Directors and Business Leaders

About the Directors and Business Leaders 360 degree feedback competency framework

You`re at or near the top of your organisation. But do the people who work for you believe that you genuinely care about the culture or is it just the profits? Business leaders need to think strategically as well as facing the challenges of both managing their organisation and being and ambassador for the business. Employees, shareholders, customers, financiers and other stakeholders all have high expectations and here`s your opportunity to prove that you really are up for some good honest feedback about the way you run the show.

Our Directors and Business Leaders competency framework is designed to cover all the skills that someone doing - or aspiring to do - a job at this level needs to have. This is the framework we use together with the underlying behaviours that appear on the questionnaire:-

Team-working (mandatory)

This competency reflects the ability to develop teams at company level, to improve their effectiveness through personal commitment and to role-model team behaviours

Promotes a team culture at all levels of the organisation
Encourages teamwork to resolve business problems
Demonstrates commitment to team-working by personal example
Understands how teams work
Focuses on team objective rather than personal agenda
Encourages team members to use their diverse skills to complement one another
Creates a climate of trust and collaboration across the organisation
Encourages input and advice from others on company strategy
Clearly communicates the contribution that individual teams make towards achieving the corporate vision

Developing self and others (mandatory)

This competency reflects the ability to improve own performance and to help others to develop into the next job

Responds positively to feedback and acts upon it
Is open about own personal development as an example to others
Sets challenging and stretching goals for self even after having achieved significant personal success
Goes out of the way to put self into new situations in order to learn and enhance his/her own skills
Encourages people to develop themselves by taking responsible risks
Makes sure that people have the support they need to realise their aspirations
Makes sure that people understand that their personal development goes hand in hand with the health of the business
Develops successors by accurately assessing the strengths and weaknesses of others.
Creates a broad pool of talent to meet future business needs

Adaptability/Change Management (mandatory)

This competency reflects the ability to respond & adapt to changing circumstances and to manage, solve problems and provide solutions in a climate of ambiguity

Looks for the opportunities that arise during times of change
Able to cope effectively in situations where there is a large amount of incomplete, complex and/or ambiguous information
Is a source of strength in times of uncertainty
Can switch easily between different jobs and situations
Prepares the organisation to cope with continuous changes
Balances conflicting agendas
Balances drivers for change against potential constraints
Finds ways of achieving change without provoking opposition

Conceptual Thinking and Innovation (mandatory)

This competency reflects the ability to generate new ideas through original thought

Able to understand and quickly see the key issues in a broad range of subjects
Able to see parallel situations and draw lessons from them
Turns abstract ideas into models that others can understand
Is able to work lots of novel ideas into a coherent plan
Good at finding ways of tackling situations they haven't seen before
Finds ways to create first mover advantage ahead of the competition
Comes up with and presents new, original and workable business ideas
Looks to different industries and disciplines to find new ideas that may apply
Overthrows conventional views and makes radical changes to achieve business success

Analytical thinking (mandatory)

This competency reflects the ability to analyse, investigate & interpret data, issues & situations

Will test the feasibility of a course of action before implementing it
Understands when an analysis or argument is valid, relevant and appropriate or not
Sees behind what is going on to identify the dynamics of a situation, process or problem
Checks underlying evidence, information and assumptions before drawing conclusions
Is able to take multiple pieces of complex information from multiple sources and make sense of them
Makes sure that all the business implications are properly researched and taken into account when considering plans or actions

Drive for results (mandatory)

This competency reflects the ability to focus oneself and others on achieving specific outcomes

Creates an ethos of challenge and drives for business success
Articulates expectations for others and communicates the benefits
Constantly reviews and monitors progress of the organisation against agreed targets
Encourages continuous improvement across the organisation
Promotes a drive for quality across the organisation
Treats major obstacles as challenges
Drives self and others on when facing difficulty
Responds positively, with commitment and enthusiasm to setbacks and obstacles
Pursues new business opportunities and makes them a reality

Planning and Decision Making (mandatory)

This competency reflects the ability to make decisions on the best course of action and then to plan, organise, prioritise and balance resources to achieve that action

Knows when to take a risk in decision making
Takes tough decisions in absence of complete data
Identifies the critical point, by when decisions must be made
Identifies and makes unpopular decisions when necessary
Looks at the bigger picture and plans for the long term
Allocates corporate resources to optimise the results of all plans
Manages to deliver maximum results for the least cost in terms of time and resources
Encourages bold win-win business planning
Demonstrates awareness of how decisions and actions impact the profitability of the business

Integrity and Ethical management (mandatory)

This competency reflects the ability to work ethically according to professional & company values

Makes the right decision for the whole business, rather than own function or department
Personal behaviour exemplifies company values
Risks unpopularity to make the right business decision
Promotes organisational honesty at all levels
Proactively takes ownership of problems affecting the business
Takes responsibility for own actions and decisions
Performs to high standards, and maintains constructive interpersonal relationships, when under pressure

Leadership and Inspiring others (mandatory)

This competency reflects the ability to use personal skills to guide and inspire individuals/groups towards achieving goals

Motivates the organisation through positive leadership style
Builds teams with appropriate expertise to achieve results, and empowers teams to take action and resolve own issues
Creates a compelling picture of the organisation's vision, consistent with its values, which inspires others to feel a personal stake in its future
Creates an expectation of a high performance culture and stretches others beyond what they thought was possible
Champions empowerment by ensuring that people have the freedom and authority they need
Behaves like a high profile leader
Publicly recognises the contributions of individuals and teams
Says thank you on behalf of the organisation
Is seen to maintain personal contact with people at all levels in the organisation

Commercial and Financial Awareness (mandatory)

This competency reflects the ability to apply understanding of the company & industry to improve effectiveness & profitability

Demonstrates broad and astute business sense
Able to organise and marshal resources to drive profitability
Constantly takes into account the longer term needs of the business and identifies risks and opportunities which will arise
Anticipates trends (social, economic, political, technological, environmental and regulatory) that potentially impact the business
Takes calculated risks in order to achieve significant business gains
Recognises global trends in markets and their relevance for the business
Understands the key financial drivers in the internal and external business environment, and looks for cost effective solutions.
Adheres to relevant commercial and financial regulation

Strategic Awareness (mandatory)

This competency reflects the ability to steer the organisation towards a goal using strategic vision to focus business activity

Generates and promotes a clear vision for the future of the business
Balances strategic vision against demands of immediate operational challenges
Accurately anticipates emerging trends in the marketplace and associated customer expectations
Makes sure that the business is driven by the needs of its customers
Creates and communicates an inspiring vision, which wins commitment
Translates the organisation's vision into successful, new, strategic initiatives.
Chooses and develops strategies that differentiate the business from its competitors

Influencing and Communication (mandatory)

This competency reflects the ability to influence and persuade others and to actively manage the organisation's communication processes

Has excellent negotiating skills
Projects authority without aggression
Effectively lobbies key people and then uses them to support a position
Uses the informal networks within the organisation to influence change
Is able to deliver a powerful message which motivates people at difficult times
Is able to creatively tailor communication in terms of both message and delivery to the audience
Makes sure that there is a good two way flow of communication throughout the business
Demonstrates understanding through active listening, which shows respect for views and perspectives different from own
Encourages and enables others to talk with openness and honesty
Uses electronic communication channels appropriately and in a way that generates a positive reaction in the recipients