Skills for intranet leaders: what’s required?

I just posted on the Communitelligence Communication Skills Blog regarding the skills I believe are required of a successful intranet leader. This post came about as a result of some work we did in September and October for a client. As part of that assignment, we detailed role descriptions for various intranet roles, the leader included. A very progressive organization, the client wanted us to incorporate strategic language about the desired skill set of the leader.

More recently, I had an interesting conversation with a colleague whose organization refuses to demand these skills in its intranet leader. As a result, others must fill the gap, the intranet isn’t as strong a business tool, it isn’t properly measured, and there is no evolving plan for enhancement or connection to business goals. A real sticky wicket.

As always, I’m interested in your take on what makes a great intranet leader. I know you’re out there reading. You may not comment, but I do get your tweets and your e-mails. Let me know your thoughts – however you want to send them.