LEADERSHIP
COMPETENCY LIST
Note:  2012 Ken Kuzia and Up Your Leadership
Duplication for any reason other than personal, non-commercial use
requires permission form the author.
DESCRI PTION
Competencies are the knowledge, skills and capabilities that employees use to be
successful at their jobs. Competencies are defined by the needs of the organization
and the job to be performed. Successful companies use competencies to identify and
search for the capabilities needed from job candidates, and then as a measure and
guide to employee development, compensation, performance appraisal, and
promotional/succession assessment.
Competencies are defined in three basic categories:
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Core Competencies – the competencies needed by all employees in order to be
successful at their jobs in the company.
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Leadership Competencies – the competencies required to successfully lead people
as a foreman, team leader, supervisor, manager, director, or executive.
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Functional/Technical Competencies – the job-specific competencies for employees
to be successful at the given tasks defined by their job descriptions.
For more detailed information, refer to the series of articles on competencies and their
application in the Articles Library at the Up Your Leadership web site,
UpYourLeadership.com.
Although most of the competencies listed here may, in some way, be applicable to the
employees in your company, it is a bureaucratic nightmare to attempt to use too many
competencies. Companies that successfully use competencies typically select 10 to 15
competencies that are most important to company success as Core and Leadership
competencies. Functional/Technical competencies will add a few more based upon the
requirements and responsibilities of an individual job.
We made no effort to list or define specific examples of functional/technical
competencies although some listed here might fall into that category. The range of
possibilities for functional/technical competencies is too large to include here. Such a
list would include competencies for the use and level of use for machinery, professional
expertise, processes, software, safety, tools, vehicles, and others.
ACCOUNTABILITY &
EMPOWERMENT
BUILDING
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APPRAISING
PERFORMANCE
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Takes ownership for the consequences of one’s own actions & decisions
Takes responsibility for making decisions, owns outcomes, and does not
shift focus of blame on others in case of a failure
Completes self-assessment to identify development opportunities and
strengthens one’s own development, growth, and capabilities
Encourages and strengthens the development, growth, and responsibility
to build self-esteem of others
Asks productive questions as well as reflective questions that encourage
thinking
Sets realistic expectations for performance based on employee’s
capabilities and development aspirations
Identifies information and other resources that are needed, and ensures
that boundaries are removed to make them available
Infuses vision, values, and goals into daily work
Challenges others to take reasonable and calculated risks
Teaches others how to identify self-imposed barriers and how to
overcome them
Uses a three-part scale to appraise performance: Fails to Meet, Meets, &
Exceeds Expectations
Sets and communicates fair and reasonable performance expectations at
the beginning of the appraisal period
Measures outcomes and reinforces expectations throughout the
performance period
Measures actual performance results against expectations using facts
and observations
Records and retains any facts, measures, observations or any other
pertinent performance details throughout the performance period
Provides periodic feedback regarding performance quality
Writes a performance appraisal with observations and facts
Compares performance against the expectations set at the beginning of
the performance period
Discusses an appraisal with an employee and reviews sources of facts,
measures, and observations, then clarifies any questions
Ties the prior period performance results to the next performance period’s
continuous development objectives
Makes realistic and accurate judgments about others
Accurately evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of others, and
understands their manner of thinking, acting, and behaving
Accurately interprets body language, reticence, stress and emotions of
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CHANGE
MANAGEMENT
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COACHING
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others: “reads between the lines” with people
Defers making judgments until facts are gathered and analyzed
Confronts own assumptions to avoid incorrect inference
Juggles multiple priorities simultaneously
Changes direction and priorities with little or no notice and does so
successfully without complaint
Is able to leave older, lower-priority tasks unfinished while moving on to
newer, high-priority tasks with little or no notice
Appropriately manages rapid and complex change
Demonstrates support for innovation and for organizational change
needed to improve the organization's effectiveness
Initiates, sponsors, and implements organizational transformation
Helps others to successfully manage organizational adjustments
Communicates change requirements with measurements and milestones
Makes the link between required changes and the business strategy to
enhance understanding and commitment
Leverages early adopters and manages “stallers” and resistors
Builds a relationship based on trust and communication
Gives clear definitions of expectations for results
Provides support for all requirements
Asks questions to fully understand the situation before making decisions
Conducts tough or serious and focused conversations when required
Separates self and self-interests from the employee’s situation
Uses problem-solving and patience to get to the truth and real issues
Empowers others to make their own decisions and encourages full
accountability without complaint
Helps others see themselves as important and valuable to the company
Makes difficult issues discussable to get to the root of issues
Accurately interprets body language, reticence, stress, and emotions to
reads between the lines” with people
Uses active listening skills
Encourages conversation by asking questions and appropriate probing
Encourages a trust-based exchange by accepting what others say without
judgment, and by ensuring the whole story is heard
Identifies the content as well as the context of a discussion
Avoids errors by not making inferences but making fact-based decisions
Allows others to have their truths (opinions and perceptions)
Allows others to make decisions for themselves
Chooses the right time to confront objectionable or poor behavior
Confronts controversial or difficult issues in an objective manner
COMMITMENT
BUILDING
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COMMITMENT
(SELF)
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COMMUNICATING
EFFECTIVELY
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Explains the value of the task to the company, the owners, the employee,
and the community, as appropriate
Asks employees to make a promise to timely and full fulfillment of
promises made
Provides a compelling or inspired vision of what has to be accomplished
Develops and invokes a self-starting attitude in others in the pursuit of a
goal
Motivates others to do their best
Provides practical, concrete ideas, and methods to assist others in
achieving their goals
Asks for commitment upfront
Senses and resolves hesitations to commit
Manages delay in and resistance to commitment
