Welcome to Career Management

The Importance of 'Soft Skills'

In a recent survey developed by our company, CFOs said the qualities that most contributed to attaining their current positions are overall business acumen (27 percent) and interpersonal skills (21 percent).

Interpersonal or "soft skills" are vital for interim managers to possess since they interact with professionals at all levels.

These skills include:

Communication. Interim managers must be able to clearly express observations, suggestions and solutions to senior management and other individuals in the company. Asking questions helps to avoid communication gaps.

Listening. Interim managers need to arrive at each engagement with an open mind and be willing to hear and understand what the client has to say. Active listening allows an interim manager to conduct a more thorough analysis and develop effective solutions.

Multi-tasking. Solid organisational skills and the ability to manage and implement the multiple phases of a project are highly valued by businesses.

Diplomacy. Interim managers need to demonstrate tact in taking the best approach to resolving sensitive situations in areas such as credit risk management.

Adaptability. A successful interim manager should be able to quickly acclimate to new environments and corporate cultures as well as interact with people at all levels.

• Empowering Employees Boosts Productivity
• Competency Modeling Can be Key to Hiring and Training Success

Empowering Employees Boosts Productivity

A company's competitive edge often lies in the intellectual capital of its staff. Businesses that encourage their employees to be resourceful, exercise creative decision making and take appropriate risks are more likely to achieve future success. One of the most efficient ways to increase the performance of your staff, and your company, is to empower your employees.

Empowerment gives decision-making power to front-line workers who might otherwise feel frustrated at their lack of authority. Taking advantage of the following strategies can significantly increase employee productivity and satisfaction in your office:

Encourage Creative Decision Making

Allow employees ample flexibility in how they achieve company objectives. While the entire company shares a common goal, the road to accomplishing it may not be the same for everyone. Recognising this allows you to capitalise on the creativity of your workforce. Specific training on problem solving, time management and decision making can help prepare your staff for increased responsibility.

Provide Necessary Information

Providing employees the information necessary to make informed decisions is crucial. Communicate openly about your company's big picture. Let workers know how the business is doing and how their actions affect the bottom line. Provide key facts such as long-term business strategy, competitor activities, production rates, market share data and year-to-date financial resultson a regular basis.

Don't forget that exchange of information should work both ways. Encourage workers to share their observations, concerns and ideas with upper management and provide a convenient forum for communication. Regular meetings between employees and management, staff surveys and even a traditional suggestion box can be effective. Be sure to respond swiftly to input from employees, since lengthy silence can lead to discouragement.

Allow Room for Error

When people are challenged to become more creative, resourceful and responsible which inevitably entails risk taking, a certain amount of error will occur. Rather than giving up on empowerment strategies, learn from mistakes, carefully consider why the mistake occurred and how it could have been prevented. Did the employee have the information necessary to render a good decision? Use your findings to develop a sturdier empowerment framework that can continually be built upon.

Empowering your team, while providing maximum flexibility, communication and support, can result in increased worker productivity and corporate prosperity.

Competency Modeling Can be Key to Hiring and Training Success

If an ideal prospective employee walked in the door, would your company know it? Many businesses today are using a process called "competency modeling" to help their organisations target the characteristics that distinguish average employees from top performers.

Competency modeling involves determining, as accurately as possible, what combinations of traits and abilities are required for workers to excel in their jobs. This process not only helps you hire the most qualified people, it also uncovers areas in which employee training might be useful.

Following are several strategies designed to help you build an effective competency model.

Interview Your Top Talent

Nearly every company employs several "stand-outs" who consistently outperform their peers. For example, if you're a CFO overseeing a large accounting department, you may have a particular manager on staff who has become the "troubleshooter" by default. Other staff members rely on his or her interpersonal skills and problem-solving abilities when they need to resolve an issue. The key to competency modeling is determining what it is about such extraordinary performers that makes them so good at their jobs.

One of the easiest ways to gain this insight is to observe outstanding employees directly.

• What, if any, special skills do they possess?
• What personality traits do they share?
• What common attitudes and beliefs do they bring to work?

There will likely be patterns that emerge. These are the qualities you should consider incorporating into your competency model.

Talk to Customers and Clients

Clients can also prove to be a source of valuable information. Seek input from those with whom your staff interacts on a regular basis. You may find clients or customers value a particular employee because he or she listens carefully to their requests and often is able to resolve issues independently, rather than passing the problem on to a manager. Based on that information, you would incorporate listening skills and problem-solving ability into your competency model.

Put Your Competency Model to Work

Once you've determined the skills your company requires, the next step is locating individuals who demonstrate these skills. If you're in the process of hiring, develop interview questions that specifically address key competencies such as problem-solving or strategic planning. With pre-established guidelines in place, you will increase your odds of making the best hiring decisions.

A competency model can also help you improve the skills of your current employees. Weigh their strengths against those you've found to be most important to your company's success. If you find a gap that applies to a significant number of workers, you may need to invest in additional training. This is an excellent way to build leadership talent from within.