31 CORE COMPETENCIES EXPLAINED

I. Competencies Dealing with People

The Leading Others Cluster

1. Establishing Focus: The ability to develop and communicate goals in support of the
business’ mission.

 Acts to align own unit’s goals with the strategic direction of the business.
 Ensures that people in the unit understand how their work relates to the business’
mission.
 Ensures that everyone understands and identifies with the unit’s mission.
 Ensures that the unit develops goals and a plan to help fulfill the business’
mission.

2. Providing Motivational Support: The ability to enhance others’ commitment to their

work.

 Recognizes and rewards people for their achievements.

 Acknowledges and thanks people for their contributions.
 Expresses pride in the group and encourages people to feel good about their
accomplishments.
 Finds creative ways to make people’s work rewarding.
 Signals own commitment to a process by being personally present and involved
at key events.
 Identifies and promptly tackles morale problems.
 Gives talks or presentations that energize groups.

3. Fostering Teamwork: As a team member, the ability and desire to work cooperatively
with others on a team; as a team leader, the ability to demonstrate interest, skill, and
success in getting groups to learn to work together.

Behaviors for Team Members

 Listens and responds constructively to other team members’ ideas.

 Offers support for others’ ideas and proposals.
 Is open with other team members about his/her concerns.

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  Expresses disagreement constructively (e.g., by emphasizing points of
agreement, suggesting alternatives that may be acceptable to the group).
 Reinforces team members for their contributions.
 Gives honest and constructive feedback to other team members.
 Provides assistance to others when they need it.
 Works for solutions that all team members can support.
 Shares his/her expertise with others.
 Seeks opportunities to work on teams as a means to develop experience, and
knowledge.
 Provides assistance, information, or other support to others, to build or maintain
relationships with them.

Behaviors for Team Leaders

 Provides opportunities for people to learn to work together as a team.

 Enlists the active participation of everyone.
 Promotes cooperation with other work units.
 Ensures that all team members are treated fairly.
 Recognizes and encourages the behaviors that contribute to teamwork.

4. Empowering Others: The ability to convey confidence in employees’ ability to be

successful, especially at challenging new tasks; delegating significant responsibility and
authority; allowing employees freedom to decide how they will accomplish their goals
and resolve issues.

 Gives people latitude to make decisions in their own sphere of work.

 Is able to let others make decisions and take charge.
 Encourages individuals and groups to set their own goals, consistent with
business goals.
 Expresses confidence in the ability of others to be successful.
 Encourages groups to resolve problems on their own; avoids prescribing a
solution.

5. Managing Change: The ability to demonstrate support for innovation and for
organizational changes needed to improve the organization’s effectiveness; initiating,
sponsoring, and implementing organizational change; helping others to successfully
manage organizational change.

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Employee Behaviors

 Personally develops a new method or approach.

 Proposes new approaches, methods, or technologies.
 Develops better, faster, or less expensive ways to do things.

Manager/Leader Behaviors

 Works cooperatively with others to produce innovative solutions.

 Takes the lead in setting new business directions, partnerships, policies or
procedures.
 Seizes opportunities to influence the future direction of an organizational unit or
the overall business.
 Helps employees to develop a clear understanding of what they will need to do
differently, as a result of changes in the organization.
 Implements or supports various change management activities (e.g.,
communications, education, team development, coaching).
 Establishes structures and processes to plan and manage the orderly
implementation of change.
 Helps individuals and groups manage the anxiety associated with significant
change.
 Facilitates groups or teams through the problem-solving and creative-thinking
processes leading to the development and implementation of new approaches,
systems, structures, and methods.

6. Developing Others: The ability to delegate responsibility and to work with others and
coach them to develop their capabilities.

 Provides helpful, behaviorally specific feedback to others.

 Shares information, advice, and suggestions to help others to be more
successful; provides effective coaching.
 Gives people assignments that will help develop their abilities.
 Regularly meets with employees to review their development progress.
 Recognizes and reinforces people’s developmental efforts and improvements.
 Expresses confidence in others’ ability to be successful.

7. Managing Performance: The ability to take responsibility for one’s own or one’s
employees’ performance, by setting clear goals and expectations, tracking progress

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against the goals, ensuring feedback, and addressing performance problems and issues
promptly.