Rewards commitment and follow-through
Seeks to understand requirements established for a job, before promising
to deliver
Makes a personal pledge to execute a specific task by a certain time, with
full delivery
Makes agreements, pledges, and promises without bowing to external
influences or pressures
Motivates oneself from within to stay focused on delivering on promises
Demonstrates personal involvement and engagement – “has skin in the
game”
Demonstrates acceptance and belief in action promised
Understands and uses multiple forms of communication
Alters communication approach based upon message, audience, and
likely response
Communicates successfully with all levels of subordinates, peers, and
superiors
Clearly conveys the message’s intent through artful use of vocabulary,
clarity, and skill in understanding the situation and the audience
Understands the importance, timing, and amount of communication
needed in the given situation
Listens actively and provides verbal and non-verbal feedback
Stays on topic and pulls others back to the topic when attentions are
diverted
Exchanges ideas, opinions, information, experiences, and assumptions
freely and with a truthful approach
Expresses oneself clearly in conversations and interactions with others
Engages others quickly by creating a safe environment for communicating
Expresses oneself clearly in business writing
Asks questions in a non-threatening manner to maintain a safe
environment
Accurately interprets body language, reticence, stress, and emotions of
others
“Reads between the lines” with people
COMPETITIVE
NATURE
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CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT
CONSISTENCY &
RELIABILITY
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Analyzes conflicts and the basis for the issues before acting
Looks for growth opportunities in face of adversity
Approaches issues from multiple perspectives and with input of others
Plans ways to act to improve or resolve the problem through collaboration
Starts with a win-win perspective and attempts a collaborative solution
Actively seeks to prevent harmful conflict
Engages in managed contention to get to the best outcome
Shifts strategy to negotiation, “lose-lose”, or “I win – you lose” if “win-win”
and collaboration fail
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Is conscientious about delivering on personal and professional
commitments
Has predictable behavior rather than sporadic highs and lows
Is punctual and is known for being punctual
Says what is meant and does what is promised
Works to be perceived as responsible, reliable, and trustworthy
Is trusting and trustworthy unless the situation dictates otherwise
Achieves a high level of performance that does not vary much in quality
over time
Stays steadfast in adherence to the one’s principles
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CORRECTING
OTHERS
Deals effectively in environment where consistently “winning” is critical
Uses tenacity, boldness and a “want to win” attitude in dealing with highly
competitive situations
Changes strategies as situation dictates to ensure a winning outcome
Competes only with external companies or vendors and encourage a
collaborative environment within the company
Demonstrates an eagerness to win, to succeed
Uses competition to build focus and energy
Ensures that department or group focus supports company success
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Chooses the right time to confront objectionable or poor behavior
Confronts controversial or difficult issues in an objective manner
Has non-emotional discussions about disciplinary matters
Focuses on employee actions and decisions in practical ways to identify
mistakes, corrective actions required, and points of learning
Identifies the causes of success and failure in others and provides
feedback in an objective and accurate manner
Stresses fixing the problem and developing the person
Addresses behavior and not an employee’s personhood
Ensures that expectations for going forward are clear
Makes an effort to help an employee maintain self-respect while
discussing mistakes, errors, or failures
CREATIVITY
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CUSTOMER FOCUS
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DECISION MAKING
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Views issues and problems from multiple perspectives
Willing to take reasonable risks to try new approaches
Has the ability to use imagination and challenge conventional thinking to
develop new approaches, designs, or methods
Adapts traditional methods, concepts, models, designs, technologies, or
systems to new applications
Devises new approaches to make improvements or solve problems
Evaluates situations to identify opportunities for process improvement,
waste reduction, and removing bottlenecks
Identifies two or more solutions to ensure choice and increased probability
of success
Uses brainstorming process rules to enhance idea generation
Avoids evaluating ideas until brainstorming is finished
Encourages others to imagine, be innovative, and to take reasonable risks
in trying new approaches
Understands the needs, desires and motivations of customers and
explains them to employees
Delivers products and services that meet or exceed (internal or external)
customer expectations
Demonstrates concern for satisfying internal and external customers
Communicates regularly with customers (or sales/marketing) to predict
trends and needed changes
Works to create what the customer will want in advance of the customer
wanting it
Understands the difference between customer satisfaction, needs, wants,
and communicates difference to employees
Measures or gets measures of customer approval and satisfaction on a
regular basis and makes changes accordingly
Communicates customer information to help employees understand
company strategy, goals and action plans
Develops a strong relationship with (or knowledge of) key customers
Discusses customer expectations when decisions are made, policies are
implemented, and employees are trained
Is objective and fairly evaluates the different aspects of a situation
Makes ethical decisions that takes into account all problem or situational
aspects, components, or issues
Simultaneously considers the needs of one's self, of others, and the
company when making decisions
Formulates accurate, intuitive perceptions about a situation and uses
them in making a decision or taking action
Consistently uses a specific decision making model or process to make
decisions
Makes difficult decisions in a timely manner
Makes the final call when others won’t
Takes reasonable, calculated risks when making decisions
DELEGATING
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DETAIL
ORIENTATION
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DEVELOPING
OTHERS (TRAINING)
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DEVELOPING SELF
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Assigns responsibility fairly and equally based on employee capabilities
Surrenders control (but not accountability) of a given situation to
employees when delegating tasks
Is comfortable in a situation where a significant portion of the
responsibility for achieving a goal lies in the hands of others
Conveys confidence in employees' ability to be successful especially
when faced with challenging new tasks
Assigns increasing responsibility and authority up to and slightly beyond
the employees’ abilities to provide challenge and development
Sees and pays attention to details
Recognizes the component parts of a procedure or object, and verifies the
correctness or error in an individual part or procedure
Analyzes and challenges data before making important decisions
Looks for patterns others don’t look for
Conducts a “sense check” to ensure data are reasonable
