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Your performance is a consequence of the way in which you utilize and apply your skills, knowledge, experience and personality styles. These attributes are commonly referred to as competencies. This article introduces you to the components of high performance and outlines the areas that are key to developing true competence.
Knowing and Understanding
The diagram below will help you identify your competencies and question the impact they have on your performance:
Leveraging Competencies
Having a realistic understanding of your skills and abilities is the first stage in improving performance. We often talk about strengths and weaknesses, and it’s important to be able to identify where your development areas are in order to maintain and improve levels of performance.
Change in our lives and work environment are constant, and things rarely stand still. It’s necessary, therefore, for you to be able to adapt to changes in order to continue to be effective and satisfy your personal needs.
"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change." Charles Darwin
Performing well is vital on a number of levels not least because it can give you a high level of personal satisfaction, sense of achievement and boost in confidence. Think of someone you consider to be a high performer. These people tend to exude confidence, are positive and enthusiastic. They are often seen as key members of the team and can attract some of the more interesting and challenging tasks.
High performers are not necessarily career ladder climbers – don’t assume that career development means moving into management. Careers are about using your talents to create something of value for others, which will also result in you achieving your own personal goals (be that as the chief executive of a large global organization, or a part-time administrator for a small local company).
Doing and Developing
Skills, knowledge and experience are easier to characterize than behaviors. It’s far more straightforward to identify the skills you need to perform a task or role and then endeavor to acquire them through training, e.g. using a computer, writing a report, driving a car. So, in this topic we aim to cover the less tangible aspects of performance and give you some guidance in the following areas:
- Self-awareness – the first step in this process. By understanding your own preferred ways of doing things you can identify the areas which you might like to adapt in order to develop your versatility and improve the way you work with others.
- Motivation – the satisfying of personal needs. We all have different priorities in life and reasons for going to work. Understanding yours will help you focus on the things that are important to you. This should, therefore, result in you being an enthusiastic, positive and highly valuable member of the team.
- Confidence – the key to creating a positive impact. Being able to communicate effectively will enable you to demonstrate your ability, play a more valuable role and help you achieve your objectives. By adopting a more positive attitude towards your abilities and the need to assert your views and opinions, you will make a significantly greater contribution.
- Effectiveness – the ability to deliver results. Performance is often measured by the achievement of objectives. It is important, therefore, that you are able to set and focus on goals, and ensure you are going to achieve them.
- Credibility – the way in which people regard you will either promote or ruin your reputation. Being seen as professional, reliable, trustworthy and competent is important and can be a powerful career driver.
- Creativity – the way to unlock your potential and try new ideas. Creativity techniques and approaches enable you to look at things in a different way, generate many more ideas than you normally would and solicit input from others. Being creative doesn’t always apply to large innovations, but can be used to great effect on small initiatives, e.g. gathering feedback, improving systems and decision-making.
- Career management – is your responsibility. Whilst many organizations support career development, it’s really down to you to make sure that you are getting what you need from your career. As you develop your competencies you may start to feel the need for greater challenges. You should, therefore, constantly look at opportunities you can exploit to exercise, develop and acquire skills and knowledge.
- Social responsibility – the expectation that an organization will act ethically, promote diversity and deliver on social and environmental issues. Understanding the relevant issues and guidelines will help you play your part in championing your organization’s policies and ideals.