Behaviors for employees

 With his/her manager, sets specific, measurable goals that are realistic but
challenging, with dates for accomplishment.
 With his/her manager, clarifies expectations about what will be done and how.
 Enlists his/her manager’s support in obtaining the information, resources, and
training needed to accomplish his/her work effectively.
 Promptly notifies his/her manager about any problems that affect his/her ability
to accomplish planned goals.
 Seeks performance feedback from his/her manager and from others with whom
he/she interacts on the job.
 Prepares a personal development plan with specific goals and a timeline for their
accomplishment.
 Takes significant action to develop skills needed for effectiveness in current or
future job.

Behaviors for managers

 Ensures that employees have clear goals and responsibilities.

 Works with employees to set and communicate performance standards that are
specific and measurable.
 Supports employees in their efforts to achieve job goals (e.g., by providing
resources, removing obstacles, acting as a buffer).
 Stays informed about employees’ progress and performance through both formal
methods (e.g., status reports) and informal methods (e.g., management by
walking around).
 Provides specific performance feedback, both positive and corrective, as soon as
possible after an event.
 Deals firmly and promptly with performance problems; lets people know what is
expected of them and when.

Communication and Influencing Cluster

8. Attention to Communication: The ability to ensure that information is passed on to

others who should be kept informed.

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  Ensures that others involved in a project or effort are kept informed about
developments and plans.
 Ensures that important information from his/her management is shared with
his/her employees and others as appropriate.
 Shares ideas and information with others who might find them useful.
 Uses multiple channels or means to communicate important messages (e.g.,
memos, newsletters, meetings, electronic mail).
 Keeps his/her manager informed about progress and problems; avoids surprises.
 Ensures that regular, consistent communication takes place.

9. Oral Communication: The ability to express oneself clearly in conversations and

interactions with others.

 Speaks clearly and can be easily understood.

 Tailors the content of speech to the level and experience of the audience.
 Uses appropriate grammar and choice of words in oral speech.
 Organizes ideas clearly in oral speech.
 Expresses ideas concisely in oral speech.
 Maintains eye contact when speaking with others.
 Summarizes or paraphrases his/her understanding of what others have said to
verify understanding and prevent miscommunication.

10. Written Communication: The ability to express oneself clearly in business writing.

 Expresses ideas clearly and concisely in writing.

 Organizes written ideas clearly and signals the organization to the reader (e.g.,
through an introductory paragraph or through use of headings).
 Tailors written communications to effectively reach an audience.
 Uses graphics and other aids to clarify complex or technical information.
 Spells correctly.
 Writes using concrete, specific language.
 Uses punctuation correctly.
 Writes grammatically.
 Uses an appropriate business writing style.

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11. Persuasive Communication: The ability to plan and deliver oral and written
communications that make an impact and persuade their intended audiences.

 Identifies and presents information or data that will have a strong effect on
others.
 Selects language and examples tailored to the level and experience of the
audience.
 Selects stories, analogies, or examples to illustrate a point.
 Creates graphics, overheads, or slides that display information clearly and with
high impact.
 Presents several different arguments in support of a position.

12. Interpersonal Awareness: The ability to notice, interpret, and anticipate others’
concerns and feelings, and to communicate this awareness empathetically to others.

 Understands the interests and important concerns of others.

 Notices and accurately interprets what others are feeling, based on their choice
of words, tone of voice, expressions, and other nonverbal behavior.
 Anticipates how others will react to a situation.
 Listens attentively to people’s ideas and concerns.
 Understands both the strengths and weaknesses of others.
 Understands the unspoken meaning in a situation.
 Says or does things to address others’ concerns.
 Finds non-threatening ways to approach others about sensitive issues.
 Makes others feel comfortable by responding in ways that convey interest in
what they have to say.

13. Influencing Others: The ability to gain others’ support for ideas, proposals, projects,
and solutions.

 Presents arguments that address others’ most important concerns and issues
and looks for win-win solutions.
 Involves others in a process or decision to ensure their support.
 Offers trade-offs or exchanges to gain commitment.
 Identifies and proposes solutions that benefit all parties involved in a situation.
 Enlists experts or third parties to influence others.
 Develops other indirect strategies to influence others.

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  Knows when to escalate critical issues to own or others’ management, if own
efforts to enlist support have not succeeded.
 Structures situations (e.g., the setting, persons present, sequence of events) to
create a desired impact and to maximize the chances of a favorable outcome.
 Works to make a particular impression on others.
 Identifies and targets influence efforts at the real decision makers and those who
can influence them.
 Seeks out and builds relationships with others who can provide information,
intelligence, career support, potential business, and other forms of help.
 Takes a personal interest in others (e.g., by asking about their concerns,
interests, family, friends, hobbies) to develop relationships.
 Accurately anticipates the implications of events or decisions for various
stakeholders in the organization and plans strategy accordingly.