Maintains accuracy of data for future use
Ensures others have considered details before moving forward
Notices details and really cares about them
Assesses strength and application of job-required knowledge & skills
based on importance and requirements of the job
Prioritizes development needs based on assessment
Determines the best method for development (class, on-job-training, et
al.) based on development needed and employee learning style
Establishes a development plan including targets, time frames, methods,
and required resources before beginning development
Regularly measures development progress through observation, testing,
performance measures, or instructor/mentor feedback
Provides feedback following practice
Determines when sufficient development has occurred, and employee is
ready to apply learned knowledge and skill to position
Provides appropriate follow-up and feedback to fully integrate skills
Rewards learning successes to motivate additional or future learning
Creates, uses, and documents progress in personal development plan
Sets short and long-term development goals
Assesses own skills and development needs on the basis of job
requirements, company, customer, feedback, and technology changes
Seeks feedback to identify skill and knowledge shortfalls
Consistently seeks and obtains training and growth opportunities
Creates a development plan with action steps that support structured
progress and self-assessment
Uses a variety of development assessment methods including 360°
feedback, formal assessment, informal feedback, and mentors
Determines when sufficient development has occurred, and is ready to
apply learned knowledge and skill
DIVERSITY
MANAGEMENT
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Reviews one’s development plan and progress with one’s supervisor.
Rewards one’s self when development goals are reached
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Does not allow unfair implications of prejudged information to enter into
and affect an interpersonal relationship
Inhibits and eliminates unfair implications of prejudicial information from
entering into or affecting a work relationship
Doesn’t allow a person’s class, race, sex, ethnicity, age, sexual
orientation, or personal philosophy to cause bias against actions,
potential, intentions, or attitudes of others
Encourages productive and mutually beneficial interactions between
employees
Works to unleash and integrate the various experiences, ideas, and
talents that employees bring to the job and company
Demonstrates and promotes a sense of community and comfort with
difference
Promotes harmonious team member relationships, and intervenes when
differences cause disharmony
Solicits different opinions, ideas, and approaches and draws out different
perspectives to gain the best outcomes
Recognizes and discusses instances when diversity has enhanced
outcomes
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DRIVE, (PERSONAL)
EMOTIONAL
CONTROL
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Demonstrates the desire to achieve, accomplish, or complete a task
Drives to achieve better than the status quo
Seeks fulfillment and reward from work
Interprets problems or set-backs as challenges and opportunities to learn
Drives hard but never over others
Encourages others to excel
Pushes people to excel but never pushes too hard or too far
Recognizes and rewards employees that demonstrate personal drive
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Maintains a rational and objective demeanor in stressful or emotional
situations
Remains self-composed and never displays anger in a difficult situation
Acts objectively, rather than impulsively or emotionally
Acts without allowing emotions to get in the way of making objective
decisions
Gathers facts and does analysis before responding to emotionally
charged situations
Knows when emotionally flooded and withholds comment or action until
emotions subside
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EMPATHY
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Understands how someone feels and imagines what it is like to be the
other person in their situation or circumstances
Perceives and understands the feelings, attitudes, and situations being
experienced by others
Notices, interprets, and anticipates the concerns and feelings of others
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EMPLOYEE
TERMINATION
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ETHICAL
LEADERSHIP
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FACILITATING
FORUMS & FOCUS
GROUPS
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and communicates this awareness compassionately
Places oneself “in the shoes of others” and views a situation from their
perspective
Avoids allowing personal feelings and attitudes to get in the way of
sensing the emotions and feelings of others
Checks out (asks about or confirms) the emotional state of others to
ensure appropriate interpretation before speaking or acting
Maintains an environment of respect and ensures that team members are
engaged and not marginalized
Avoids marginalizing others
Takes responsibility and ownership for the termination decision and
demonstrates such by not blaming others
Accurately describes the gap between the employee's behavior and
expectations that caused the termination
Uses tact and demonstrates respect for the employee throughout the
termination process
Ensures clear instructions are given to terminated employees about next
steps, benefits, final pay, and further company communications
Treats terminated employees’ questions with respect and answers
questions appropriate to address
Coaches terminated employees, if requested, on how to approach
coworkers regarding the termination
Watches for emotional stress, threats, or potential for injurious behavior
and alerts HR or authorities, if required
Refers terminated employees to Human Resources regarding specific
benefit and reference questions
Leads by making decisions, providing clear direction, establishing clear
measures, and rewards
Demonstrates trust in others and one’s own trustworthiness
Is honest in communications and measurements
Requires respect for others and the incorporation of differences: ideas,
experience, approach, and style
Demonstrates loyalty, humbleness, friendliness, approachability, and
openness
Demonstrates integrity by owning failures, being honest in measurements,
and giving credit where due
Manages by employing stewardship, empathy, inclusion, empowerment,
and ending marginalization
Follows rules, policies, and laws that apply to the company
Establishes new or supports and communicates existing guidelines for
group behavior
Uses excellent meeting management techniques
Makes the facilitation process clear, focused, and efficient
Manages the overall meeting process including process and information
management, participation, decision making, and recording
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FEEDBACK
(GIVING &
RECEIVING)
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Takes the responsibility for or assigns volunteers to roles like information
recorder and timekeeper
Allows the participants to decide if the current process needs to be altered
or refined
Establishes ground rules with the participants regarding group behaviors
and meeting process
Intervenes to manage disruptive behaviors
As facilitator, refrains from contributing ideas to the discussion unless
approved by the participants
Inhibits evaluation of ideas during brainstorming
Ensures common group understanding of discussions and decisions
Defends participants from personal attacks
Makes process suggestions if participants are stuck or the process
becomes bogged down
Monitors the energy of the group and takes appropriate action when
energy levels are low
Obtains feedback from the group regarding meeting effectiveness and
improvements needed
