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October, 2006
U.S. Library of Congress ISSN 1549-893X

Welcome to Leadership Hand™, a monthly e-newsletter
focusing on the softer side of leadership
to increase your effectiveness more quickly and
enjoyably with bottom-line results.

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1. Three Keys to Improving Performance: Part II

Developing Competence

In Part I, subtitled "Teasing Out Competing Commitments," I wrote about James Flaherty's model for assessing a leader's ability to achieve a desired outcome by looking through three lenses:

  • Commitment,
  • Competence, and the
  • Structures you've created to support achieving your goal or maintaining its achievement.

We began with looking at commitment--not just at the verbalized commitment to the outcome but at potentially competing commitments. Competing commitments can cause you to engage in behaviors that are counterproductive to achieving your goal.

This month we look at competence--do you have the competence to achieve your desired outcome? Here's how to know: If you have the ability to discern the lack of a particular competence, then you are on your way. This is no small thing! In fact, it is the exact point where you can leverage your ability to learn and develop.

Examples of competencies range from the broader strategic ones, such as how to enter into new markets while maintaining the numbers today or how to conduct business as usual but faster and cheaper, to the managerial ones, such as how to be accountable for what's going on without micro-managing or how to have the difficult conversations or achieve greater life balance.

You can take four simple steps to develop the competence you wish to achieve:

  1. Set a discrete period of time to observe the "as is" state--situations where you don't have the competence you would like. Be curious. Be attentive to context and triggers. You'll get great information about when the perceived lack of competence occurs, in which settings, and with whom.

  2. Now define the difference the competence would make. If you had the competence you're talking about, how would your behavior be different? What assumptions would you make when engaging in this behavior? How would you feel? (For more guidance see Leadership: Defining Moments [March, 2005].) Ultimately, define how your behavior would be different in a way that others observe.

    Sometimes I've had clients tell me they don't know where to start. So, here's where I help them look:

    o Where do you already exercise this type of competence to some degree? (Look across all life domains.) What's different? What's the same?

    o Who has the type of competence you'd like to have? Go find that someone(s). Explore and observe.

  3. Set a discrete period of time to practice a new behavior and reflect upon the differences, on what worked, and on what you would like to do differently.

  4. Engage trusted others who will provide you with open and honest feedback. If these people are your direct reports, it is incumbent upon you to make it "safe" for them to voice their ideas, without fear of any reprisals.

Will these steps ensure 100% competence? They just might, until you define another level of competence to which you aspire!

To increasing Competence,

Beth Hand

© Copyright 2007, Beth Hand. Beth Hand, MBA helps leaders increase their effectiveness and satisfaction, now and for the future. She can be reached at (+1) 703.820.8074 or via her website www.leadershiphand.com.

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© Copyright 2006, Hand Associates and Beth Hand • All Rights Reserved

Hand Associates, LLC
P.O. Box 16376
Alexandria, Va. 22302 USA
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Leadership Coaching & Development
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