Competency Matrix: Overdoing the Competencies

For everything you want to know in business management, life management, home management, family management, self-improvement and success in life refer: ""Management Universe" at http://management-universe.blogspot.com

For everything you want to know in "Building Leadership and Management" refer: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com

Competency Matrix: Overdoing the Competencies

Excess of Everything Is Bad

In our earlier post on "Competency Matrix" (http://competency-matrix.blogspot.in/2009/01/competency-matrix.html), we had included a word of caution. It was about taking care of the pitfall of "overdoing the competencies". 

While developing various kinds of competencies, it is possible to fall into this trap of getting "obsessed" with those competencies. But then as you are aware excess of everything is bad. We had cited a few examples of this and it's negative impact. 

In this present post, we are giving a comprehensive list of indicators of this "obsession" or "overdoing" on a large number of competencies as given below.

Indicators of Overdoing the Competencies: Beware of Overdoing the Competencies

When you get obsessed with any competency or start overdoing it, possibilities of following tendencies exit and efforts should be made to overcome them.

1. Action Orientation: hopelessly workaholic, lopsided personal/family and social life, stressed out, setting unrealistic goals, setting very difficult dead lines, subordination of planning over actions, single track mind and action, inflexible.
2. Composure: uncaring attitude, hiding the emotions all the time, stressed because of bottled up feelings not shared or expressed, boring at times.
3. Communication: only gab and no worthwhile content, too much or too little preparedness before communicating, presentation style and effect more important, excessive salesmanship,  too much of a listener, listening giving impression of agreement or weakness, may err on time management due to over-indulgence in communication by self and others. 
4. Conflict Management: invariably insist on only the win-win solution though not necessary,  getting involved in every conflict resolution situation though not required, seeing every problem from an assumption that some conflict exists. 
5. Conviction: inappropriately sticking to certain ways of thinking, inflexible even where flexibility is necessary, blatant in expressions about self beliefs, too pushy in actions related to matters of  self convictions, perceiving flexibility as a sign of non-conviction, closed to feedback.
6. Creativity: disproportionate expenditure of resources on certain creative ideas of less importance, superficial ideas, only ideas and no implementation, possibility of becoming a loner  and poor team player, contempt for less creative people, being far ahead of people and time  in  terms of creativity to the extent that the ideas get shot down by others.
7. Customer Orientation: Giving in too easily to customers even when not warranted, twisting even well-tested company policies, plans and practices in view of customer demands, inordinate pressure on employees of the organization and overcommitting other resources to accommodate the customers.
8. Decision Making: may becoming overzealous in giving decisions rather than evolving the decisions,  burdening all the decision making situations on own shoulders, giving decision without sound analysis, short term decision overlooking any long term considerations, weakening  the decentralization.  
9. Developing People: lopsided expenditure of time and other resources on training and development of people, more of professor than an executive, employees spending more time and efforts in training rather than on the job thus affecting the time lines of the projects. 
10. Integrity: perceiving and making every situation an issue of integrity and ethics, act in a self-righteous manner, getting projected as a stubborn and inflexible person, making too much fuss of transparency and openness.
11. Interpersonal Skills: being goody goody with each and everyone at the cost of effectiveness and efficiency, acceptance and approval addict, tendency for groupthink, avoiding conflicts all the time, cannot handle rough weather, wasting time spend relationship building and networking, compromising and accommodative.
12. Leadership: mistaking leadership for dictatorship or patronage, more words less action, creating a crevice between followers and self leaving people behind, tendency to curb emergence of new leadership, insistence that only his vision be followed, share his vision, envisioning or deciding on only the big or strategic picture with little concern for details, get projected as more theoretical and less practical.
13. Problem Solving: tendency of analysis paralysis, burdening self with all the responsibilities of problem solving, curtailing delegation and the resultant empowerment of others, excessive avoidance of  risks.
14. Self Confidence: danger of turning overconfident, mine is always right posture, bordering on being arrogant, shun feedback and opinions of others, creating a sense of inferiority complex in others.
15. Self Development: obsessive with self-improvement through self-help literature and other self-help resources, self-centered and selfish, may become boring to on-lookers with self-improvement antics.
16. Result Orientation: overemphasis on results and no concern for processes, results by hook or by crook, inclination for short term results as these are immediately seen, inordinately high concern for tasks and results and no or very little concern for people, cannot form teams, meddling with subordinates'/colleagues' work to achieve results.
17. Team Building: excessively participative all the time and in all the situations, may miss the targets and time lines due to overemphasis on consensus building, always evolving decisions taking  people along with and not taking a definitive position i.e. not taking decisions on own when required, disproportionately greater inclination for concern for people as compared to concern for tasks/timely results, insistence on forming teams for every job even when not appropriate to do so.

