Content for your search for

Unconscious Competence Could be Damaging Your Business

June 25, 2007

If you have done any leadership development you may have comes across the competence continuum that goes something like this -

Conscious and Unconscious Competence

We all seem to want to go reach that stage of Unconscious Competence, when we won’t have to think about what we are doing and the steps to take each time, so it “just happens”.

Learned tasks can drop out of mind. Can you drive and listen to the radio at the same time? Ever arrived at a destination and not known how you got there? Ever been on a conference call, or at a meeting, where you weren’t actively participating and still you managed to clear out your inbox? Some people would call this multi-tasking, others call it mindlessness.

As we repeat certain tasks over and over, on a regular basic, we get better at it. The individual steps of the task move out of our consciousness. Over time we assume that we can do the task even though we don’t know how to do it (try teaching your kids or someone else how to drive a manual car). Repetition (driving the car, typing, communication style, facial expressions …) can lead to mindlessness in almost any situation, in most organisations, and by the most competent experts.

Try this exercise in rhythm -

Q - What do we call the tree that grows from acorns?
A - Oak

Q - What do we call a funny story?
A - Joke

Q - What sounds does a frog make?
A - Croak

Q - What do we call the white of an egg?
A - Yolk (sic)???

Where is mindlessness effecting your organisations efficiency, safety or bottom line?

Posted by obm | Filed Under Business Development, Competencies | Leave a Comment 

What Does it Mean to be a Competent Manager?

June 22, 2007

Competencies - it’s a term that is flung around very broadly in organisations these days. But what are the competencies that makes a good manager into today’s business environment?

In their comprehensive study and report on Competence at Work, Spence and Spencer identified the following generic competency model for managers. These competencies are listed in order of importance (from most to least).

• Impact and Influence
• Achievement Orientation
• Teamwork and Cooperation
• Analytical Thinking
• Initiative
• Developing Others
• Self-Confidence
• Directiveness/Assertiveness
• Information Seeking
• Team Leadership
• Conceptual Thinking

These competencies were in addition to the base requirements of organisational awareness, relationship building and expert/specialised knowledge.

It was shown that the best managers, from front-line through to senior executives, use well socialised impact and influence to improve the functional of the company.

Where would you rate your level of Impact and Influence within your organisation and externally with clients, partners and suppliers?

Posted by obm | Filed Under Competencies, Leadership | Leave a Comment