Have you ever wondered why some people excel in their careers while others lag? Many employees with stellar academic achievements and domain knowledge have failed to impress in their work lives. What could explain the same?
Success at work is not decided by your educational credentials or domain knowledge but by competencies.A competency is the capability or quality to perform a task well or is a sum of knowledge, skills and behaviours best suited for the task or job. We gain knowledge through our formal means of education. Skills are the application of knowledge in life or the sphere of work. As an example example, a design is the application of the understanding of the concept coupled with imagination. But beyond knowledge, behavioural competencies are the key to your professional development.
Behavioural competency encompasses a wide range of observable behaviours, personality traits and attitudes that influence an individual’s performance. But how important are they? Think of that colleague of yours who has talent and knowledge but finds it hard to work with his team members or the super-performer colleague who failed as a manager.
Knowledge is tested and measured in the hiring process while behavioural competencies are not measured in most professional environments. Though personality assessments are scientific instruments to understand an individual’s traits, attitudes and behaviours, they are sparingly used in employee development plans in organizations.
The volatile and uncertain world and the changing characteristics of the newer generations pose a challenge to the traditional way of nurturing talent. The emphasis is on behavioural competencies as much as on technical knowledge.
While Leadership is generally considered a behavioural competency, interpersonal skills which help people work with others in teams are not given the same importance. Communication is a skill of applying language but also blends behavioural traits and the dimensions vary within hierarchy.
Though some behavioural competencies are natural others are developed through training and practice. However, the key is understanding the significance of behavioural competency and mapping it across job levels. The next step would be to measure the employee’s behavioural competencies through assessments. The final step would be to address the gaps through training or coaching.
