The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

116 / TAKING UP YOUR LEADERSHIP ROLE

STAGE OF

DEVELOPMENT

Assessing competencies: solving problems

NOT YET

DEMONSTRATED

DEVELOPING

COMPETENT

ROLE MODEL/

COACH

ACTIONS DEMONSTRATED

Has only recently taken up the current role.

Finds it difficult to step back from the day-

to-day operation and engage with others in

creative problem-solving.

Encourages other people to put forward new

ideas. Explores systematically to understand

what is happening and why. Generates ideas

to solve problems and decides on actions.

Actively encourages others to think of problems

and tensions as creative opportunities to

improve service and develop products.

Measuring and developing

After you have drafted the competencies

for a leadership role, you can begin to

use them to develop your organization’s

leaders. The main vehicles for this are

formal appraisals and self-assessment:

-^ Make sure the leader knows^
and fully understands what the
competencies are.
-^ Appoint a “competencies advocate”—
someone to encourage the leader
to use the competencies as a
development tool.
-^ Agree the competencies to be used^
in appraisals.
-^ Train appraisers throughout your
organization in the meaning and
use of competencies.

• Encourage self-assessment
  against the benchmarks set
  by the competencies.
  When being assessed in an appraisal
  or carrying out self-assessment, it
  is helpful to recognize four stages of
  progress toward competency in a given
  area. So, for example, if you were to
  assess development in the competency
  “Solving problems and taking decisions,”
  the results may be as shown below.

US_116-117_Using_competences.indd 116 31/05/16 5:28 pm