Disseminates meeting results to all stakeholders
Provides clear and balanced feedback based on facts including “pluses”
and “development opportunities”
Provides feedback in a timely manner
Recommends specific suggestions on both positive and negative behavior
Readily seeks out feedback from others
Remains open to ideas, improvements, and suggestions from others
Builds and maintains a trusting, respectful environment where feedback is
aimed at improving and not blaming
Handles rejection without becoming emotional
Maintains employee self-esteem when feeling failure or rejection
Chooses the right time to confront objectionable or poor behavior
Confronts controversial or difficult issues in an objective manner rather
than shy away from them
Has non-emotional discussions about disciplinary matters and failures
Focuses on the actions and decisions of others in practical ways to
identify both successes and mistakes
Identifies the causes of success and failure in others and does so in an
objective, sensitive, and accurate manner
Stresses fixing the problem, saving the person, and addressing behavior
and not the an employee’s person-hood
FINANCE
ESSENTIALS
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FLEXIBILITY
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GOAL ORIENTATION
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Understands basic finance terms like:
P&L
ROI
EBITDA
Asset
Fixed
Assets
Liability
Revenue
Income
Net Income
Depreciati
on
Capital
Expense
Fixed
Expense
Principal
Equity
Debt
Leveraging
Debt
Service
Net
Present
Value
Discounted
Cash Flow
Understands and can interpret the company's income, balance, and
equity statements
Understands cash flow concepts and how to support cash flow
management
Creates and uses a budget
Understands the importance of budgeting
Identifies and analyzes budget variances on a monthly basis to manage
budget
Understands and supports actions required to manage capital
improvements, assets, and depreciation
Readily modifies, responds to, and integrates change with minimal
personal resistance
Uses a high level of optimism and a “can do” orientation during times of
change
Uses multiple talents and is willing to adapt them to changing
assignments as required
Is open to different and new ways of doing things
Demonstrates a comfort with discovering more than one method to
accomplish a task
Is responsive to change; adaptable
Makes changes to when, where, and how employees work to better meet
individual and business needs
Coaches and encourages others to remain flexible and fluid during difficult
times
Stays on target regardless of circumstances
Stays focused on the task at hand and action required
Stays the course in difficult times
Remains motivated to accomplish goals even in the face of obstacles
Judges accurately the effects of reaching the goal and ability to fulfill that
particular goal with current resources and skills
Uses a strategy to affect how the company achieves revenues and future
plans and projects
INFLUENCING
OTHERS
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INITIATIVE
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INTEGRITY
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Listens to information from others
Probes to understand “political” and performance expectations/obligations
others are feeling to modify one’s approach accordingly
Provides clear and concise facts and information
Demonstrates to others why making a specific decision has clear value for
them personally
Elicits appropriate emotional responses from people by tying their needs
and values to a situation
Helps others attain a clear understanding so they feel comfortable with
the decisions they are making
Convinces others by using logic, facts, and by communicating the benefits
to others
Presents own viewpoint so it is received, understood, and accepted by
others
Gains others' support for ideas, proposals, projects, and solutions before
proceeding
Displays belief in and enthusiasm for one’s own viewpoint
Accurately interprets body language, reticence, stress, and emotions of
others to interpret their level of “buy-in” or agreement
“Reads between the lines” with people
Begins actions based on one’s own interpretation or understanding of a
situation
Requires no external catalyst, only one’s own intrinsic and work ethic, to
get work done
Identifies what needs to be done and does it before being asked or before
the situation requires action
Assesses competitors, company, customers, and technology to anticipate
changes and acts on that assessment
Acts based on risk assessment and courage
Has the power and ability to energetically begin or follow through with a
plan or task
Has a moral compass and has a personal belief in right and wrong based
on a common societal expectations
Speaks the truth and discusses the "undiscussables" – in ways that help
others hear the truth
Maintains own level of self-esteem when accepting the consequences of
one’s own actions
Remains respectful even when others have been dishonest or
disrespectful
Confronts dishonesty, immorality, and illegal acts rather than letting them
slide
Owns failure and takes responsibility for the consequences
LEADING OTHERS
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LISTENING
ACTIVELY
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MARKETING
ESSENTIALS
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MEETING
MANAGEMENT
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Communicates a compelling vision and mission and assists others in
accepting and achieving the mission and vision
Organizes and motivates people to get things accomplished and instills a
sense of order and direction
Leads by example
Builds in people a lust to move by communicating a clear difference
between the current and future states
Communicates progress marked by milestones so employees know
where they are, where they are going, and how to get there
Defines expectations, boundaries, limits, and policies so employees know
the rules of the game"
Is open to people and willing to hear what they are saying and not what
one thinks they should say, or are going to say
Willingly listens to many points of view without prejudging
Makes a conscious effort to hear not only the words but, more importantly,
tries to understand the complete message being sent
Seeks to understand before making an effort to be understood
Allows own truth and the truth of others to co-exist while investigating
each other’s truth
Accepts diverse opinions, thoughts, and ideas without having to defend
own opinions, thoughts, and ideas
Asks appropriate questions to understand the emotions and sentiment felt
by others
Asks probing questions to understand all of the facts being presented
Knows the company's basic marketing strategy
Strives to identify what others want, need, and their limits
Works to understand the constraints and pressures on the other party
Resists giving away own position or limits when negotiating or selling
Uses a variety of approaches to achieve agreement
Accepts the deal when the deal is right and doesn’t bargain beyond
Begins with the desired end result in mind and keeps the result in focus
throughout discussions or negotiations
Start with a win-win, collaborative approach and attitude but can compete
if the circumstances require it
When appropriate, works to ensure all parties get what they want
Calls and conducts a meeting only if necessary
Plans meetings by building and communicating an agenda with
objectives, follow-up items, responsibilities, and attendees
Sticks to the agenda unless the team needs to alter it
Engages all attendees to the level of their capabilities
Holds to the time allotted unless the team needs to extend the meeting to
reach a conclusion
Manages disruptive or dysfunctional behavior so focus is maintained
Evaluates meeting effectiveness at the end of each meeting and

