Sidebar: Competencies Defined

From business strategist to functional leader

Market Knowledge Understanding the market in which a business operates, including the competition, the suppliers, the customer base and the regulatory environment.
» High performers develop deep market knowledge that enables them to see how to transform the industry landscape.

External Customer Focus Serving and building value-added relationships with customers or clients.
» High performers cultivate deep external customer relationships and are dedicated to creating enduring mutual benefit.

Commercial Orientation Identifying and moving toward business opportunities, seizing chances to increase profit and revenue.
» High performers change the rules of the game, creating sustainable competitive advantage.

Strategic Orientation The ability to think long-term, holistically and outside one's own area. It involves three dimensions: business awareness, critical analysis and integration of information, and the ability to develop an action plan.
» High performers develop cross-enterprise strategies in complex environments

Change Leadership Transforming and aligning an organization to drive for improvement in a new direction. This is about energizing a whole organization.
» High performers create a culture of change and coordinate it throughout complex organizations.

Collaboration and Influence Working effectively with and influencing those outside your functional area to effect a positive impact on business performance.
» High performers forge transformational partnerships.

Results Orientation Focusing on improving business results.
» High performers transform processes and create new business models.

People and Organizational Development Developing the long-term capabilities of others and the organization as a whole, and finding satisfaction in influencing or even transforming the lives and careers of others.
» High performers systematically build the overall bench strength of the organization.

Team Leadership Focusing, aligning and building effective groups in one's immediate organization. This could apply to a virtual project team or a cross-functional team, whether there is a formal leader or not.
» High performers builds self-managing teams that function well, with high morale, in complex situations.

Function Expertise Leading in one's own function area or unit to achieve operational excellence.
» High performers drive the business, bringing function expertise in only when needed. They have freed themselves up from time-consuming hands-on management.

- C Matthews