14. Building Collaborative Relationships: The ability to develop, maintain, and

strengthen partnerships with others inside or outside the organization who can provide
information, assistance, and support.

 Asks about the other person’s personal experiences, interests, and family.
 Asks questions to identify shared interest, experiences, or other common ground.
 Shows an interest in what others have to say; acknowledges their perspectives
and ideas.
 Recognizes the business concerns and perspectives of others.
 Expresses gratitude and appreciation to others who have provided information,
assistance, or support.
 Takes time to get to know coworkers, to build rapport and establish a common
bond.
 Tries to build relationships with people whose assistance, cooperation, and
support may be needed.
 Provides assistance, information, and support to others to build a basis for future
reciprocity.

15. Customer Orientation: The ability to demonstrate concern for satisfying one’s
external and/or internal customers.

 Quickly and effectively solves customer problems.

 Talks to customers (internal or external) to find out what they want and how
satisfied they are with what they are getting.

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  Lets customers know he/she is willing to work with them to meet their needs.
 Finds ways to measure and track customer satisfaction.
 Presents a cheerful, positive manner with customers.

II. Compentencies Dealing with Business

The Preventing and Solving Problems Cluster

16. Diagnostic Information Gathering: The ability to identify the information needed to
clarify a situation, seek that information from appropriate sources, and use skillful
questioning to draw out the information, when others are reluctant to disclose it

 Identifies the specific information needed to clarify a situation or to make a

decision.
 Gets more complete and accurate information by checking multiple sources.
 Probes skillfully to get at the facts, when others are reluctant to provide full,
detailed information.
 Routinely walks around to see how people are doing and to hear about any
problems they are encountering.
 Questions others to assess whether they have thought through a plan of action.
 Questions others to assess their confidence in solving a problem or tackling a
situation.
 Asks questions to clarify a situation.
 Seeks the perspective of everyone involved in a situation.
 Seeks out knowledgeable people to obtain information or clarify a problem.

17. Analytical Thinking: The ability to tackle a problem by using a logical, systematic,
sequential approach.

 Makes a systematic comparison of two or more alternatives.

 Notices discrepancies and inconsistencies in available information.
 Identifies a set of features, parameters, or considerations to take into account, in
analyzing a situation or making a decision.
 Approaches a complex task or problem by breaking it down into its component
parts and considering each part in detail.
 Weighs the costs, benefits, risks, and chances for success, in making a decision.
 Identifies many possible causes for a problem.
 Carefully weighs the priority of things to be done.

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18. Forward Thinking: The ability to anticipate the implications and consequences of
situations and take appropriate action to be prepared for possible contingencies.

 Anticipates possible problems and develops contingency plans in advance.

 Notices trends in the industry or marketplace and develops plans to prepare for
opportunities or problems.
 Anticipates the consequences of situations and plans accordingly.
 Anticipates how individuals and groups will react to situations and information
and plans accordingly.

19. Conceptual Thinking: The ability to find effective solutions by taking a holistic,
abstract, or theoretical perspective.

 Notices similarities between different and apparently unrelated situations.

 Quickly identifies the central or underlying issues in a complex situation.
 Creates a graphic diagram showing a systems view of a situation.
 Develops analogies or metaphors to explain a situation.
 Applies a theoretical framework to understand a specific situation.

20. Strategic Thinking: The ability to analyze the organization’s competitive position by
considering market and industry trends, existing and potential customers (internal and
external), and strengths and weaknesses as compared to competitors.

 Understands the organization’s strengths and weaknesses as compared to

competitors.
 Understands industry and market trends affecting the organization’s
competitiveness.
 Has an in-depth understanding of competitive products and services within the
marketplace.
 Develops and proposes a long-term (3-5 year) strategy for the organization based
on an analysis of the industry and marketplace and the organization’s current
and potential capabilities as compared to competitors.

21. Technical Expertise: The ability to demonstrate depth of knowledge and skill in a
technical
area.

 Effectively applies technical knowledge to solve a range of problems.