(All the aspects of various soft competencies and competency matrix are now available in the book form titled "Competencies and Competency Matrix" by our eminents authors Shyam Bhatawdekar and Dr Kalpana Bhatawdekar. For more details of the book contact our email: prodcons@prodcons.com)

Soft Skill/Competency: Assertiveness

For Building Leadership and Management, read: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com

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

Also read “Shyam Bhatawdekar’s Musings” at http://shyam-bhatawdekar-musings.blogspot.com/)

Refer previous eighteen posts to read the detailed explanations on competencies "Result Orientation", "Problem Solving", “Self Confidence”, “Self Development”, "Action Orientation", "Creativity", "Interpersonal Skills", "Communication Skills", "Composure or Coolness", "Decision Making", "Integrity", "Team Work and Team Building", "Developing People", "Conflict Management", "Leadership" and "Motivation", "Listening" and "Conviction".

Assertiveness (Also refer: http://assertiveness-skill.blogspot.in/)

Explanation of the Competency "Assertiveness"

• Possesses great clarity about the differences between various behavioral styles i.e. aggressive, submissive, passive-aggressive and assertive behaviors.
• Has full knowledge of his assertiveness rights. 
• Stands up for his own basic human rights without violating the basic rights of others. 
• Has overcome the fears and self-depreciation that keep one from exercising one's rights.
• Can initiate, carry on, change and terminate conversations comfortably.
• Can tactfully, justly and effectively express his preferences, needs, opinions and feelings.
• Can express and speak up, make requests and ask for favors without hesitation or fear if the situation calls for.
• Able to show positive emotions (joy, pride, liking some one, attraction, complimenting, accepting compliments with grace etc) as well as negative emotions (complaints, resentment, criticism, disagreement, intimidation, the desire to be left alone, refuse requests etc) with equal ease.
• Is willing and capable of questioning authority or tradition if it becomes necessary.
• Does not rebel but takes responsibility. Takes control of the situation to make things better.
• Maintains his dignity by being properly assertive even if hurts someone else, as long as his motive is assertive, not aggressive.
• Does not feel it necessary to offer reasons or excuses for justifying his assertive behavior.
• Believes that he has a right to change his mind when required.
• Keeps free of approval addiction (approval of others) and self-pity. Willing to accept even the negative outcomes of his decisions and actions.
• Seriously believes that you have the right to say “no” without feeling guilty. You also have the right to say "yes".
• Does not consider himself stupid to say "I don't know" or "I don't understand" and seek clarifications in case of doubts.
• Answers honestly when he is asked if he likes something when he doesn't.

Pitfalls to be Avoided

• Runs the risk of being seen as arrogant by some people.
• People in authority and even others may feel offended occasionally.
• Runs the risk of being unpopular if he has to assert quite often.
• May take stands even on trivia where it may not be appropriate to be assertive.