MENTORING










MOTIVATING
OTHERS









NEGOTIATING





incorporates recommendations in subsequent meetings
Publishes meeting results, decisions, actions, and responsibilities to those
who need to know
Sets a clear understanding of the purpose of mentoring, defines roles for
the mentor and mentee, and defines boundaries
Advises and trains others based on learned knowledge and shared
experience
Listens without judgment and probes without prying to understand the
situation
Expands someone's ideas, when needed, without instructing
Develops and maintains rapport with the person being mentored to
enhance learning
Keeps one’s ego in check so the focus stays on the mentee and his/her
learning
Draws out what the mentee knows or can discover for her/himself instead
of immediately giving answers, solutions or advice
Provides insights or perspectives the mentee may not have
Challenges the person being mentored by providing sensitive feedback
without being demeaning or disrespectful
Avoids engaging in “psychological counseling” or therapy sessions with
the mentee
Understands the needs and desires of others enough to use this
understanding to motivate them to succeed
Encourages a self-starting, active pursuit of goals and objectives
Enhances others' commitment to their work by linking their goals to their
personal goals
Ties employee’s personal interests to the accomplishment of company
goals to create a belief that working is “worth it”
Clearly communicates to employees and explains “WIIFM” (What’s in it for
me?) to create individual motivators
Challenges others to reach new “personal bests”
Creates an environment where achievement is highly regarded by all
Investigates low or no motivation situations to understand why and then
removes barriers to accomplishment
Manages rewards and consequences to properly channel employee
choices and work effort
Begins with the desired end result in mind and keeps the result in focus
throughout discussions
Starts with a win-win, collaborative approach and attitude but can move to
other approaches if the circumstances require it
When appropriate, works to ensure all parties get what they want from the
“deal”
Strives to identify what the other party wants, needs, their target position,
and their max/min position
Works to identify and understand the constraints, expectations, and



NETWORKING






PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT











POLICIES AND
REGULATION
(SETTING &
MANAGING)




pressures on the other party
Resists providing information about one's own position. limits, and
expectations the company has
Knows and uses a variety of approaches and negotiating techniques to
achieve the desired outcome
Accepts the deal when the deal is right, gains agreement, documents the
deal, and doesn’t negotiate beyond that point
Looks for and develops opportunities to meet people across one’s
company and industry
Seeks or creates opportunities to meet potential customers and engender
their interest in the company's products or services
Assists others in their networking by introducing them to managers and
employees plus key customers and people in the industry
Asks network contacts for introductions to key or influential people
Keeps network alive and healthy by communicating regularly with
contacts and sharing information that the others would be interested in
Strives to help others achieve what they are trying to accomplish, and
asks others for help in an effort to build allies
Takes responsibility for one's own and one's employees' performance
success
Ensures that employees have a clear understanding of goals and
expectations throughout the performance period
Sets clearly defined incentives for achievement
Measures the changing nature of tasks and compares current skills and
abilities to the requirements of emerging situations
Teaches employees to measure and track progress against the goals and
timelines
Follows the Mager-Pipe methodology for differentiating among
Performance Gaps, Motivational Gaps, and Job Blockages
Addresses performance problems, slippage or scope creep promptly
Confronts controversial, objectionable or poor behavior or difficult issues
in an objective manner and at the right time
Identifies and communicates the actions and decisions that lead to
successes and mistakes
Identifies the causes of success and failure in others and does so in an
objective and accurate manner
Stresses fixing the problem and preserving the employee's self-esteem
and morale when mistakes occur
Recognizes and appreciates the value of conducting business according
to the company policies, standards and external regulation
Demonstrates compliance with policies and procedures and expects the
same of others
Understands and correctly communicates governing policies and
regulations to others
Is knowledgeable of pertinent policies, regulations, and laws