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  Possesses an in-depth knowledge and skill in a technical area.
 Develops technical solutions to new or highly complex problems that cannot be
solved using existing methods or approaches.
 Is sought out as an expert to provide advice or solutions in his/her technical area.
 Keeps informed about cutting-edge technology in his/her technical area.

The Achieving Results Cluster

22. Initiative: Identifying what needs to be done and doing it before being asked or
before the situation requires it.

 Identifying what needs to be done and takes action before being asked or the
situation requires it.
 Does more than what is normally required in a situation.
 Seeks out others involved in a situation to learn their perspectives.
 Takes independent action to change the direction of events.

23. Entrepreneurial Orientation: The ability to look for and seize profitable business
opportunities; willingness to take calculated risks to achieve business goals.

 Notices and seizes profitable business opportunities.

 Stays abreast of business, industry, and market information that may reveal
business opportunities.
 Demonstrates willingness to take calculated risks to achieve business goals.
 Proposes innovative business deals to potential customers, suppliers, and
business partners.
 Encourages and supports entrepreneurial behavior in others.

24. Fostering Innovation: The ability to develop, sponsor, or support the introduction of
new and improved method, products, procedures, or technologies.

 Personally develops a new product or service.

 Personally develops a new method or approach.
 Sponsors the development of new products, services, methods, or procedures.
 Proposes new approaches, methods, or technologies.
 Develops better, faster, or less expensive ways to do things.
 Works cooperatively with others to produce innovative solutions.

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25. Results Orientation: The ability to focus on the desired result of one’s own or one’s
unit’s work, setting challenging goals, focusing effort on the goals, and meeting or
exceeding them.

 Develops challenging but achievable goals.

 Develops clear goals for meetings and projects.
 Maintains commitment to goals in the face of obstacles and frustrations.
 Finds or creates ways to measure performance against goals.
 Exerts unusual effort over time to achieve a goal.
 Has a strong sense of urgency about solving problems and getting work done.

26. Thoroughness: Ensuring that one’s own and others’ work and information are
complete and accurate; carefully preparing for meetings and presentations; following up
with others to ensure that agreements and commitments have been fulfilled.

 Sets up procedures to ensure high quality of work (e.g., review meetings).

 Monitors the quality of work.
 Verifies information.
 Checks the accuracy of own and others’ work.
 Develops and uses systems to organize and keep track of information or work
progress.
 Carefully prepares for meetings and presentations.
 Organizes information or materials for others.
 Carefully reviews and checks the accuracy of information in work reports (e.g.,
production, sales, financial performance) provided by management, management
information systems, or other individuals and groups.

27. Decisiveness: The ability to make difficult decisions in a timely manner.

 Is willing to make decisions in difficult or ambiguous situations, when time is

critical.
 Takes charge of a group when it is necessary to facilitate change, overcome an
impasse, face issues, or ensure that decisions are made.
 Makes tough decisions (e.g., closing a facility, reducing staff, accepting or
rejecting a high-stakes deal).

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III. Self-Management Competencies

28. Self Confidence: Faith in one’s own ideas and capability to be successful;
willingness to take an independent position in the face of opposition.

 Is confident of own ability to accomplish goals.

 Presents self crisply and impressively.
 Is willing to speak up to the right person or group at the right time, when he/she
disagrees with a decision or strategy.
 Approaches challenging tasks with a “can-do” attitude.

29. Stress Management: The ability to keep functioning effectively when under
pressure and maintain self control in the face of hostility or provocation.

 Remains calm under stress.

 Can effectively handle several problems or tasks at once.
 Controls his/her response when criticized, attacked or provoked.
 Maintains a sense of humor under difficult circumstances.
 Manages own behavior to prevent or reduce feelings of stress.

30. Personal Credibility: Demonstrated concern that one be perceived as responsible,

reliable, and trustworthy.

 Does what he/she commits to doing.

 Respects the confidentiality of information or concerns shared by others.
 Is honest and forthright with people.
 Carries his/her fair share of the workload.
 Takes responsibility for own mistakes; does not blame others.
 Conveys a command of the relevant facts and information.

31. Flexibility: Openness to different and new ways of doing things; willingness to
modify one’s preferred way of doing things.

 Is able to see the merits of perspectives other than his/her own.

 Demonstrates openness to new organizational structures, procedures, and
technology.
 Switches to a different strategy when an initially selected one is unsuccessful.
 Demonstrates willingness to modify a strongly held position in the face of
contrary evidence.

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