Soft Skill/Competency: Conviction

For Building Leadership and Management, read: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com

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

Also read “Shyam Bhatawdekar’s Musings” at http://shyam-bhatawdekar-musings.blogspot.com/)

Refer previous seventeen posts to read the detailed explanations on competencies "Result Orientation", "Problem Solving", “Self Confidence”, “Self Development”, "Action Orientation", "Creativity", "Interpersonal Skills", "Communication Skills", "Composure or Coolness", "Decision Making", "Integrity", "Team Work and Team Building", "Developing People", "Conflict Management", "Leadership" and "Motivation" and "Listening".

Conviction

Explanation of the Competency "Conviction"

• Keeps improving his knowledge and understanding from various sources in order to decide upon his own beliefs and convictions in the important aspects of personal, professional, family and social life. 
• Based on such in-depth and ongoing studies and observations he creates a structure of values, beliefs, paradigms and view points that should guide him presently and in future. 
• Sticks to those values and beliefs unless in exceptional situation he finds that he was wrong and corrects himself in those few areas where he was wrong. 
• Reviews his day-to-day paradigms and points of views quite regularly and is willing to embrace a new paradigm with a new conviction when the paradigm shift takes place.
• Makes his convictions known to the concerned people with reasoning and without any hesitation.
• Based on his convictions, he is courageous to take stand on important issues fearlessly even at the cost of becoming unpopular occasionally.
• Does not take stand on trivia.
• Defends and supports the convictions of other people if he finds them convincing.
• Does not waver or crumble under any internal or external pressures.
• His actions are always in congruence with his principles and paradigms. He is interested in doing what is right.
• Thus he is capable of providing the requisite initiative and leadership in tough times on a rainy day.
• Is willing to take blame and responsibility in case the decisions and actions taken by him based on his convictions misfire in certain cases. He introspects such situations deeply and applies corrections if necessary.

Pitfalls to be Avoided

• May become too rigid and not willing to change even when it is really appropriate to change.
• May become unwilling to put forth his rationale for his principles and thus he may exude fear and animosity towards others who do not carry the same beliefs.
• At times may consider changing stand from his convictions as a sign of moral weakness and continue to hold on to erroneous ideas.
• May get blinded by his own thinking and not welcome new ideas and approaches and at times even scoff at them. He may become a hindrance to progress.

Soft Skill/Competency: Listening

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

Also read “Shyam Bhatawdekar’s Musings” at http://shyam-bhatawdekar-musings.blogspot.com/)

Refer previous sixteen posts to read the detailed explanations on competencies "Result Orientation", "Problem Solving", “Self Confidence”, “Self Development”, "Action Orientation", "Creativity", "Interpersonal Skills", "Communication Skills", "Composure or Coolness", "Decision Making",
"Integrity", "Team Work and Team Building", "Developing People", "Conflict Management", "Leadership" and "Motivation".

Explanation of the Competency "Listening"

• Considers listening as one of the important human skills and an important subset of the communication skills.
• Believes that listening strengthens the quality of communication, interpersonal relations, human relations, emotional intelligence, conflict management and team management.
• Every interaction requires one to respond and since the quality of response depends on the quality of listening, tries to improve quality of his listening constantly.
• Listens more and more within the sphere of other’s HSoftware (overall mental frame consisting of values, knowledge, paradigms and will power) rather than within the sphere of his own HSoftware. (Refer for more details the book titled "HSoftware- Shyam Bhatawdekar's effectiveness Model":http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=hsoftware&x=16&y=21)
• Thus, listens to understand the other person and not just to react, reply, control or manipulate the other person. By understanding the other person properly, can respond or act in the best possible manner.
• Does not ignore the other person by showing indifference or by pretending to listen.
• Generally respects other people and demonstrates openness and trust through his body language and spoken words.
• Encourages two way communication.
• Focuses on what the other person is saying and pays attention and tries to understand what the other person is saying.
• Tries to understand what the other person is saying by being interactive with him by giving him the feedback of his understanding.
• He tends to be empathic in his listening the others. Puts himself in other person's shoes.
• In becoming an empathic listener, listens not only with his ears but also with his eyes and with his heart.
• Listens for feeling and meaning.
• Understands that every human being needs psychological survival- one wants to be understood and appreciated by others, one wants others' affirmation and validation. By being an empathic listener, satisfies this need of other human beings.
• Then, paves way to influencing the people in right directions by diagnosing the issues and concerns of others in a better way for effective problem solving.
• Promotes a more participative style of managing by involving people.

