“Competency” as defined by Richard Boyatzis, a professor of organizational behavior, is “an underlying characteristic of an employee which results in effective and/or superior performance.” Lyle and Signe Spencer, in their book, Competency at Work, define competency as “an underlying characteristic that is causally related to…superior performance in a job or situation.”

Job Competencies include different types of thinking, such as Analytical, Conceptual or Strategic – together, these are the components of Critical Thinking. A superior sales person would be particularly strong in Relationship Building, Persuasion, Interpersonal Understanding, and Customer Service Orientation. In training, a superior performer would also have Persuasion skills along with a high level of Integrity and be able to Develop Others. A few more of the 24 job competencies include Organizational Awareness, Organizational Commitment, Initiative and Flexibility.

At a recent talk at Dallas Baptist University (Frisco Campus), I was ask if “underlying characteristics” are something we learn or something that is part of our DNA. [More...]