PRESENTATION
SKILLS (EFFECTIVE)



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


PRIORITY
MANAGEMENT


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


PROBLEM SOLVING



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


Holds others accountable for not following policy when situations didn’t
support breaking a policy
Formulates policies to balance the interests of diverse internal and
external stakeholders
Designs and adjusts presentations to fit audience
Designs presentations with specific action in mind: Inform, Decide, or
Move to Action
Uses rapid learning technology to enhance presentation comprehension
and audience engagement
Engages the audience to ensure comprehension and retention
Asks and answers questions as a tool to keep audience engaged
Designs presentations using a logical order or flow that helps the
audience follow, understand, and integrate concepts
Checks audience for understanding and tracking
Spends one’s time and the time of others on what’s important rather than
what's expedient.
Focuses on critical issues and defers the trivial until someone asks for
them or they become Important issues
Quickly differentiates between what actions and decisions will and what
will not accomplish a goal
Accomplishes important and urgent goals in the right order to prevent
tasks from becoming a crisis
Creates and maintains one’s own focus on important and critical needs
and creates that same focus in others
Ensures that appropriate and sufficient materials and resources are
available according to task priority
Consistently uses an effective model or process for solving problems with
a logical, systematic, sequential approach
Identifies the elements and facts of a problem to determine which
components are critical
Sees different aspects of a situation and chooses the most appropriate
approach, identifies alternative solutions, and selects the best solution
Uses simple quality tools to analyze data and to identify problem sources
and types of errors
Uses analysis data to identify the root cause and solutions to resolve the
current problem
Establishes an action plan that includes action, owners, resources, and
deadlines and is based on the needs of the stakeholders
Ensures that solutions won’t cause additional or future problems in other
systems or for other stakeholders
Measures outcomes of resolution action plan to ensure that problem has
been solved and eliminated for the future
PROCESS
IMPROVEMENT







PROCESS
MANAGEMENT






PROJECT
MANAGEMENT







PROPERTY
(RESPECT FOR)




Understands the difference between Re-Engineering and Process
Improvement
Translates customer needs and divides work into fundamentals and
breakthroughs to ensure day-to-day results and makes time to translate
process improvement expectations into measurable goals
Employs process mapping tools to make the process visible and to
identify unnecessary checkpoints and bottlenecks
Uses quality tools to quantify and classify errors, frequency, improvement
priorities, and resolve causes
Uses quality tools and statistics to quantify process variation and
establishes upper and lower control limits
Demonstrates “Plan-Do-Check-Act” to ensure that process improvement
is controlled and making the process better
Employs "Just-in-Time", Kaizen, and basic change processes to ensure
that changes are improving quality and reducing costs
Understands and applies the basic system components: input, value
adding activity, output, and feedback to manage processes
Understands how one’s self and team fit into a given system or process
Takes responsibility for the team's role in the system and process and
takes action to ensure delivery of the team's expected contributions
Accepts personal loss or team setbacks when required for the benefit of
the overall process
Constantly monitors system feedback and adjusts the systems and
processes to continually improve efficiencies
Monitors the team’s impact on team’s up and down stream to ensure that
the team’s process is in sync with the whole process
Defines customer requirements, desired outcomes, and quality measures
Identifies required actions, owners, resources, measures, deadlines and
budget requirements
Lists steps required in sequence needed, then Identifies the critical path
and uses it to guide the rest of the project
Identifies potential risks, evaluates them, and adds action steps to ensure
risks are avoided, eliminated, or minimized
Understands and uses the proper allocation of resources to get things
done on time and within budget
Understands and effectively manages project components of time,
resources, and deliverable requirements and specifications
Engages others in the project as needed and sets clear expectations for
time, priorities, deliverables, budgets, and deadlines
Recognizes and appreciates the value of protecting and responsibly using
company property and resources
Takes action to protect company property, as well as, the property of the
team and others
Ensures compliance with software licensing, security processes, and data
sharing policies
Ensures confidentiality of company, customer, vendor, and employee


QUALITY
ORIENTATION




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
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


RECOGNIZING &
REWARDING
(PERFORMANCE &
BEHAVIOR)