Pitfalls to be Avoided

• May spend disproportionately more time in listening at the cost of other equally important functions.
• In order to promote participation may tend to allow people to speak out whatever they wish to even when they are at tangent and thus mismanaging the time.
• May be seen by many people as person always available to offer shoulder to cry on.
• Being listened to intently may be construed by the speakers as if what they are speaking is being accepted by the listener as correct though in fact they may be wrong.

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

Soft Skill/Competency: Leadership

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

Also read “Shyam Bhatawdekar’s Musings” at http://shyam-bhatawdekar-musings.blogspot.com/)

Refer older fourteen posts to read the detailed explanations on competencies “Result Orientation”, “Problem Solving”, “Self Confidence”, “Self Development”, “Action Orientation”, “Creativity”, “Interpersonal Skills”, “Communication Skills”, “Composure or Coolness”, “Decision Making”,
“Integrity”, “Team Work and Team Building”, “Developing People” and “Conflict Management”.

Explanation of the Competency “Leadership”

• Believes in and practices highest degrees of ethic, integrity and honesty.
• Can envision the advancement and growth opportunities.
• Possesses abilities for high degree of conceptualization, strategizing and analysis.
• Demonstrates high achievement orientation. Therefore, emphasizes commitment, accountability, action orientation and results.
• Is dynamism personified. Exudes energy and enthusiasm.
• Takes initiatives and is self starter.
• Adept at interpersonal relationships and puts emotional intelligence in action.
• Excellent communicator.
• Possesses high learning orientation and learns from all the quarters all the time. Quick in grasping new pieces of knowledge and practice.
• Is excellent in directing and controlling functions.
• Uses his excellent influencing skills for bringing out the desired consensus, decisions and actions.
• Very good at decision making processes and once decisions are reached, displays firmness and decisiveness in implementation.
• Displays required flexibility and adaptability in different situations and times.
• Demonstrates tremendous self-confidence as well as moral and physical courage.
• Can lead people from the front when necessary. Is capable of setting an example.
• Is great team builder and team player. Provides necessary support and cooperativeness.
• Motivates self and other people excellently well and people then give out their best in terms of their potentials and stretch.
• Balances his high concern for task accomplishment with high concern for the people.
• Possesses high business acumen.
• Is politically astute.
• Very good at general judgment and intuitions on issues and people.
• Develops many next line leaders.

Pitfalls to be Avoided

• May end up being a very strong leader leaving people looking up to him for any thing and every thing.
• May become indispensable thus posing a question of succession- after him who?
• High result and action orientation may create an imbalance between concern for task accomplishment and concern for people.

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

Soft Skill/Competency: Conflict Management

Refer previous thirteen posts to read the detailed explanations on competencies "Result Orientation", "Problem Solving", “Self Confidence”, “Self Development”, "Action Orientation", "Creativity", "Interpersonal Skills", "Communication Skills", "Composure or Coolness", "Decision Making",
"Integrity", "Team Work and Team Building" and "Developing People".

Explanation of the Competency "Conflict Management"

