Increasing levels of ability to communicate
Behaviour
-> Baby gurgling
-> A child speaking their first few words.
-> Is able to read and write.
-> Articulate in discussing simple subjects.
-> Capable of explaining complex or difficult concepts to a wide range of people.
Competencies can therefore set expectations about how managers and staff should behave on a day to day basis in an organisation. Competencies can be set around a range of different areas such as: leadership, team working, strategic thinking, communication etc.
Organisations can readily use the statements to identify how managers and staff currently behave and what their strengths and weaknesses are. However, while development needs might be fairly easy to identify, many managers and organisations struggle to identify what actions they or their staff should take to develop, (without advocating the proverbial training course!). In reality there are many other practical actions that an individual can take to learn and develop. To close this loop for managers and staff, development actions need to be aligned to each competency.
The following is an example of this, for the competency ‘Strategic Thinking’ and development ideas have been set out under four headings:
-Personal actions that the individual can take.
-Coaching/mentoring actions that the individual can take in conjunction with others.
-Reading materials and web resources that would improve the individual’s knowledge.
-Internal and external courses.
The development ideas presented below are not meant to be exhaustive but as an example of what actions could be taken to develop the competence ‘Strategic Thinking’.
Competency - Strategic Thinking
Development Ideas – Strategic Planning Skills
Personal Actions
-Read the business pages of a quality newspaper such as The Times, Financial Times, Telegraph etc. Alternatively subscribe to the Harvard Business Review. Learn about strategies and actions that other organisations have taken to improve their performance. Determine which ones of these would work well within your business.
-Prepare a ‘strategic perspective’ for your business/function. Research what the likely key trends and changes will be in the next 3-5 years? For example changes in technology, applications, competition, legislation, demographics, etc. What opportunities and threats does this provide?
-Research your major competitors and develop a detailed profile of each competitor. What can you learn from them?
-Analyse your customer’s needs. What is it they need and want in your products applications and services now and in the future?
-Volunteer to work on a cross functional business project.
-Learn to play chess.
Coaching Actions
-Discuss with a trusted colleague or your coach your ability to strategize and see the ‘big picture’. Identify weaknesses or blind spots. Discuss ideas to force yourself to move from details to the ‘big picture’ to gain a broader prospective.
-Seek someone who could act as a mentor (either internally or externally) and could guide you through a strategic planning process.
-Discuss with your manager your ability to make sound judgements and business decisions. What feedback can they give you about your effectiveness? What decisions could you have made differently?
-Identify the most important decision that you have to make in the next 3-6 months. Discuss with your manager or colleague the key steps to making the decision and likely information you will need. Start gathering the relevant information.
Reading Materials
-Applied Strategic Planning – Goldstein, Nolan and Pfeiffer. McGraw – Hill.
-Competing for the Future – Hamel and Champy. Harper Business.
-Competitive Strategy – Porter. The Free Press.
External Courses
-Take a course or formal qualification (e.g. MBA) to help you to:
-Formulate and execute strategic plans
-Detect the opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses that drive a strategic plan
-Identify strategies to better position your organisation for long-term competitive advantage.
Internal Courses
-Attend our Strategic Leadership programme. Contact Fred Smith 0044 123 456.
Such a document can be provided in hard copy format, for example as a ‘Development Guide’, or alternatively via the business’ intranet site. In this way the link is clearly made between the standards expected from an employee and the actions that they can take to develop themselves.
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