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Saturday, January 8, 2011

Soft Skill/Competency: Action Orientation

(Refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia “Management Universe” at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/)

(For everything you wanted to know on building leadership and management, refer Shyam Bhatawdekar’s website: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com)

(Refer previous four posts to read the detailed explanations on competencies "Result Orientation", "Problem Solving", “Self Confidence” and “Self Development”.)

Explanation of the Competency “Action Orientation”
  • Emphasizes that actions are more important than mere ideas.
  • Looks around for what needs to be done.
  • Does it without being told.
  • Demonstrates initiative.
  • Uses energy and drive.
  • Has more bias for action than for thinking, planning and analysis.
  • Does not spend too much time in thinking, planning and analysis. Is not an over-thinker or over-planner or does not get stricken by analysis paralysis.
  • Acts with urgency to the situations that demand urgency.
  • Is aware of the time lines for actions and therefore, sticks to deadlines by starting and finishing on time.
  • Takes actions proactively to exploit the business opportunities.
  • Encourages action orientation in others, particularly in his team members and motivates them accordingly.
  • Makes allowances and concessions for slippages and errors in action oriented persons or action oriented situations.
  • Identifies the strategic opportunities that are time sensitive, grabs them and acts on them without loss of time, realizing that the delay in actions can be quite catastrophic.
  • In such strategic situations, creates urgency and acts as a propeller to set himself and others in motion with the required pace.
  • Tries to build an action oriented culture in the organizations he is associated with.
Pitfall to be Avoided
  • Possibility of turning into a workaholic impacting adversely on personal and family life.
  • Possibility of suffering from stresses due to burn out.
  • Lack of planning and more of impulsiveness to act may have adverse impact on smooth, quality, economic and timely actions.
  • May end up setting highly ambitious though unrealistic goals and deadlines.
  • May become intolerant of people with lacking action orientation of people with slow pace of working. This may jeopardize his interpersonal relationships with them.
  • May be less flexible in changing the plans.

Read the "Management Case Studies" from Shyam Bhatawdekar's book "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World" at: http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/ or http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com/

For "Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers", read at: http://management-games-icebreakers.blogspot.com/ or http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com/

For free tutorials on "Train the Trainers" program, refer: http://train-trainers.blogspot.com/