Competencies and I go way back. Over the years (a lot of them), I\u2019ve seen the power they can have as a tool to align, guide, and steer. The list of competencies seems endless \u2013 we could probably list 50 in just a few minutes.<\/p>\n
When that was done, we would be able to see that some seem more important than others. In fact, there are three competencies that rise to the top because they are critical in every environment – and they always will be.<\/p>\n
But let\u2019s take a step back first to make sure we’re all on the same page. A good working definition of a competency is a set of behaviors that are linked to success<\/em>.<\/strong> Examples of competencies include: Customer Focus, Flexibility, Outcome Orientation, etc\u2026 Competencies are typically used to define and focus development, as a framework for succession planning, as a language to help with career discussions, and even as a driver of compensation in some cases.<\/p>\n Communication<\/strong>\u2026 Collaboration<\/strong>\u2026 Values Orientation<\/strong>. Simply put, in all of the competency-based work I\u2019ve done, these are almost always in the mix. Many other competencies are important too, but none will stand the test of time and be as broadly important as The Big Three<\/em>. They will not become obsolete, pass\u00e9, or irrelevant. I have a theory on why that is true, and if I\u2019m right, it will present a call to action for many of us.<\/p>\n Although The Big Three have enjoyed universal importance, the behaviors that underlie them will change over time, as they have in the past. For instance, being a good communicator is different today than it has been in the past. Innovative tools, new generations, faster pace, and permanence have all impacted the behaviors that constitute being a good communicator.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve become enlightened as to the power of collaboration. Our view of collaboration has shifted from<\/em> compliance (being a good team player) to<\/em> one of synergy (collectively we are better than the sum of our parts).<\/p>\n Research has proven the connection between engagement and organizational performance. The alignment between personal values and organizational values is a necessary element for an employee\u2019s connection to the mission of the organization.<\/p>\n Without that alignment, employees need to be someone different at work than they are at home. Incongruence produces stress, which makes the relationship unsustainable. So employers are paying more attention to fit, with Values Orientation being a big part.<\/p>\n We must guard against becoming complacent and even losing relevance. If you mastered The Big Three in the past, understand that the world has shifted and will continue to shift around you.<\/p>\n For you and your team to be most effective, you may need to figure out how to communicate successfully with multiple generations, or how to use that new tool for sharing electronic documents, or how to develop an alignment between your personal and organizational values.<\/p>\n If you are new to the workforce with a lot of career runway ahead, consider adopting The Big Three as the focus for your development. It will serve you well regardless of the path you take.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Communication\u2026 Collaboration\u2026 Values Orientation. Simply put, in all of the competency-based work I\u2019ve done, these are almost always in the mix. Many other competencies are important too, but none will stand the test of time and be as broadly important as The Big Three. They will not become obsolete, pass\u00e9, or irrelevant. I have a theory on why that is true, and if I\u2019m right, it will present a call to action for many of us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8,7],"tags":[30,16,45,46],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=708"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":713,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708\/revisions\/713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Big Three?<\/h3>\n
The Theory. <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Collaborating is different today than it has been in the past.<\/h4>\n
Values Orientation is different today than it has been in the past.<\/h4>\n
Call to Action: <\/strong><\/h3>\n