• Recognizes the fact that conflicts are quite natural in any organization and yet these need appropriate redressing to move on with apt solutions.
• Therefore, is willing to take up the responsibility of managing and resolving the conflict.
• He can think through clearly in a conflicting situation.
• In any conflicting situation, he keeps his eyes constantly on the desired goals and therefore, does not drift away from them despite conflicting arguments and points of views.
• Listens well and patiently all the conflicting arguments and presentations.
• Controls the people and their communication patterns in the discussions that takes place when resolving a conflict.
• Facilitates the innovative and creative thinking of the people caught up in the conflict.
• Does not take sides of any particular set of people or their thinking. Rather, tries to facilitate working out genuinely appropriate and optimal solutions.
• Amply demonstrates his positioning as a person with high objectivity in every conflicting situation.
• Most of the times aims at a win-win solution as opposed to win-lose, lose-win or lose-lose solutions or a compromised solution.
• Contributes his own inputs, ideas, creativity and analysis to supplement the missing or erroneous information and thus uncover the real issues and reasons that led to the conflict. Then proceeds to help find the answers.
• Gains agreements without leaving behind any bitter taste or disrupting the human relationships.
• Is proactive and as far as possible anticipates the conflicting situations and dissolves them well before they turn into conflicts.
• Is good at managing various types and complexities of conflicts involving insiders as well as outsiders.
• Is highly skilled in tackling the people who have a knack or habit of becoming unnecessarily difficult and nasty.
• Can use humor or any other intervention to diffuse even highly volatile conflict scenarios.

Pitfalls to be Avoided

• May perceive even the day-to-day routine issues as a conflict and start using his conflict management skills in an elaborate manner.
• Thus may get involved in every situation of small little conflict even the ones that might better get solved by delegation.
• May start contributing with out-of-proportional over-zealousness or intensity and rather than diffusing the conflict, may end up opening up Pandora's box and thus aggravating the conflict.
• May overemphasize on always realizing a win-win solution where a less than win-win solution may look more suitable as a starter.

Soft Skill/Competency: Integrity

Refer previous ten posts to read the detailed explanations on competencies "Result Orientation", "Problem Solving", “Self Confidence”, “Self Development”, "Action Orientation", "Creativity", "Interpersonal Skills", "Communication Skills", "Composure or Coolness" and "Decision Making".

Explanation of the Competency "Integrity"

• Holds to a laudable value structure all the time and in all the situations.
• Is led by principles and values in all the walks of life- a real principle centered person.
• Even under pressure from anyone, does not yield to unscrupulous behavior.
• Practices integrity while dealing with everyone and therefore is regarded as trustworthy person.
• Demonstrates fairness consistently. Does not play favorites.
• Is never motivated by ulterior motives.
• Is always truthful, does not lie.
• Does not turn and twist the information to gain something or to score a point in an underhand manner.
• Uses confidential information confidentially. Does not divulge the confidential information even under any body's pressure.
• Behaves ethically personally and professionally.
• Does not indulge in any kind of corruption or corrupt practices.
• Lives personally and professionally following the legitimately formulated laws of the land- does not flout or circumvent them.
• Motivates others to practice integrity by being an example to others.

Pitfalls to be Avoided

• Does not understand the difference between the core values and the day to day practical paradigms and may confuse paradigms for values. May, inappropriately, turn many issues into unwarranted ethical battles.
• And therefore may become unnecessarily difficult, stubborn and inflexible in personal and professional dealings with the people involved. May even get into a fight or a conflict in situations where there should be none.
• May pose as a self-righteous person.
• May become judgmental.
• May present his truthfulness and honesty impolitely and inappropriately to such an extent that the others may start avoiding him.

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

Soft Skill/Competency: Composure or Coolness

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

Refer older eight posts to read the detailed explanations on competencies "Result Orientation", "Problem Solving", “Self Confidence”, “Self Development”, "Action Orientation", "Creativity", "Interpersonal Skills" and "Communication Skills").

Explanation of the Competency "Composure or Coolness"

• Exercises self-control under trying or tough circumstances or situations or
  under any kind of pressure.
• Responds proactively rather than just reacting immediately or without
  thinking.
• Responds appropriately without getting perturbed by the stressful news,
  situations or events of moderate and heavy stresses.
• Manages negative emotions like anger, frustration, fear, dejection etc
  effectively and if necessary, in exceptional cases, shows or shares or vents
  them out without hurting self or others.
• Does not get personal or does not raise an accusing finger at others while
  dealing with a difficult problem or conflict or failure. Rather, concentrates on
  solving the problem.
• Motivates others to concentrate on finding solutions to problems rather than
  getting overwhelmed by stresses and strains involved.
• Remains focused, tries to think clearly and takes appropriate decisions even
  under ambiguous, doubtful, stressful, dilemma and crisis situations.
• Steers effectively through an emotionally packed event.
• Exudes calming effect on the people around.
• Is capable of counseling the people under stresses and strains.