RELATIONSHIP
BUILDING
(& MAINTAINING)




records and information
Actively investigates or reports security and data breaches, and rumors of
potential property loss
Maintains employee awareness of security, data protection, and resource
use policies and regulations
Has an affinity for seeing details and patterns and interpreting them using
preset standards or specifications
Uses quality tools and statistics to identify and classify flaws and errors to
correct them
Translates customer needs into requirements, specifications and
measures for product or service deliverables
Ensures that own work and team members' work and information are
complete, accurate, and trustworthy
Follows up with others to ensure that agreements and commitments have
been fulfilled
Creates, implements, and manages a set of rules governing repeatability
to enhance efficiencies and add value to the business
Maintains defined processes that increase quality, consistency, and
customer acceptance
Uses quality tools to troubleshoot problems and to improve products,
services, and processes
Uses quality tools to calculate the actual and theoretical process
capabilities to determine process efficiency
Applies basic statistics to quantify, qualify, and compare data
Constantly looks for good work being done and provides positive
feedback
Links positive feedback and the behavior or skill that needs repeating by
stating what specifically was observed or measured
Uses a variety of methods for rewarding performance
Chooses rewards that are important to the individual
Link rewards and recognition to people's goals and aspirations to
demonstrate how positive performance contributes to individual's desired
outcomes
Conduct periodic conversations with employees to better understand their
personal goals, aspirations, and individual motivators
Establishes personalized employee work and development goals to
maximize motivation and commitment to high quality work
Routinely celebrates high quality work, goal attainment, and attainment of
new "personal bests"
Demonstrates and maintains a positive, open, and objective attitude
toward others
Motivates oneself to form productive, helpful relationships with others
Uses personal knowledge and insight of others to formulate the best way
to continue building relationships
Uses interpersonal skills and active listening while interacting with others


REMOTE
MANAGEMENT








RESULTS
ORIENTATION










SELF ASSESSMENT






to ensure they feel respected and valued
Converts relationships into strong partnerships and then works to
maintain them
Willingly offers and provides information, assistance, and support
Talks and corresponds regularly with field or remote employees
Makes it a point to increase levels and frequency of communications with
employees who work remotely
Provides more detail to remote employees about the context of situations
that people in the office can sense
Integrates communication technology to help the team feel as if they are
working together
Increases the level of performance feedback during discussions with
remote employees to ensure they feel valued
Works to keep local team members knowledgeable of the remote team
members: “wins”, personal activities, “special moments in life”
Creates opportunities for remote employees to connect with peers,
leaders, and senior leaders
Makes every effort to get remote employees into the office to maintain
face-to-face relationships with peers and internal customers
Focuses on the desired result of one’s self and one’s department, sets
challenging goals, focuses effort on the goals, and meets or exceeds
them
Challenges one’s self and others to raise the bar on performance
Gives priority to achieving results for the company or department, even if
it conflicts with one’s own personal goals or agenda
Identifies actions necessary to achieve completion of tasks required to
achieve the goal
Takes appropriate risks to accomplish objectives
Develops an execution plan with the team to gain buy-in and commitment
Focuses people on critical actions that yield a high impact on results
Develops a sense of urgency in others to achieve their objectives
Prioritizes and completes tasks in an order that delivers the desired
results within budget and by the dead line using available resources
Meets schedules, deadlines, quotas, and performance goals
Periodically identifies one’s personal strengths and weaknesses using a
practical and objective approach
Takes the skills and experience gained in evaluating external situations
and applies them to evaluating one’s own abilities
Actively seeks the input of others regarding one’s performance, values,
personality, capabilities, and impact on others
Uses feedback from others and analysis of own performance to identify
personal strengths and weaknesses
Assesses self against a thorough list of leadership skills, e.g. delegating,
coaching, budgeting, managing meetings, developing others, etc.
Tracks periodic assessments to determine if one’s development efforts
are producing increased leadership capabilities
SELF CONFIDENCE,
SELF-ESTEEM








SITUATIONAL
ANALYSIS






STANDARDS
(SETTING &
MEETING)






STRATEGIC
THINKING






Develops and maintains inner strength based on one’s desire to succeed
Believes that one possesses and effectively uses one’s capabilities to
succeed
Has faith in one's own ideas and potential to be successful
Maintains a willingness to take an independent position in the face of
opposition
Acts in a manner that preserves and strengthens self-worth without
detriment to others or the company
Manages personal setbacks with a positive attitude
Has a stable and enduring sense of self-worth or personal value
Trust’s oneself in interactions, leading, and decision making
Keeps critical issues in context to understand what is happening and
effectively uses knowledge and experience to create plans to resolve a
situation
Conducts a thorough examination of internal and external factors affecting
the business or department
Considers economic, political, social, and technological factors of the
situation
Breaks a situation down to its basic components to foster analysis
Identifies and interprets the meaning of and the relationship between the
elements of a situation to understands which elements are critical
Identifies critical activities and process gaps
Sees and understands the stated requirements established for a job, and
has the commitment to meet them
Identifies opportunities and establishes standards in one’s own work and
the work of subordinates
Documents and communicates minimally acceptable employee
performance levels to ensure continuity of service, delivery, and revenue
Recognizes when and how one’s own group standards impacts others
and works to eliminate any negative impacts
Defines and uses a minimum level of skill proficiency to determine which
candidates quality for a position
Uses stated qualifications to define when development or performance
improvement is required
Evaluates future implications of current decisions and actions
Mentally creates scenarios and outcomes of situations that could develop
from current decisions or plans of action
Acts to forestall future potential problems
Identifies and evaluates resources and plans for their use throughout the
execution of comprehensive long-range plan
Identifies long-range goals, and designs realistic plans to attain them
Sees the big picture and determines what direction to take and how to use




