Identifying Competencies for High Performance

In my last post I discussed putting together a job description that included accountabilities and competencies.  I thought I would focus this post on competencies as these are the things needed for success in a role. 

Competency can be defined as: “any knowledge, skill, trait, motive, attitude, value or other personal characteristic that is essential to perform the job and that differentiates superior from solid performance.

Competencies for each position in your workplace will vary based upon the nature of the tasks, duties and expected behaviors.

Below is a sample list of competencies: (highlighted in bold are key competencies for managers)

Ability to learn

Achievement, accountability & drive for results

Adaptability/flexibility

Business Acumen

Communication

Creativity and Innovation

Critical Thinking

Customer Focus

Initiative 

Judgment & Decision Making   

Leadership

People Management

Planning & Organization

Process Improvement

Project Management

Self Control

Strategic Thinking & Vision

Teamwork/Relationship Building

Competencies are important because they provide the framework for what is needed to be successful.  They describe the “soft skills” required by the employee in order to achieve a superior performance.  As managers we can use competencies to our advantage when hiring.  An opening at your company will bring in candidates with similar job experiences and technical skills. Competencies can be used to identify which candidates will ultimately be the best fit for the company and in doing so will help improve employee retention and performance.  

The above list of competencies are just a few that can be used please review your workplace job profiles and see if competencies are part of the job description, if not getting moving to make it happen!

Developing Effective Job Descriptions

At times I like to view job postings on an array of employment websites to see how they are structured and if they give a clear description of the role and expectations.  I often find them to be lengthy, wordy and the description and expectations get loss in the posting.  Having a clear, detailed and simple job description will go a long way in ensuring that you get the right person for the job.  Below I will review the 3 key components of a job description.

3 key components of a job description
1) Why are you doing it? (summary profile)
2) What is expected (duties)
3) How to meet competencies

Knowing what accountabilities and competencies are will help ensure you have a well structured job description


Accountabilities 
- key responsibilities outlined in that job
- "buckets" that each task/duty fit into


Competency 
- is the behavior needed in order to perform the job
- e.g. critical thinking, people management


A simple way to remember accountabilities and competency is, This is what you have to do (accountabilities) this is what you need to do it (competencies)

Good Luck and Happy Job Posting!

Gaining Manager Buy In for Performance Reviews

As I mentioned in an earlier post annual performance reviews can sometimes be viewed more as a chore and a mandate from HR.  So if you want your company’s performance review to mean more than just a 20 minute sit down with a manager you need buy in from the top down.  If your managers do not buy-into your company’s performance review system neither will the rest of the employee work force, which can lead to poor employee engagement. 

Managers who do not believe in the annual performance review usually do so because of the following items. 

1)     Irrelevant to business objectives

2)     Time consuming and confusing

3)     Lack of training

4)     Past Experiences

5)     Lack of action after review process

These are all reasonable reasons to frown upon the performance review.  However, solutions do exist for these issues..    

If a manager is going through the review process and is consistently checking off the not applicable (N/A) check box then the employee’s performance review system needs to be reevaluated.  Changes need to occur in order to meet the company’s business objectives or so that its relevant to their current position with the company.

I have heard of performance reviews being15-20 pages in length which is crazy it can take that much paperwork to figure out whether or not the employee is meeting expectations.  The length and process alone makes people avoid performance reviews managers and employees alike.  Making the performance review system lean,efficient, and accurate must be priorities in gaining employee buy-in. 

Many managers may not have the confidence or training to conduct performance reviews with their team members, which can result in negative feelings towards the process.  Providing your managers with the necessary training or resources to become confident in their performance management skills will enable them to conduct effective performance reviews. 

If you already have an adequate performance review system in place but do not have a willing manager then it does not matter how great of a system it is if they are not accepting of it.  Their unwillingness to accept the performance management system may be due to a prior experience with a supervisor who did not buy-in with system.  Educating them on the benefits of the performance review system and how it can help them run a more productive team can help gain their support and acceptance.

The best performance reviews can only make the employee better if action is taken once the review is completed.  If employees are recognized for outstanding work they completed during the year they are more likely to continue with these habits as they are happy that their efforts have not gone unrecognized.  If an employee is lacking competencies required for their position a plan needs to be put in place in order to make sure the employee receives the required training.  Employees will recognize that you are committed to them through providing them with various development opportunities.  They will motivated to use their new training in order to help contribute to the companies objectives.