Pitfalls to be Avoided

• May be branded as cold and unemotional person.
• May control emotions and not show them or vent them out even when it is
  appropriate to do so and in the process may hurt or harm self or others.
• May belittle or discard others' feelings or emotions and decisions based on
  them.
• May even get branded as uncaring type.

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

Soft Skill/Competency: Communication Skills

(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 older seven posts to read the detailed explanations on competencies "Result Orientation", "Problem Solving", “Self Confidence”, “Self Development”, "Action Orientation", "Creativity" and "Interpersonal skills").

 Explanation of the Competency "Communication Skills"

• Likes to communicate with others.
• Selects the right target groups or individuals for his communication.
• Can organize his ideas, thoughts and messages and structure or format them appropriately and makes sure that they match the requirements of his target groups or individuals.
• Is capable of correctly, precisely, concisely and effectively sending the desired messages or ideas to the receiver at the right pace.
• In doing so, he chooses appropriate language and style for delivery of his messages.
• Ensures that his message has reached the receiver the way he wanted it to be.
• Furthermore, he puts his best efforts in communicating with others such that it elicits the desired response from the audience on most of the occasions.
• Is good at making effective and confident presentations to an individual, small groups and large groups whether internal or external to the organization.
• Can make effective presentation even to a mixed or diverse audience with different backgrounds, interests and sophistication. Also is capable of communicating well with difficult audience.
• Can clearly explain to the audience even a more complex subject matter making it easier for them to understand.
• Encourages two way communication, feedback and sorts out questions and doubts of the receiver of communication.
• Therefore, he is an effective, active and empathetic listener.
• Employs right kind of time management while communicating.
• Makes sure that his actions are commensurate with what he communicates. 

Pitfalls to be Avoided

• May spend too much time polishing and honing his communication.
• May not like to put much of efforts in planning and delivering his communication believing that he is already good at it.
• May fall prey to excessive emphasis on presentation styles and use of sophisticated technology while giving a second degree treatment to the objectives and contents of communication.
• Actions may not necessarily be demonstrative of his communication if he believes that gift of gab is all that matters. 

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/

Soft Skill/Competency: Self Development

(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 two posts to read the detailed explanations on competencies "Result Orientation", "Problem Solving" and “Self Confidence”.

Explanation of the Competency “Self Development”

(For more benefits to you, It will be prudent to refer (Self Development) http://managing-self.blogspot.com/ and (Self Motivation or Internal Motivation) http://internal-motivation.blogspot.com/)

• On a day to day basis, tries to introspect or examine his own strengths and weaknesses.
• Seeks and welcomes others’ feedback on his strengths and weaknesses and examines them positively or constructively. Others can include anyone who can provide the feedback; even an enemy, neighbor or spouse :) apart from the usually known people like, bosses, colleagues, direct reports, internal and external customers etc.
• Accepts criticism (as part of feedback) from others in his own stride.
• Looks around for information on appropriate way and means or strategies for self development.
• Continually works to improve upon his strengths and to remove the weaknesses, particularly those weaknesses which have become or can become critical in achieving successes in professional, personal, family and social life.
• Then looks around for opportunities and utilizes them by taking up appropriate assignments or projects to enhance his strengths and eliminate his critical weaknesses.
• Reads, observes, refers and participates through the authentic literature and courses/workshops/seminars for enhancing knowledge and skills/competencies.
• Continually develops his will power, value structure, knowledge and paradigms to enhance his effectiveness in professional spheres and all the walks of life. (Refer Shyam Bhatawdekar’s Model “HSoftware” for effectiveness at http://humansoftware.blogspot.com/ and/or http://knol.google.com/k/shyam-bhatawdekar/management-in-life-profession-family/6txz9nck6g3/3# )
• Actively learns from his own and others’ successes and failures on an ongoing basis.
• Sets an example for others to learn, improve, develop and grow.
• Assists others in facilitating their self development.