STRESS
MANAGEMENT






TEAMWORK
(FOSTERING)








TECHNICAL
COMPETENCE








resources to attain future goals
Analyzes the organization's competitive position by considering market
and industry trends
Tracks existing and potential customers and strengths and weaknesses
as compared to competitors
Identifies long-range goals and designs realistic plans to attain them
Sees the big picture and determines what direction to take and how to use
resources to attain future goals
Balances and defuses inner tensions and stresses
Separates oneself from stressful situations and maintains a sense of inner
peace
Does not transfer stress to others
Helps the team to deal successfully with stress
Continues to function effectively when under pressure
Maintains self-control in the face of hostility or provocation
Motivates self and others to be part of a team and be jointly committed to
and responsible for team outcomes and results
Demonstrates working cooperatively with others to achieve a high-quality
output
Demonstrates interest, skill, and success in training groups to learn to
work together as a team
Takes responsibility, as an individual team member, for the consequences
of the actions of the team
Routinely offers support for others’ ideas, opinions, and proposals
Reinforces the team and individual team members for their contributions,
efforts, and accomplishments
Gives honest, constructive, timely feedback to the team and individual
team members, when required
Identifies the reason for conflicts or stalling and works with team members
to get back on track
Is an intermediate or stronger user of company systems, e.g. computers,
software, databases, and phone systems germane to the job
Has an in-depth understanding of company systems and associated
policies and processes that are germane to the job
Understands the technical aspects of the company’s products or services
sufficiently to generally represent the company
Has sufficient technical expertise to mentor direct reports
Is proficient in using department technology to enhance performance and
production
Stays abreast of emerging technologies and how they may be employed
in the department
Adopts new technology earlier than others
Looks for ways to incorporate new technologies to enhance efficiencies,
quality, and customer service
URGENCY
(SENSE OF)






WORKFORCE
PLANNING







Approaches high priority tasks with decisiveness, rapid response, and
confident action
Uses good judgment to quickly handle demanding situations and makes
decisions on-the-spot
Faces important deadlines through the successful application of skill,
knowledge, determination, and rapid response
Treats key business or personal matters as if one's life depended on it
Stays focused on results and deadlines until the task or project is
completed
Detects projects which call for immediate attention and then acts on them
until they are successfully completed
Conducts annual career discussions with individual employees to monitor
changes in career aspirations
Annually assesses the impact of changes in the company’s strategy on
company or department staffing
Rates individuals’ “promotability” annually to determine pool of “ready
now” and “ready future” candidates
Creates and implements development plans for “ready now” and “ready
future” candidates
Secures promotions for “
ready now” and rotational assignments for “ready future” candidates
Articulates what employees have to do, when asked, to get into the “ready
now” or “ready future” pool
BOTTOM LI NE
This list of competencies is offered as a usable sample to select from for your core and
leadership purposes. However, it is not intended as a complete set of competencies
meant to cover all possible situations for your company. Feel free to add, delete or
redefine any competencies listed here (as I did) to better suit your needs.
This list of competencies and definitions is developed from multiple resources and selfexperience. Additional lists can be found on the Internet. References used for this list
can be found under the “Leader Competencies” heading on the main menu bar on the
Up Your Leadership web site, UpYourLeadership.com.
REFERENCES
31 Core Competencies Explained
by Edward J. Cripe and Richard S. Mansfield
http://www.workforce.com/article/20020903/NEWS01/309039977
About Quality Tools
Syque Quality
http://syque.com/quality_tools/tools/TOOLS01.htm
Active Listening – Hear What People Are Really Saying
by James Manktelow & Amy Carlson – (© Mind Tools Ltd, 1996-2012)
http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm
Conducting Development Discussions – Manager’s Tips” – PDF
Career and Talent Management / MIT Human Resources
http://hrweb.mit.edu/ctm/managers/retaining-developing-workforce/development-planning
Creating a Professional Development Plan – PDF
net.educause.edu
http://www.educause.edu/
Dialogue Skills: Mastering The Workplace Conversations You Dread
by Sam Galea
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=171725&ca=Leadership
Financial and Resources Management Individual Development Plan Advisor
NASA
http://nasapeople.nasa.gov/training/cdmr/devguide.htm
Giving and Receiving Feedback
by Gail Zach Anderson, Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD
Free Management LibraryTM
http://managementhelp.org/communicationsskills/feedback.htm
How to Communicate Effectively
WikiHowTM
http://www.wikihow.com/Communicate-Effectively
How You Write an Annual Performance Appraisal
Could Work For You or Against You
Creative Business Resources
http://cbri.com/annual_performance_appraisal
Mentor Others
by Ann Rolfe Mentoring Works
http://mentoring-works.com/mentor_others.html
Positive Steps for Managing Conflict
by David Javitch
Entrepreneur
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/205490
Note: The following references can be found and ordered through the “Recommended Reading
Book List page at UpYourLeadership.com.
The Recruiting Architect: Executive Handbook
– with Quick Reference Book Jacket
by Michael M. Lombardo & Robert W. Eichinger
The Value-Added Employee
by Edward J. Cripe and Richard S. Mansfield
What to Do With the rest of Your Life:
America’s Top Career Coach Shows You How to Find or
Create the Job You’ll LOVE
by Robin Ryan (New York: Fireside, 2002)