
Advances the • Uses the purpose, culture, and history • Empowers others and promotes a
• Implements strategies that move
organization by
of the organization, as well as educapeople to act and uses the mission,
culture that appeals to the different
internalizing its
tional/union trends to influence the
vision and core values to drive our
motivations of members while recogmission, vision,
nizing the contributions of all
direction of our work
work and culture
and core values
Sets strategic • Understands the implications of
objectives
the organization’s strategy for own
to guide longactions and tactics
term goals
Develops self • Identifies own leadership strengths
and others
and weaknesses and works to imas leaders
prove them
GOVERNANCE
AND LEADERSHIP
Sets the mission and
establishes strategies
necessary for a relevant
and thriving organization;
empowers, motivates, and
fosters a pipeline of talent
for the future.
• Educate others on association strategies • Creates value for members through
and tactics to advance organizational
clear and compelling long-term goals
long-term goals and priorities
and priorities
• Builds a diverse group of leaders
to take on greater roles and
responsibilities in the association
• Develops succession
strategies that ensure a smooth transition in leadership and sustain the
association’s vision over time
15
Competency
Theme
16
Level 1: Foundational
Level 2: Mobilizing &
Power Building
Level 3: Agenda Driving
Builds capacity for
continual improvement and learning
• Understands the value of
continuous learning and
improvement in our
professions
• Advocates for meaningful
development inside our
professions, thereby energizing
members and our diverse set of
education stakeholders
• Builds a culture of
professionalism that illustrates
the association’s commitment to
continuous learning
Shows educational
leadership and
understands union’s
role in student
learning and
leading our
professions
• Understands the historic,
current and emerging role
that the union plays in our
professions
• Identifies and promotes own
and members’ credentials and
expertise, ensuring union
leadership of our professions
• Drives collaborative decision
making and policy on our key
professional issues
Advocates for
policies and
strategies that
positively impact
our professions and
student learning
• Understands the policies
and strategies that impact our
professions and student
learning
• Forges alliances and agreements
that positively impact our professions and student learning
• Leads our professions by
anticipating challenges and
putting in place proactive
strategies
Analyzes and
applies research,
policies and trends
to determine
potential impact on
our professions and
student learning
• Understands that research,
policies and trends impact
public education
• Collaborates with our diverse
group of stakeholders to conduct,
evaluate and communicate
education research and practices
• Drives effective policy content
based on deep understanding
of research
LEADING OUR
PROFESSIONS
Advocates for quality
inside our professions and
promotes our union’s role
in advancing education
transformation and
student learning.
Competency Level 1: Foundational
Theme
Level 2: Mobilizing &
Power Building
Level 3: Agenda Driving
Utilizes organizing • Understands the theory and best pracbest practices
tices associated with organizing
• Develops a successful campaign using • Evaluates campaign strategies to conorganizing skills to engage members
tinually improve the impact of future
in key issues
campaigns and organizing approaches
Builds meaningful • Engages different and diverse
community
audiences in the community to idenpartnerships
tify common issues
• Collaborates with different and diverse
community audiences, and educates
them on key issues
• Transforms the relationship with the
community to harness the power of
collective action
ORGANIZING
Mobilizes to influence
• Utilizes valid data to formulate a foun- • Implements strategic plans to increase
Makes strategic • Analyzes and compiles reliable
membership and support key objectives successful organizing
plans that rely on
research data to formulate organizing
dation for long term plans including
outcomes, strengthen
data and analysis
strategies
objectives, strategies and goals
internal and external relationships, and
Engages in • Identifies and engages in high
• Rallies others around key organizing • Makes organizing on key issues more
membership capacity;
opportunities by appealing to
collective
impact and actionable organizing
systematic and process driven, to imas well as recruit and
action to identify
opportunities
member passions and interests
prove their impact
identify new members
and address
and potential leaders
pivotal issues
into the association.
Creates conditions • Understands processes and stratfor continuous
egies for member recruitment and
association growth
retention
and strength
• Develops imaginative recruitment
• Influences members to own the agenda
and retention strategies that grow the
of the association through their active
association’s membership and influparticipation and attitude towards
ence others to become more actively
collective action
involved in the talent management
process
Fosters the • Identifies and engages
development of
emerging association leaders who
leaders at all
reflect our diversity
levels of the organization
• Mentors emerging leaders and
encourages them to put plans in
place to accelerate their level of
participation
• Advocates for new and diverse member
strategies and actively supports leadership succession planning
17
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NEA thanks the following member and staff leaders for their
expertise in developing the NEA Leadership Competencies.
NEA Leadership Development
Advisors (2012-2013)
Rita Haecker, Texas State Teachers
Association (Texas)
Lily Eskelsen-Garcia, Chair,
NEA Vice President
Erick Huth, Metropolitan Nashville
Education Association (Tennessee)
Daaiyah Bilal-Threats, Staff Lead, Sr.
Director, NEA Center for Governance
Shannon Rasmussen, Federal Way
Education Association (Washington)
Earl Wiman, NEA Executive Committee
Kim Anderson, Sr. Director,
NEA Centerfor Advocacy and Outreach
Christy Levings, NEA Executive Committee (2012-13)
Sherry Tucker, NEA Board of Directors (Alabama)
Doreen McGuire-Grigg, NEA Board of Directors (California)
Gladys Marquez, Community High School District 218 (Illinois)
Blake West, Blue Valley High School (Kansas)
Timothy Ema, University of Missouri, Saint Louis (Missouri)
Mary Steinhauer, Riverside Middle School (New Jersey)
Adrienne Bowden, Pickerington Local Schools (Ohio)
Sandra Bell-Duckworth, Westerville City Schools (Ohio)
Hasheen Wilson, Youngstown State
University (Ohio)
Alicia Priest, Oklahoma Education
Association (Oklahoma)
Bill Raabe, Sr. Director, NEA Center
for Great Public Schools
Bill Thompson, Sr. Director,
NEA Center for Business Operations
Secky Fascione, Director,
NEA Center for Organizing
Steven Grant, Associate Director,
NEA Center for Communications
Sheala Durant, NEA Center for
Governance, Leadership
Development Team
Laura Gross, NEA Center for Governance,
Leadership Development Team
Donald Washington, NEA Center
for Governance, Leadership
Development Team
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