Pitfall to be Avoided

• Too much self centered.
• Obsessed with self help development gurus, books, literature or any other gadgets.
• Lopsided distribution of time and efforts on self improvement particularly at the cost of achieving results on important tasks on hand (which can be done with existing levels of knowledge and skills/competencies).
• Wasting time and other resources in improving the knowledge and skills/competencies where one is already very good at currently.
• Lopsided allotment of resources on self development rather than their appropriate utilization on the development of one’s team members.

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/

Soft Skills/Competencies: Self Confidence

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

Refer previous two posts to read the detailed explanations on competencies "Result Orientation" and "Problem solving".

Explanation of the Competency “Self Confidence”

• Displays a confident disposition. Instills confidence in others.
• Has confidence in his own abilities.
• Has no doubts and hesitation in his abilities.
• Uses his abilities confidently to tackle the day-to-day and also difficult situations and problems.
• Likely to lead in solving the issues.
• Will take responsibility and accountability with no fuss.
• Speaks out his mind. Therefore, makes his thinking and opinions heard and understood by other related persons.
• Does not feel threatened in sharing his knowledge and skills with others.
• Does not get cowed down by aggressive behavior of others.
• Can take criticism in his own stride.
• Does not become defensive; cannot be pushed to corner.
• Does not easily complain or grumble or blame about others or about situations.
• Does not hesitate in sharing his success and limelight with others.

Pitfall to be Avoided

• Arrogance.
• Know-all type behavior.
• Poor listener.
• Therefore, devaluing others’ feedback, opinions and suggestions.
• May instill inferiority complex in others.

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

Soft Skills/Competencies: Problem Solving

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

From the previous post onwards, we have started giving here a detailed treatment of some of the major soft skills/competencies. This will help you to understand these soft skills/competencies in quite clear ways so that you can actually implement these competencies for your overall success.

We gave a comprehensive list of all the possible soft skills/competencies in our blog at http://soft-skills-competencies.blogspot.com/, you may refer this URL.

We also recommend that you should have a good idea of what a competency matrix is while you are reading all the posts under our present blog. For this you may refer our blog on competency matrix at: http://competency-matrix.blogspot.com/

Explanation of Competency “Problem Solving”

• Defines the problem correctly. Makes a good problem statement.
• Decides on what data and information to collect to find out the causes of the problem.
• Sets up the cause and effect relationship accurately.
• Observes the underlying patterns in the problem.
• Defines the type and extent of information that must be collected to work out alternative solutions.
• Looks beyond obvious solutions. Uses creativity to find out better solutions.
• Decides on the most appropriate solution. Applies trade off analysis properly.
• Anticipates the hindrances to problem solving and takes care of them proactively, well in advance.
• Contributes his best when a group is working on solving the problem.
• Infuses critical thinking in solving a problem.
• Knows and further keeps learning where to look out for or whom to contact in the process of problem solving. Tries to become more and more resourceful.
• Escalates the problem to an appropriate person or level when it appears beyond his scope of cracking due to several reasons.
• Makes sure that the problem is tackled at the root level so that it does not surface again.

Pitfalls to be Avoided

• Slowing down on taking (calculated) risk.
• Too much of unnecessary analysis what is generally known as analysis paralysis.
• Stealing the show from the other members of the group when the problem is being solved by a group.
• Taking up too much in case of escalation of the problem.
• Losing sight of time lines in order to find the best solution.

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

Also read “Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers” at http://management-games-icebreakers.blogspot.com/