At my job, where I am an intern on the talent acquisition (TA) team, we are currently preparing for our summer internship program. This summer we expect to have around 40 interns. As proposed by my manager, I will be acting as the lead organizer for all intern-related events. Additionally, we also recently hired a new TA member who I have been training. The new hire is an exciting addition to the team as it will allow us to tackle more items. While these opportunities are exciting, I have begun to reflect on my leadership skills in consultation with Katz’s three-skill approach. The approach outlines three essential skills for effective leadership which include technical skills, interpersonal skills, and conceptual skills (Northouse, 2022, p. 117, para. 1).
As Northouse (2022) notes, technical skills refer to the knowledge and proficiency one has in a given area (p. 117, para. 2). For example, in my role, attention to detail and organizational skills are crucial. Fortunately, these skills are strong suits of mine as I oversaw preparing our intern handbook, professional conduct training, and mentor training. Northouse (2022) reports that technical skills are most important at the lower management level, which I have found to be true in my internship work (p. 117, para. 3).
Another skill that is highly needed for supervisory management is human skills (Northouse, 2022, p. 117, para, 4.). Northouse (2022) defines human skills as the understanding and ability to work with others (p. 117, para. 4). While I was originally nervous about talking to new people, that changed quickly with the social component my job has. I plan and supervise all our company’s intern social events, meaning human skills are something I have to use daily. For instance, I communicate with interns to gauge their interest in various events as well as provide instructions on the events, such as directions, dates/times, food offered, etc. Furthermore, to educate myself on various perspectives, I attend guest speaker events whenever possible which often spark new ideas to implement in our program.
Conceptual skills are the proficiency to work with ideas and concepts (Northouse, 2022, p. 118, para. 2). I have had little experience with using these skills in my position but can reflect on my creation of our intern professional conduct training. When putting the training together, I had to mentally plan out how I was going to communicate the professionalism our intern program expects. Northouse (2022) explains that these skills are less important at lower management and more important at middle and top management (p. 118, para. 3). While at the lower level, I am taking the opportunity to sit in on upper management meetings so that I can begin strengthening my own conceptual skills. So far, I have found these shadowing experiences to be extremely helpful in witnessing how different people explain ideas.
In sum, the three-skills approach has been helpful in reflecting on my leadership effectiveness. My TA internship has supported me in strengthening my technical skills and human skills, but my review identified my conceptual skills need improving. While I recognize my conceptual skills are less important at my current management level, I want to take the shadowing opportunities I have now to improve them. Overall, my TA internship has proved to be an environment where I can continue to grow my skillset with the encouragement of my coworkers.
For more information on Katz’s skills approach check out this article: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357463725_The_Three-_Skill_Approach_to_Leadership
References
Northouse, P. G. (2022). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). SAGE.
Jaqua, E., & Jaqua, T. (2021, December). The three- skill approach to leadership – researchgate. Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357463725_The_Three-_Skill_Approach_to_Leadership
It is awesome that you are taking the initiative to reflect on your leadership skills and identify areas for improvement using Katz’s three-skill approach. It sounds like you have strong technical and interpersonal skills, which are important for lower management positions like your current internship. It is also encouraging to see that you are actively seeking opportunities to improve your conceptual skills by attending upper-management meetings and shadowing experiences.
One suggestion to further develop your conceptual skills could be to seek out opportunities to participate in strategic planning sessions or brainstorming sessions with your team. This will allow you to practice working with ideas and concepts and contribute to the development of the team’s goals and objectives. Additionally, you may want to consider taking courses or attending workshops on leadership and management to further enhance your skills.
Additionally, several leadership approaches could be used to describe the situation you have outlined. One approach that comes to mind is the transformational leadership approach. Transformational leadership is a leadership approach that emphasizes inspiring and motivating followers to achieve their full potential and focusing on their personal growth and development (Northouse, 2022, p. 167). Transformational leaders are known for their ability to empower and encourage their team members, foster a positive work environment, and create a sense of shared vision and purpose.
In your role as the lead organizer for intern-related events, you can apply transformational leadership skills. For example, by inspiring and motivating interns to achieve their full potential through the events you organize, you can help foster a positive work environment and create a sense of shared vision and purpose for the intern program. Additionally, by taking on the responsibility of training a new TA member and seeking to improve your leadership skills, you are exhibiting the traits of a transformational leader. Transformational leaders are always looking for ways to improve themselves and their team members and are committed to personal growth and development (p. 167).
It is great to see that you are actively seeking out opportunities to grow and develop your leadership skills. The transformational leadership approach emphasizes inspiring and motivating followers to achieve their full potential, fostering a positive work environment, and creating a sense of shared vision and purpose. In addition to Katz’s three skills approach, this approach could be applied to the situation you have described as you work to organize intern-related events, train a new team member, and improve your leadership skills.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2022). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). SAGE.